Being an Ally to Muslim Teenagers
I teach English as a foreign language in a Swiss public high school. About eighty percent of the students are Muslim. That fact is not considered by the school leadership or the teachers except in the context of trying to assimilate the students to Christian practices (Christmas, and so on).
I am Jewish and grew up isolated from a Jewish community, so I know that kind of isolation and love being an ally to my teenage students. I do many things. Some are small, such as being sure to have candy without gelatin (something not generally eaten by Muslims) as prizes for games. When our school has a fashion show, I show film clips of the International Modest Fashion and Design Festival, which features women in Muslim attire. I made sure my students learned about the election of the Muslim mayor of London, and heard him speak.
I recently told them that part of my job is to bring into our lessons current events from English-speaking countries. I asked them if they had heard about the attack on the Muslim community in New Zealand. (The students who regularly attend mosques had heard about it.) I then taught them the words “hate crime” and “prejudice“ in English, and we observed a minute of silence to show respect for the victims and their families. (I am the only teacher in the school who acknowledged the massacre.)
I have started a conversation about the school’s plan to have a grill party and cooking course in the middle of Ramadan, when some of the students will be fasting. (Their fasting has been criticized by many teachers.)
Being an ally is an ongoing part of my job and something I love doing. Unfortunately, I have had to not be open about being Jewish. The anti-Semitism I faced several years ago when students knew that I was Jewish was too hard on me. This is something I have Co-Counseling sessions about.
Zofingen, Switzerland
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