Today, Muslim children in the United States are suffering from systemic bullying. In a 2014 California-wide survey of 621 Muslim students, one in five reported offensive comments by school staff. Half of the students surveyed reported harassment by other students. The problem has only intensified since then. First Church of the Brethren in San Diego, Calif., has been blessed to stand with a multifaith community in an effort to fight Islamophobic bullying in our schools. Pastor Sara Haldeman-Scarr met Imam Taha of the San Diego Islamic Center in 2009, and they have been coordinating peacemaking events ever since. That same year church member Linda Williams met Imam Taha's wife, Lallia Allali, and the pair became fast allies. Allali serves on multiple school advisory committees, and is a board member for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) San Diego. In January 2016, First Church worked with our Muslim allies to organize an event called "Standing in Solidarity with Muslim Women," in response to rising violence.
A team of educators, community leaders, and activists formed a committee and set to work on a proposal. The committee put together resources for teachers' material that demystifies Islam and creates understanding between students from different cultures. They proposed to use practices of restorative justice to turn the act of bullying into an opportunity to build community. In November 2016, the committee submitted the plan to the superintendent and prepared to bring their vision to the classroom.
The school district already is moving forward. The list of classroom resources that the committee painstakingly compiled is now under review. The committee is pleased to soon be meeting with key contacts in the district to address repairing relationships.
As Williams noted to Beiser, everyone who poured their passion into the effort over the past year hopes for a seat at the table going forward. Theirs is the restorative work of community healing, and their effort is ongoing.
To read more of Craig Frantz and Linda K. Williams' article, please click HERE.
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