"The more you speak about Islam and against all Muslims, the more terrorists we create. So it’s important that whatever politicians say,
whatever the media say, they should be really, really careful about it. If your intention is to stop terrorism,
do not try to blame the whole population of Muslims for it because it cannot stop terrorism."
-- Malala Yousafzai
Replacing Fear with Facts:
Teaching Islam in the Classroom
Muslim students throughout the United States have been forced to deal with the effects of hateful anti-Islamic rhetoric that has been increasing among politicians and the media. Young people are particularly alienated and marginalized in the face of bullying, hate speech and narrow-minded peers, which result in negative socio-psychological behaviors. As teachers, it is important to combat discriminatory ideologies in the classroom and to provide all children with a rich learning experience in a secure and safe environment. This lesson is designed to provide your students with an understanding about Muslims in the United States. Several of the ideas presented here build upon the Anatomy of Nativism in U.S. History lesson that provides a historical background of discrimination against immigrants.
It is important for you, as the teacher, to have a basic understanding of Islam as a religion. Please note that depending on your state and local school system, it may not be appropriate to teach about the religion itself and some of these resources should be used with your best discretion. Please review this lesson from PBS Learning Media about the 5 Pillars of Islam for a basic background. The lesson features short videos describing each of the five pillars of Islam. |
Step 1: Hook
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Show your class this clip from PBS News Hour, 'Teaching 'different is ok' to combat Islamophobia in U.S. schools' (7:52). This clip features a group of men from Saint Cloud, Minnesota, discussing their views about their local Somali community. The video is also featured on the left.
In the clip, one man says "They think they're American but when our forefathers came they blended in with everyone else." Another man says "We talk about being American but we aren't very welcoming." In response to the clip, ask your students: 1. What does it mean to be an American? 2. What does an American look like? |
Step 2: Videos and other teacher resources
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We have developed a basic vocabulary list that defines essential terms for understanding Islam. The video on the left, American Muslims: Facts vs. Fiction (11:15) provides answers backed by scientific research to the most frequent questions Americans ask about their Muslim neighbors. You can also show the 2016 Speak Truth to Power video contest winner featuring Dalia Mogahed, How to Be an American Muslim (4:34), also featured in the Anatomy of Nativism lesson. Dalia Mogahed has presented several talks about being Muslim in the United States, including her TedTalk What do you see when you look at me? (16:16) and an appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (6:12).
Georgetown University created The Bridge Initiative, a multi-year research project that connects the academic study of Islamophobia with the public square. The initiative tracks Islamophobia in the media, politics, society, the world, and cyberspace. They provide several infographics that you can use in your classroom. The Bridge Initiative also created a Super Survey collecting views of Muslims over the past two decades. You can read the full 72 page report of a 2 page summary. There is also an interactive timeline about acts of violence towards Muslims. |
Step 3: Standards-Based Exercise
Have your students create a K-W-L chart. Ask your students: What do you think you know about Muslim Americans? What words do you associate with Muslim Americans? What would you like to learn about Muslim Americans?
Teaching Tolerance has created a 3 part lesson plan Debunking Stereotypes about Muslims and Islam that has students read and interpret graphs, recognize differences within the U.S. Muslim population and identify similarities and differences between the U.S. Muslim population and the entire U.S. population. They have also created an additional set of resources for learning about Muslims in the U.S. Have your students read the article A Peaceful Muslim Majority in the U.S. Tarred by Acts of a Few from the New York Times. Your students can review and annotate the article in pairs or small groups. After annotating the article, have a discussion about their reflections from the article. The Southern Poverty Law Center defines and describes anti-Muslim hate groups in the U.S. After reviewing the definition with your class, pull up this interactive 'hate map' that shows the prevalence of hate groups in the United States. You can filter the map to show anti-Muslim groups, there are currently 34 in the U.S. After your students have completed these activities, have them complete the K-W-L chart and write a reflection about what they learned about Muslims in the United States. Ask your students what did you learn about Muslim Americans? What does it mean to be a Muslim American? |
Step 4: What can students do?
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Have your students conduct research about anti-Islam immigration in the United States. They can find out if any of their representatives have supported this legislation on Project Vote Smart. Your students can write letters to their representatives either supporting or condemning their voting history about Muslims in the United States.
You can have your students create a public service announcement about Islamophobia in schools and in the United States. This video Muslims are Speaking Out from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding can serve as an example (6:54). If your school has announcements via television, try to get your school to play the PSA for a larger audience. |
Additional Resources
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AFT Resources
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