Thanksgiving, Holidays, and Chinese New Year and such

Because it is shortly after Thanksgiving, one of the biggest and most group-oriented holidays in American society, it seems appropriate to write about how many foreign and English as a second language students view the holiday. The interesting truth is that it’s often surprisingly unimportant to them.

 Some who work with foreign students forget that Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday. (Okay, there actually is a Canadian Thanksiving held around Columbus day, but it lacks the same symbolism and significance.)

For instance, I once taught at a program at Tufts University that was intended to orient and prepare Chinese high school seniors for study at colleges and universities in the USA. Although I learned a lot in my time there, my feelings were that in many ways it was very much a program designed by and for American liberals without terribly much first hand understanding of Chinese culture and based in their preconceived notions of what the students should be taught rather than based on what the students actually needed. (Perhaps more on this another time.)

And one example of this was at a meeting early in the year,  someone announced that we must find places for them to spend time on Thanksgiving. The fear, as I understood it, was that they would become very lonely on the holiday if they did not have a place to go. However, few newly arrived Chinese students consider Thanksgiving to be terribly important. It is not a holiday celebrated in their country, and they did not grow up with it.  Instead they consider Chinese New Year (also known as Lunar New Year) to be the most important holiday of the year and both are celebrated with feasting and a gathering of families and communities. This is when Chinese, Taiwanese, and many other Asian students (including Vietnamese who celebrate Tet at this time of year) tend to get the most homesick and lonely.

By contrast, I remember my first Chinese New Year’s celebrated many years ago in Taipei, Taiwan, when I was in my early twenties and off to teach English as a Second or Foreign Language for the first time in Taiwan.

A group of us young foreign English teacher and student types gathered and enjoyed the way that the locals seemed to have abandoned their city and how it had become like a ghost town as people left to spend time with their families elsewhere.  The restaurants were closed so we ate canned fish and crackers and chatted and had a great time. We were not lonely at all, although my guess is that most of the Taiwanese we knew would have thought we were.

Some of us, including me, later had the opportunity to spend time with Taiwanese families and that was an enjoyable experience too, but it was something more along the lines of a cross-cultural educational experience than it was an experience based on joining a shared community for an important holiday.

We were much more on a “so what’s this crazy thing about anyway?” frame of mind than we were on a “how will we spend this important holiday?” vibe.

And that’s how many of your foreign students view Thanksgiving. If invited, they are happy. They meet new people. They see new things. They experience the host culture and learn more about its people and traditions.

However, if not they are usually fine.

By contrast, however, if one wish to care and provide well for your foreign students, you should learn what their holidays are and how they spend them and seek to ensure that they do not struggle with serious depression and homesickness during those times of year. 

Saudis and explaining same sex marriage

One of the challenges of teaching English as a Second Language is interacting with people from a wide variety of cultures. And of these cultures and students, some of the most challenging to deal with are often the Saudi Arabians.

Saudi Arabia is an oil rich nation dominated by conservative Islamic thought. (I mentioned Wahhabi-ism in a previous post.) It is a nation ruled by a king where the legal system is dominated by sharia law. It is the only nation in the world where women are prohibited from driving. ("Because we must protect them," explained a male Saudi to me casually one day.)

There are many Saudi Arabians coming to the USA to study these days. This is largely because the government of this nation is aware that some day their oil reserves and oil money will run out and that it is a good idea to diversify the country's economy by sending large numbers of students to the USA to study subjects that might prove useful in diversifying the economy. This is done through a Saudi government organization called SACM or the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission. They approve schools, fund scholarships, and even, according to some reports, keep an eye on the students who come here to make sure they don't engage in activities that might be harmful to the Saudi government or royal family.

And when they come here, often they have questions about things they see or our culture. Sometimes these involve same sex marriage and homosexuality.

First, just to make it clear, many Saudi are under the impression that there is no homosexuality in their nation. Of course, this is absurd, and easily disproven. There are several articles (for instance
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/05/the-kingdom-in-the-closet/305774/ ) and documentaries ( see: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=documentary%20on%20homosexuality%20in%20saudi%20arabia&oq=documenta&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j0j69i57j0l3.8462j0j8 ) and other reports of homosexuality in Saudi Arabia, https://www.google.com/search?newwindow=1&espv=2&q=+homosexuality+in+saudi+arabia&oq=+homosexuality+in+saudi+arabia&gs_l=serp.12..35i39k1j0i7i30k1l3j0j0i30k1l2j0i8i30k1l2.72388.72388.0.75433.1.1.0.0.0.0.161.161.0j1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.serp..0.1.155.v4V99BFGdTQ )

Of course, homosexuality occurs in all cultures and societies in some form so why do many Saudis believe this? First, don't expect to see too many openly gay Saudis because (as the above sources explain) the penalty for engaging in gay sex in Saudi Arabia is to be stoned to death. Clearly, this kind of put a damper on any talk they had over there of organizing a gay pride parade, to say the least.

Secondly, the society often practices arranged marriages. Therefore even if a man or woman is gay they are quite likely to find themselves married to someone of the opposite sex no matter what their wishes might be.

For instance, one day I was teaching an intermediate ESL class in Boston. The lesson focused on the difference between "I hope to" and "I plan to" when speaking of events in the future. One Saudi student turned in the sentence "I plan to get married in two years."

I looked at it and asked "Do you have a girlfriend who wants to marry you?"

He said that he did not, and I asked "Well then, how do you know you will get married in two years?"

"My mother will find me a wife," he answered.

"Well, then," I said. "This is a good English sentence."

Obviously arranged marriages conceal people's natural sexual orientations.

So, this brings us to the million dollar question, what do you do when you are teaching your English as a Second Language class and a Saudi  raises his hand and asks "Is it true that two men here can get married?"

Your response may vary but here's mine.

First, try to sense out if he is really asking because he is confused and wishes to understand or if he is just looking for an excuse to argue, Some students, believe it or not, like to argue in class. If the student seems inclined to just make homophobic statements and argue that his culture is superior to American culture, I'd suggest that he and I save the conversation for after class and then cut it short if my suspicions proved correct.

If not you might wind up with an exchange similar to the following one I actually had:

Student: "But it is only disugsting and immoral men who do these things! If you can do this, what is to keep someone from marrying a dog?"

Me: "Hey, I've got a lot of gay friends and you don't even know them. Who are you to say they are disgusting?"

Even if you think there is some benefit to such shouting matches, and I doubt if there is, I hope you will agree that having them in front of an audience of ESL students benefits no one. If you must shout and call names, do it outside of the classroom.

Second, you could try the cultural relativism approach. I've tried it but in my experience, i
t doesn't work very well for reasons, I will illustrate below.

Student: Is it true that here two men can marry? In my country this would never be permitted.

Teacher: Well, yes, but different things are seen as ethical in different cultures. For instance, in your country it is considered okay to have more than one wife, but in our country it is not considered okay to do that. And in our country it is legal for two men or two women to get married, but in your country it is not. So you can see different cultures have different ways of doing things.

Student: Well, yes, but you must remember that what the Koran says is that a man can have three wives but he must treat them all equally, so that is why it is okay to have three wives.

Please understand that the student has now explained the teachings of the Koran and through that process now feels that he has explained right and wrong to the teacher. The teacher could go on to explain that most Americans do not follow the teachings of the koran or base their morality on it, but, personally, I would not do that in a classroom with several Saudis in it although I would be inclined to do so gently one on one outside of the classroom,

Regardless, few of the Saudi I've met seemed to be satisfied by an explanation of same sex marriage based cultural relativism.

Therefore, I now offer the solution to explaining this cultural difference to Saudi students.

First, a marriage, particularly an arranged marriage, is based on much more than sex and love.

It also an economic arrangement and a union designed to ensure that a household can be run in a smooth and workable fashion. Begin there.

Now picture a Saudi household. Who do you think does the dishes and mends the clothes? Why the woman, of course.

And who does the driving of the car? Why the man of course (unless, of course, they hire a foreign person as a driver which they often do but that's another issue)

So, if you have two men together as a couple what's one thing a Saudi needs to know?

Why who is going to do the dishes and mend the clothes, of course.

And in a lesbian couple who will drive the car?

Therefore what I have found works for me is that when Saudis ask about same sex marriage the place to start is with the division of household chores and duties. Explain that in an American marriage these are generally negotiated and not assigned by sex. Once a Saudi student can understand how the dishes get washed, how the floors get cleaned, and how the other mundane logistical duties involved in running  a family or a household get taken care of, then they are much closer to understanding how a same sex marriage might work.

This is the approach that I have found works for me. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works.  





 

Muslim Fundamentalists, Terrorism, and the ESL Classroom -don't over react but some good things to know

In my last post, I wrote about the few but documented links between terrorism and refugees. As I stated there are approximately 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Of these approximately 3.3 million live in the USA. Since 2002, until 2016, the USA has resettled an estimated over 250,000 Muslim refugees. (See: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/05/u-s-admits-record-number-of-muslim-refugees-in-2016/ and http://www.pewresearch.org/ft_16-10-03_muslimrefugees/ Although the US Government agency the U.S. Refugee Processing Center ( https://www.wrapsnet.org/HomeContacts/tabid/52/Default.aspx ) does keep much more detailed information, this information is indeed difficult to sort through and make sense of.  (According to their website, “The Refugee Processing Center (RPC) is operated by the U.S Department of State (DOS) Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM).”)

Clearly, not all these people are dangerous. In fact, few are. And although Islamic Jihadi terrorism is frightening, hence the word “terror” in “terrorism,” and thus catches the attention of the public and the media quickly, it is actually quite rare, at least in the USA. But it does happen. But it’s important to remember that it does not involve most mainstream, ordinary Muslims who have no more desire to place a bomb in a public place or shoot up the office Christmas party than you or I do.  In fact, reliable sources show a low approval rating for terrorism among Muslims in general. (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/22/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/ )

Yet these things happen. So, here’s the million dollar question, if most Muslims are not likely to be involved with terrorist activity, then what sort of Muslim is likely to be involved with terrorist activity? We hear the term “radicalized” a lot, but what does that mean? “Radicalized” into what?  

And why in the world should an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher care?  

Because fundamentalist Muslims reach out to newly arrived refugees seeking converts to their doctrines and school of thought.

Although I can find little documentation of this in the USA, it is documented to happen in Europe and Germany in particular. And in today’s globalized internationalized society, what one faction of a group does on one side of the world is likely to be copied on this side of the world as well.

For instance, we have this Reuters article:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-europe-migrants-germany-mosques-insig-idUSKCN12S0HE

The key paragraph is:

“Germany's domestic intelligence agency has recorded more than 320 attempts by Salafist Muslims to contact refugees last year, often by offering food, clothes, free copies of the Koran and help with German to asylum seekers living in shelters.”

We also have this article from the National Review, admittedly a conservative, right wing publication but generally quite respected even by many of the critics of its ideology. http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/427738/europe-muslim-refugees-recruited-radical-islam-andrew-c-mccarthy

Additionally, there is this article from the Wall Street Journal which discusses how in Germany, on one hand, occasionally Jihadists and wannabe Jihadists reach out to the local Muslim refugee community. On the other hand, the Muslim refugee community, often quite weary of violence, often turn these people into the authorities. http://www.wsj.com/articles/germany-grapples-with-refugee-tips-in-terror-probes-1478079001

Recently I had a pair of student enter the classroom whose behavior struck me as quite strange. Basically, they were cold, stand-offish, did not appear to be trying to learn English, often did not participate in class activities with the other students, and wished to bring unregistered relatives to the class to sit in. This was not allowed in my program so I could not let them in and did not.

The whole thing was quite strange and disconcerting and a little difficult to explain.  

I could not shake the feeling that they were pretending not to know English.

Of course, I reported the problem to my boss who responded in a manner I consider unprofessional and will not detail here. I began to feel a bit like William Shatner in the classic Twilight Zone episode with the monster on the airplane wing (  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmare_at_20,000_Feet   )    

It was admittedly bizarre-sounding claim. Why would anyone pretend to not know English and enter a basic ESL class?

The motive is seeking contacts who are at an unstable point in their life in order to seek converts. The link below explains this. Please note it says that most such people are harmless, although they are religious fanatics who might look down and be hostile to people who do not share their views. (People such as ESL teachers.) As stated in the above Reuters article, many such fundamentalist fanatics believe that the entire world of mundane worldly affairs is beneath their notice and not worthy of much attention and instead prefer to focus their lives and attention on spiritual affairs. Some however are indeed potential Jihadists. 

Many of these people are devotees of a school or doctrine within Islam known as Wahhabism or Salafism. Although I am not qualified to write of this doctrine and its controversies in detail, many sources, including PBS’ Frontline documentary (PBS not exactly being the world’s most right wing media outlet by the way) credit as the ideological source of much of Jihadi terrorist thought.  ( See: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html ) although others question this view. ( see: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/20/opinion/dont-blame-wahhabism-for-terrorism.html?_r=0 )

How can an ESL teacher recognize such Fundamentalists?

First, don’t expect them to identify themselves. It’s a bit like asking a Fundamentalist Christian if he or she is a Fundamentalist Christian. In such a case, you’re likely to get some answer like “Oh no, I just believe in the Bible and Jesus” or “I’m just a Christian who follows Jesus” or “I just believe in the Bible and follow Christ and its teachings.” It’s the same thing here.

According to Maher Hathout, a senior adviser to the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the spokesperson for the Islamic Center of Southern California, as quoted at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html

“Well, the word "creed" is important because the creed of Islam is the same: the belief in one God, the belief in the oneness of his message, the oneness of the human family. And the devotion to God should be expressed in human rights, good manners, and mercy, peace, justice, and freedom. No two Muslims will argue about this creed. It is documented in the Koran as the highest authority, modeled by the authentic teaching of the prophet, and the authenticity has always been subject of study and debate.

So the creed is crystal clear. But the interpretation or the way you approach life, which should be a dynamic thing, should change from time to time. When you freeze it at a certain period or at a certain interpretation, problems happen. I know that people called it Wahhabism; I don't subscribe to the term. [Muhammed bin Abd al-Wahhab] at his time was considered a progressive person.

If you freeze things at his time -- which was the eighteenth century, or the late part of the seventeenth century, I don't remember the dates exactly -- it becomes very stagnant and very literalist. And a very straitjacketed puritan approach that does not cater to the changeables and the dynamics of life. People call this Wahhabism.

Saudis, by the way, never say, "We are Wahhabis." They say, "We are just Muslims." But they follow the teachings, and the major booklets taught in all schools are the books of Muhammed bin Abd al-Wahhab. Anyone who's subscribing to someone else is not very much welcomed.”

Although Maher Hathout refers to Saudis here, I think the same would apply to most Muslims regardless of nationality.

So, if you can’t ask and get a useful answer, what are some tips on how to recognize Fundamentalist Muslims who might be worth keeping an eye on. (More on this later.)

I don’t have any cut and dried answers, but a couple tips.

First, while most Muslims pray five times a day and do so while bowing towards Mecca, they tend to do this on a loosely defined, flexible schedule. If you have a classroom break, and a Muslim prays, don’t be alarmed. That’s something Muslims do, it makes them happy, and it hurts no one anywhere. It might even help a few people.

However, Salafist Muslims, like the students in my classroom, pray on an exact schedule. (http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=10&Topic=7538  or  https://www.salaficentre.com/2016/06/prayer-schedules-important-rulings-guideline-cautions/  ) By contrast these students will ask for a break at a specific time and then ask you to accommodate them. They may, like these students, set their smart phones so that a call to prayer goes off during your class, disrupting it.

Obviously, this is not desirable in the classroom, but because a religious issue is involved, handle it with discretion.

Two other tips. Although not always, a large number of such people will have a connection to the Saudi Arabian Peninsula and the nations there. These nations include  Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as parts of southern Iraq and Jordan. Note that few of these countries, with the possible exception of Iraq, are likely to produce refugees so such folks will probably not be refugees.  

Secondly, it should go without saying that these folks will probably be dressed in  conservative Muslim dress. This might include burkas but does not always.

So, what do you do if you see Fundamentalist Muslims in your classroom?  Well, first thing is relax. Take a deep breath. Fundamentalist Muslims, and for that matter Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and even Scientologists, all have a right to learn English. And most members of these groups, yes, all four groups, are not bad people. And, perhaps, getting them out among the general public (and I consider ESL students to be the general public) and away from their little insular communities could help them broaden their horizons and expand their outlook a little. Stranger things have happened.

On the other hand, if there’s something really suspicious, what should you do? Well, based on my experiences one option is to go to your supervisor. On the other hand, it’s worth mentioning that your supervisor probably does not know much about these issues and you may find yourself accused of “Islamophobia,” “racism,” “paranoid thinking,” and worse.  Therefore I would recommend that you consider going to the authorities if you have a strong suspicion concerning the behaviors of some Fundamentalist Muslim students. Most large police forces have someone with an interest in homeland security issues, several federal agencies take an interest in such matters, and here in New York State we have our own Homeland Security agency that keeps tabs on these things. Once you tap into that network, they’ll help guide you to the right people if you have a reasonable basis for suspicion and explain yourself well. Before you do, collect your facts, think about why, exactly, what you saw bothered you, and you’ll make the process smoother for all concerned including yourself. 

Refugees and Terrorism -- A Weak Link but it does exist

Today I depart from the usual teaching stuff. I am a teacher of English as a Second Language. I have a great deal of experience with refugees, many of them Muslim.  From time to time, friends and acquaintances ask me about the issue of Islam, refugees, and terrorism. I probably get these questions more than most ESL teachers because, I travel in different circles. (In addition to being an EMT, licensed security guard with large event and concert experience, and martial arts and self-defense enthusiast, I am also a Paladin Press author with some wonderful cyber-contacts in these fields.)   

It’s kind of an elephant in the living room issue in English as a Second Language teaching with few wishing to talk about it. These days, many, many ESL students are Muslims and if one cannot work with Muslims, you probably should not be working the field. (Should one wonder, I can work with Muslims. In fact, when I applied for my job teaching ESL to refugees, I used a Muslim refugee as a reference.)  

Claims of a connection between a terrorist threat from Islamic refugees are much exaggerated, in my assessment. I have tried to keep abreast of the issue and if forced, I could offer less than a handful of examples where there is a very loose, often tangential link between Islamic refugees and terrorism in the USA. Much of the issue hinges on definitions. For instance, see:   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2015/11/19/the-viral-claim-that-not-one-refugee-resettled-since-911-has-been-arrested-on-domestic-terrorism-charges/

A Washington Post article on the issue. 

This article from the Brookings Institute offers further valuable insights.: 

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2015/10/27/do-syrian-refugees-pose-a-terrorism-threat/

However, there were problems. 

The system has been overhauled and had some problems as detailed in this LA Times article: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul/18/nation/la-na-refugee-terror-20110719

This was in response to the arrest and conviction of two Iraqis, Mohanad Shareef Hammadi and Waad Ramadan Alwan, who are reported to have entered as refugees and were found to have extensive histories of terrorist and insurgent activities. 

These can be detailed here: 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303745304576357540061417306

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-kentucky-us-dozens-terrorists-country-refugees/story?id=20931131

http://abcnews.go.com/International/terrorists-refugee-program-settle-us/story?id=35252500

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-iraqi-terrorists-living-kentucky-sentenced-terrorist-activities

https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/louisville/press-releases/2011/two-iraqi-nationals-indicted-on-federal-terrorism-charges-in-kentucky

However, when I read the articles I was left a bit confused as to whether or not the pair had entered on refugee or asylum visas, a quibbling, unimportant distinction perhaps but one that crops up again and again when looking at this issue.   (For instance, the Tsaernever brothers, the Boston bombers, entered on asylum visas as teenagers, but were at times described as “refugees” in some reports.) 

However, there is this case: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/20/us/obama-st-cloud-minnesota.html?_r=0

https://forefugees.com/2016/09/19/p/

Dahir Adin, a 23 year old who entered the USA on a refugee visa while one year old, did commit a mass stabbing at a mall in Minnesota before being shot by an off duty police officer. In other words, he was a refugee, but a baby at the time with little memory of what it was like to come here. 

So what should an ESL teacher do? Well, honestly, nothing at all is usually an appropriate response. Most refugees are ordinary people and most Muslims are ordinary people too. It is important to remember that there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. Of these, an estimated 3.3 million live in the USA. If they were inherently violent and dangerous, at the very least, the world would look quite different. 

On the other hand, if you do see something quite strange or that raises your suspicions it is probably best to quietly report it to the authorities. That way you won’t have to worry about charges of “islamophobia” from your supervisor. Also the authorities are more qualified to judge the seriousness of what you’ve seen than a typical ESL school administrators. The authorities often come at the state, local, and federal level and ideally interact with each other. Often a local police officer should have some idea of where to go to report a terrorism related concern should you see one. 

I hope to write a second post soon on how to recognize fundamentalist Muslims and distinguish them from ordinary, mainstream Muslims.