Teens find support in dealing with anti- Muslim bullying By Chicago Tribune, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.18.16 Word Count 765 Saarah Bhaiji, 16, folds one of her many headscarves at her home in Glenview, Illinois, Jan. 31, 2016. Saarah teaches at the Muslim Education Center in Morton Grove on Sundays and attends Glenbrook South High School as a junior during the week, where she said her experience as a Muslim has been mostly positive. Photo: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/TNS GLENVIEW, Ill. Aasiyah Bhaiji knew the boys in her Chicago middle school class were just joking. One of them wrapped his scarf around his head and said he looked like Osama bin Laden. They were making jokes about her religion and it hurt. Aasiyah, 13, was not yet born when the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks happened in New York and Washington, D.C., and her sister Saarah was just a baby, but both have grown up hearing that Muslims are murderers. Adults say it and then their children repeat it. Last week, President Obama visited an American mosque for the first time as president to speak of the pain caused by hurtful words. Americans have learned more about Islam since 9/11, but the rise of the Islamic State, or ISIS, has raised new fears about Islam. As a result, teachers and counselors are trying to stop the bullying of Muslims before it starts.
Respect Is "The Most Valuable Lesson" On Nov. 13, ISIS fighters killed 130 people in France. The next day, Saarah Bhaiji s high school French teacher spoke to her class, and said that ISIS did not represent Saarah's Islam. I didn t have to get up to say it. He did it. I got lucky," Saarah said. Her teacher, Mr. Bertke, said: Respect that s the most valuable lesson we could possibly teach." Mohsin Waraich is a Muslim and a high school senior. A basketball teammate of his posted an anti-muslim message on Facebook. Waraich wrote back trying to explain Islam to his teammate, but he ignored it and posted more hateful words. Waraich is not afraid to face down people who unfairly speak about his faith. He is also not afraid to take a break from video games at a friend s house to go pray. On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, he gave two speeches about Islam at his high school. Polls Show Americans Are Divided Najma Adam is a Muslim social worker in Chicago. She says hurtful words and actions can cause pain and anger, but it can also help a person learn how to live with it. She asks young Muslims to look inside themselves to find calm and peace. (In Islam) to know yourself is to know God, she said. Hiyam Abusumayah, 15, is a Muslim and a high school freshman. She does not cover her head with a hijab. After the Dec. 2, 2016, shootings in California that left 14 people dead, a boy in Hiyam's gym class asked her to help fight ISIS. She asked him if he knew what ISIS was. He said, it s a bunch of your people, a bunch of towel-headed people. She calmly said it is not a towel, it is called a hijab, and her mother Amal wears one. The same day Obama spoke at the Baltimore mosque, a new poll came out that said nearly half of Americans think at least some U.S. Muslims are anti-american. Two-thirds of Americans in the poll said Islam does not teach violence, however, when asked which religion they consider troubling, Islam was the most common answer. People Are Looking For Answers More acts of terror could cause new waves of fear. Amal Abusumayah has been working with Chicago leaders to create a program for teachers and students. Abusumayah said she urges her children to ask others who make anti-muslim remarks why they have these ideas. There always has to be a positive coming out of this, she said. When you see somebody hating on you or trying to bully you for something, it s because they re uneducated and they need answers, and this is their way of dealing with it.
Aliyah Bannister, a Muslim guidance counselor, asks kids to come up with some smart things to say that do not get them in trouble and leave bullies scratching their heads. With kids it s kind of like a jungle, she said. You have to show the other children you re not one to be messed with. Bullies go after the kids who are weak and not going to say anything back. Proud To Wear Her Hijab Hiyam is still nervous about wearing the hijab, but she plans to give it another try this summer. When you wear the hijab, everyone knows you re a Muslim, she said. They re going to pay more attention to you because you stand out and you re different. I want to stand out and I want to be different. If they think Islam is horrible, I want them to come up to me and ask me about it. I want everyone to know that Islam isn t terrorists.
Quiz 1 Which paragraph in the section "Polls Show Americans Are Divided" supports the idea that some Americans are not comfortable with Islam? 2 Which section highlights the idea that the best way to deal with bullies is to challenge them in an intelligent way? "Respect Is The Most Valuable Lesson" "Polls Show Americans Are Divided" "People Are Looking For Answers" "Proud To Wear Her Hijab" 3 Which detail would be most important to include in a summary of the article? He is also not afraid to take a break from video games at a friend s house to go pray. One of them wrapped his scarf around his head and said he looked like Osama bin Laden. Aasiyah Bhaiji knew the boys in her Chicago middle school class were just joking. Abusumayah said she urges her children to ask others who make anti- Muslim remarks why they have these ideas. 4 Which of the following answer choices describes two main ideas in the article? Misinformation about Islam is causing bullying; teachers are helping Muslim students deal with this problem. ISIS is an extreme terrorist group killing people all over the world; as a result, most Americans are afraid of Muslims. Muslim students have embraced their American culture; they are trying to fit in with their peers in school. New waves of fear are making life hard for Muslims; students are joining their Muslim friends to try to educate their classmates.
Answer Key 1 Which paragraph in the section "Polls Show Americans Are Divided" supports the idea that some Americans are not comfortable with Islam? Paragraph 11: The same day Obama spoke at the Baltimore mosque, a new poll came out that said nearly half of Americans think at least some U.S. Muslims are anti- American. Two-thirds of Americans in the poll said Islam does not teach violence, however, when asked which religion they consider troubling, Islam was the most common answer. 2 Which section highlights the idea that the best way to deal with bullies is to challenge them in an intelligent way? "Respect Is The Most Valuable Lesson" "Polls Show Americans Are Divided" "People Are Looking For Answers" "Proud To Wear Her Hijab" 3 Which detail would be most important to include in a summary of the article? He is also not afraid to take a break from video games at a friend s house to go pray. One of them wrapped his scarf around his head and said he looked like Osama bin Laden. Aasiyah Bhaiji knew the boys in her Chicago middle school class were just joking. Abusumayah said she urges her children to ask others who make anti- Muslim remarks why they have these ideas. 4 Which of the following answer choices describes two main ideas in the article? Misinformation about Islam is causing bullying; teachers are helping Muslim students deal with this problem. ISIS is an extreme terrorist group killing people all over the world; as a result, most Americans are afraid of Muslims. Muslim students have embraced their American culture; they are trying to fit in with their peers in school. New waves of fear are making life hard for Muslims; students are joining their Muslim friends to try to educate their classmates.