Volume 08 - Number 4 - March 2002
Pages: 165 - 226
SPECIAL ISSUE
Nielsen, M. E. (2002). A window to the Middle East. Clio’s Psyche, 8(4), 195-196.
A Window to the Middle East
Abstract
In this article, the author, who teaches a course in the psychology of religion, recounts two encounters with a Muslim guest speaker in the days after the September 11 attacks. The author first describes the guest’s usual class presentation, which covers Islam’s place in the monotheistic tradition, its core beliefs, the Five Pillars, a demonstration of Muslim prayer, and a recommendation to read Toynbee’s Experiences. Six days after the attacks, the author reports, the guest instead spoke about life in the Middle East, about being bullied by larger countries, and about a history of injustice. He omitted the hajj from his account of the Pillars, and students responded positively. Three days later, at a panel on religious reactions to the attacks that the author moderated, Catholic, Jewish, and Southern Baptist speakers expressed anguish and hope for justice. The guest opened with a Koran verse condemning terrorist acts, then spent about fifteen minutes criticizing Western greed, imperialism, and policy toward Israel and Middle Eastern governments. The author reports that he then joined the other panelists in denouncing the attack, explained why most Muslims do not regard it as consistent with Islam, and apologized, asking the audience to understand how deeply these issues are felt in the Middle East. The author concludes that the guest’s classroom passion reflected only a fraction of his feelings.
9/11, the Middle East, psychohistory, psychology of religion, psychology of terrorism, teaching religion
Each fall, I teach a course in the psychology of religion. We review psychological theory and research relevant to understanding religious belief and behavior, with one important goal being that students apply their knowledge to the events they have experienced and the people they have known. To this end, I invite guest speakers from a wide variety of faith traditions, who describe their personal encounters with religion.
One of our guests is an Egyptian-born man in his mid-70s. He is well educated, a British-trained M.D. who then earned his Doctorate of Public Health in the U.S. For several years, he has come to my class to discuss Islam. He usually be-
Page 195
gins his presentation with an eloquent description of historical events—how Islam comes from the monotheistic tradition and shares much with Christianity and Judaism. The golden age of Islam represents the height of cultural ideals, he tells the class. He recommends that students read Arnold Toynbee’s Experiences (1969) in order to gain a better appreciation of how Islam fits into history and to better understand his region of the world. Next, he discusses the beliefs of his religion. The Koran was delivered directly to Muhammad, making it a perfect reflection of God’s will. The Five Pillars of Islam—declaring that there is no God but God and that Muhammad is his messenger; daily prayers; giving alms; the month-long fast of Ramadan; and the hajj [pilgrimage to Mecca]—form the core of the faith. He often demonstrates how Muslims pray and describes the meanings of the actions and words that constitute prayer. Students react positively to his presentations and leave the class better informed about Islam and about the meaning of Islam in one man’s personal experience.
This year, he visited my class six days after the September 11 terrorist attacks. He came with a different quality of intensity and his presentation did not follow the usual pattern. Step-by-step, he led students through the logic of what it is like to live in the Middle East, to be bullied by larger countries, and to be valued only for one’s oil or strategic location relative to oil reserves. He appealed to the students, saying that might should not triumph over right. He focused so intently and passionately on this message, on the history of injustice, that he rushed through the presentation of the core elements of Islam, even neglecting to mention the hajj as one of the Five Pillars. His message was timely and informative, transformed from one of religion and experience to one of history and religion and politics. As before, the students reacted positively to his presentation.
I soon came to learn that the passion he demonstrated in class is only a dim shadow of his full feelings in the wake of September 11. Three days after visiting my class, he participated in a panel discussion with a Jew, a Roman Catholic, and a Southern Baptist. I served as moderator of the panel. The theme of the discussion, religious reactions to the terrorist attack, was addressed first by the Catholic, followed by the Jew, and then the Baptist. For five minutes each, they spoke of tragedy, of “just war,” of personal loss, and of justice. They did not claim to understand the attack, nor did they blame Islam, God, or broad groups of people. They merely expressed their anguish and their hope for justice.
When it was his turn to speak, my Muslim friend began with a verse from the Koran, and used it to decry terrorist acts. Very quickly, however, his reaction transformed into one of fury, as though he had been accused of being an accomplice to the attack. For 15 minutes he raged against the West, for its greed and imperialism, for its ignorance of Israeli atrocities, for its support of dictatorships rather than democracies. Only with great effort on my part did the panel regain its focus and did the audience begin to ask questions of the guests. At that point, my friend joined with the other panelists to denounce the attack and described why the vast majority of Muslims do not view the attackers’ actions as being in accord with Islam. Finally, as the discussion ended he apologized for being so passionate and asked the audience to understand that these issues burn deep within his heart, within the heart of everyone who lives in the Middle East.
Page 196
How to cite this article
Nielsen, M. E. (2002). A window to the Middle East. Clio’s Psyche, 8(4), 195-196.
