I grew up on the north side of Edmonton, and while I didn’t quite realize it at the time, this area is known for being a bit rough. Many of the kids I went to school with had parents who were absent working long hours to provide for their kids, or were the kind who were absent while at home. There was also a fair number of kids who were bused in from bigger homes on the outskirts of town. It was an affordable and expanding part of town, so naturally, we had a high immigrant population in my school.
In grade 10, during my first year of highschool, I remember one day the whole school seemed empty. Teachers, for the most part, seemed uninterested in teaching new topics, probably due to the lack of students. It was only later that I learned that the Muslim kids in my school were excused to celebrate Eid following Ramadan.
I am so thankful that I went to a high school that had a significant Muslim population.
We had immigrants of all kinds in my school, from East Asian kids who either fit or fought the stereotype of being hard-working geniuses, to Somalian kids who all seemed to keep their lockers together in one noisy hallway. My school was fairly diverse, as I think all schools should be.
By the time I graduated I had come to know many different Muslim students, most of which were young women. My best friend in grade 12 was a young Lebanese woman who was very religious, but chose to not wear a Hijab in her youth. She never pushed her religion on me, and was very open when I asked questions. I learned so much from her, and I’m grateful she never got offended when I expressed shock at some of her beliefs.
I wasn’t always tactful when learning about different cultures.
I remember having a class with one young woman who wore a full body covering, I believe it’s called a Khlmar, who was very friendly and chatty. She struggled with an art assignment as she had never learned to draw as a child. She told me drawing pictures of Mohammed was against her religion, and in her household that meant she never drew at all.
There were many Muslim kids who dated, some in secret. Many women wore the Hijab, while plenty did not. Two young women wore the full Niqab, and they were known for keeping to themselves.
Imagine my surprise when one of my friends showed up to our graduation in a gorgeous gown and no Hijab. It was my first time seeing her hair. She made a crack about not wanting to wear it covered during such a special night; I had always admired her confidence.
In the end, I learned a great deal from my Muslim classmates. I learned about their religion, and how diverse the beliefs of each family could be. I also learned about many different cultures, and that Muslim people come from many diverse countries.
Most of them seemed to struggle with the pressures of being immigrants or the children of immigrants, as did many kids in my school. Trying to balance their western identities with their family’s culture was a struggle I wasn’t envious of, although I did admire their strong cultural identities. My (white) family had little to show for culture.
In the end, the biggest thing I learned is that Muslim people are just regular people.
I don’t want to imagine what kind of ignorant beliefs about Muslims, or anyone else who is different from me, I might have been susceptible too if I hadn’t grown up on the diverse North Side.