In Year 8, students regularly write a reflective piece in their journals about various topics. Last weekโs topic was Racism.
I was very proud to read the various responses. Zahoor Leghari, Ahmed Abdalla and Sharaf Sardar in particular have written excellent pieces which you can read below. Keep up the good work Yr 8B!
Furthermore, Maryam Arain from Year 12A has written a beautiful poem for her English Context: Encountering Conflict. The poem responds to the prompt: "The search for truth and justice is vital in resolving conflict". I am certain you will enjoy reading it below.
Ms Emel
Head of English
Racism
Racism is treating someone differently because of their race. This can mean discrimination, prejudice, and antagonism. A racist person has no right whatsoever to discriminate someone else upon their race or background. Like everyone else, the person being discriminated had no choice to choose which family or race they came from. I personally am really against this. I have experienced being the person being bullied about their race. I am thankful it was only minor but it felt really bad. When I see someone being racist to another person, I try opposing the offensive comments and try to change their mind about another race.
Racism was a major problem in the world before. People with light coloured skin thought themselves to be superior to people with dark skin. People with dark skin were not thought to be normal humans and were really mistreated. It wasn't their fault but others were too arrogant to accept them as normal humans or at the same level. The thought and act of racism is a wrong thing. It is in the hands of God alone to choose and noone else has the right to discriminate another person over their race.
By Zahoor Leghari from Year 8B
"Journal of Racism"
In my opinion, racism is just wrongful and disrespectful behaviour. Since I haven't encountered racism at any stage of my life, I can't really tell about my personal experience about it but I can however tell about how racism is used today in this so call โmodern worldโ.
We hear it almost all the time about Muslims or terrorist or Africans and other people, it just keeps happening all the time. Some people have actually committed suicide from what I know because of racism.
Allah (SWT) Says in Surah al Isra
ููุง ุฃููููููุง ุงููููุงุณู ุฃูููุง ุฅูููู ุฑูุจููููู
ู ููุงุญูุฏู ููุฅูููู ุฃูุจูุงููู
ู ููุงุญูุฏู ุฃูููุง ููุง ููุถููู ููุนูุฑูุจูููู ุนูููู ุฃูุนูุฌูู
ูููู ููููุง ููุนูุฌูู
ูููู ุนูููู ุนูุฑูุจูููู ููููุง ููุฃูุญูู
ูุฑู ุนูููู ุฃูุณูููุฏู ููููุง ุฃูุณูููุฏู ุนูููู ุฃูุญูู
ูุฑู ุฅููููุง ุจูุงูุชููููููู ุฃูุจููููุบูุชู
O people, your Lord is one and your father Adam is one. There is no favouritism of an Arab over a foreigner, nor a foreigner over an Arab, and neither red skin over black skin, nor black skin over red skin, except through righteousness. Have I not conveyed the message?
Also another ayah from the same Surah
ููุง ุฃููููููุง ุงููููุงุณู ุฅููููุง ุฎูููููููุงููู
ู
ููู ุฐูููุฑู ููุฃููุซูููฐ ููุฌูุนูููููุงููู
ู ุดูุนููุจูุง ููููุจูุงุฆููู ููุชูุนูุงุฑููููุง ุฅูููู ุฃูููุฑูู
ูููู
ู ุนููุฏู ุงูููููู ุฃูุชูููุงููู
ู ุฅูููู ุงูููููู ุนููููู
ู ุฎูุจููุฑู
O mankind, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Verily, Allah is knowing and aware.
So Allah does not like racism. We are all brothers and sisters of Islam, so we should try to respect that Allah is watching us and Allah chose Muslims to teach mankind whatโs right and whatโs wrong but today due to the amount of racism it isn't working too well.
Link for evidence: http://www.faithinallah.org/islam-is-against-racism-and-bigotry/
By Sharaf Sardar from Year 8B
"Racism"
Racism is something we've all witnessed. Many people fail to believe that race isn't a biological category, but an artificial classification of people with no scientifically variable facts. What is racism? Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics, abilities or qualities specific to that race, which means they treat each other differently. Especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race(s).
In my opinion, racism is a disgusting thing itโs pathetic! People should absolutely not treat others differently because in the end, we're all the same! Who cares if heโs black or heโs white itโs pitiful! In the end, pain is what allows us to truly understand one another and also cooperate with them. We all go through the same pain in growing up. If you've been through the same person as one another, you will truly understand them.
Take a good look at Islam. It is an incredibly wonderful religion where everyone cooperates with each other. It is like they can't see if they're black or white, they all respect and treat each other equally, everyone is the same.
Racism has made an unbelievable affect in our society, instead of trying to better our lives on our nation, we are spending time fighting a constant battle between races. We've become diverse and split apart.
Racism is the cause of intense fights, people even go that far to killing! We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name in justice, but if that revenge is called justice, that justice breeds and binds together which becomes a constant chain of hatred! People live their lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. Thatโs how they define reality. But what does it mean to be correct and true? Merely vague concepts... Their reality may be all a mirage. Can we consider them to simple be living in their own world, shaped by their beliefs? Absolutely not!
In general, I would love to see people cooperate with each other and fight of racism! Itโs sad to see people still desperately hate others based on their appearance. Racism has been going on for far too long, it is time for an end to racism! I believe that a day will come where everyone will respect and treat others equally, just like we Muslims do. Even for them, it is possible for them to inherit our will, yes they will have a heart strong enough to overpower the racism and they will treat different races equally, they won't look at them with their eyes, they will look at them with their heart!
By Ahmed Abdalla from Year 8B