Assignment #2
I learned that many muslim students don’t feel a sense of belonging at their school. While some haven’t been through anything personally, they feel as if the people at their school don’t truly understand what it means to be muslim. A lot of them feel out of place and very different from their peers.
This matters as a mentor because it is important for us to understand the struggles muslim students go through in the American school system. As muslims ourselves, we can relate to their issues and try to foster a sense of belonging between them.
The article states that while many of the muslim children weren’t mistreated at school, they felt as if they were different. Schools never took the time to make muslim students feel welcome, nor did they accommodate their needs. There was one girl who was the only student wearing long pants during PE, which led to her feeling out of place.
This matters as a mentor because we can take the things the students are saying to make them feel more accommodated. By understanding these things, we can guide the students we mentor on how to feel more confident in themselves.
The article talks about the importance of muslim students being around other muslims and staying connected with their community. It is easy to get disconnected with the deen when you're constantly around non-muslims, so being around your community can help uplift younger muslims.
This matters as a mentor because we can be the muslim support system these children need. We are examples of muslims who go to a public school, while still trying to be the best muslim we can. It is important for young muslims to try and figure out the balance between going to school and staying connected with the deen.
Something that muslim students are still navigating today that the paper mentioned is that sense of not feeling like you belong and being disconnected from the deen. Many muslim students feel like they can’t really relate to their non-muslim friends because of their religion, therefore leading to muslim students feeling disconnected from the deen.
Something they may experience differently is certain accommodations. The paper spoke about schools not having many halal options or being considerate when it comes to prayers, but the school system has become better at that. Many schools have more meal accommodations and are flexible when it comes to prayer times. When I was at school, I never had issues finding places to pray. At first, it was pretty intimidating, but once I started reaching out to my teachers and staff, they were very understanding and always found a place for me to pray.
