As an Arabic tutor at a local university in Singapore for 10 years now, I was not a foreigner to questions by my students which were out of the ordinary. In the classroom, language learning is not merely one of learning and memorisation, but also involves interactions, clarifications and exposure to Arabic culture.
I remember one instance very vividly that characterised the curiosity that is apparent in my students toward the culture and the religion Islam, which is very closely associated with Arab culture. While introducing my students to some vocabulary for their usual reading exercise, we came across the name Imran in Arabic. Instinctively, I asked my students if they knew the name of Mary’s father. In Islam, the biblical name Mary (referring to Mother Mary) is often referred to in its Arabic counterpart, Maryam.
Many would know that she is the mother to Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) and, in Christianity, both also known as Mother Mary and Jesus respectively. As the class consisted of non-Muslim students as well, and is taught in English, I have always made a conscious effort to contextualise what I am teaching to universal or mainstream concepts. One of my students excitedly blurted out ‘Jesus!’ to my earlier question of who the father of Maryam was – and the whole class burst into laughter. It might seem like a childish reaction but I then took that opportunity to share with the students that in the Quran, Imran was actually Mary’s family name and some scholars had assumed it was her father’s name. [1]
I found such banter interesting as it aroused the curiosity for learning in my students. However, as I ended my explanation that day, a Muslim student asked immediately: ”So, can we ask you madrasah questions?”, which surprised me. The question was nuanced, insinuating that he perhaps saw me as someone qualified to answer questions on Islam. The students burst out into laughter again. The conversation amused me and that was not the first time such similar questions have been addressed to me during my years of teaching Arabic. At the same time, it dawned on me that the Arabic classroom presented multiple opportunities to familiarise students to Arabs and Islams, two entities of which are frequently misunderstood.
Language as a Meeting Point for Conversation
It is clear that the role of a teacher in a language class goes beyond just clarifying and teaching the language because language is intricate and is linked with real life, and is therefore not straightforward. Terms in any language are most of the time connected to its sociological usage rather than just its linguistic function. Whenever my students ask me similar questions, I see it as a great opportunity to enlighten them on Arabic terms which most times also leads us to discuss other topics, including religion.
For example, the term ustazah (the female term for a Muslim scholar) in the Muslim social context refers to someone who has religious knowledge or expertise in Islam. In one of the incidents with my students, while we were walking out from class, a group of them took the opportunity to ask me if I am an ustazah. This instance and the previous one I described above show us that some students may actually be seeking a safe space to ask honest questions related to Islam.
In different settings outside of class, some of my Muslim students have taken the initiative to ask their boiling questions on Islam. One such example was personal questions on repentance as many felt that they have been distant or straying from God. Such instances remind me that Arabic teachers represent, to some extent, a figure of Islamic knowledge that they may not have had access to or opportunity to be in the presence of previously.
As Salahuddin and Siti Sara (2017) have found, religious motivation to learn Arabic for most communities of Southeast Asian are so as to perform Islamic religious rites, which pushes them to consider learning Arabic as a religious duty. Hence, I do find that Muslim students taking up Arabic may usually have this intention to get closer to understanding their religion.
The Arabic Language Teacher as a Point-of-Reference
Arabic language has a strong connection to Islam because certain Arabic phrases or greetings are intertwined with Islamic culture. Many times when I needed to teach such terms in class, I would need to explain the relevance of the word or term as used among Muslims. For example, Assalamualaikum, Syafakallah and InshaAllah are common terms used by Arabs (regardless of their religion) but also have Islamic connotations.
Once, a Chinese non-Muslim student took the opportunity to ask questions on other matters related to Islam. Although I had to cut short my explanation since I needed to complete my teaching syllabus, and also am aware that it is a language (and not a religious) class after all, it was interesting when I heard the student commenting that he raised these questions because he didn’t have Muslim friends that he could ask.
In another instance, I had shared with my students how two similar Arabic words which differ only by a letter or vowel have very deep connections in their meanings. In the case of the words رَجُل rajul (man) and رِجْل rijl (leg), legs represent the shouldering of responsibility which is prevalent in the patriarchal Arabic culture, just like many other ancient cultures in the past. This example gave me the opportunity to explain why in the principle of faraidh (Islamic inheritance law), sons or male siblings are able to obtain more portions than their female counterparts. The responsibility that males have over their sisters, mothers and their own family nucleus makes them deserving of having more, but it does not mean that all of the money belongs to them. Rather, it is to be shared with those who are under their care.
Promoting Understanding of Islamic Culture
Arabic Language classes are the perfect opportunity to clarify whether Islamic and Arabic culture are one and the same. Jamousa and Chikb (2012) stated that Islamic culture refers to the ethical, spiritual, social and ideological aspects of contemporary culture that is infused in an Islamic coating. It has Arabic as its language, and is Islamic in essence and history, making it a clear, unique and self-sufficient culture with its own unique characteristics. Because of the fusion of the two different entities located in the same geographical location i.e. the Arabian peninsula, it can undoubtedly create some confusion in non-native Arabic learners.[2]
Whenever I teach about the concept of time in Arabic, it is impossible to segregate Islamic practices in telling time. As an example, the word عَشَاء ‘Ashaa, which means dinner, sounds similar to the word عِشَاء Isya”, which is the fifth prayer time for Muslims. It is not coincidental that عِشَاء Isya’ also happens to denote night time after the sun has completely set and the sky has turned dark (Arba ‘iyah,2018) [3]. In the same lesson that I explained this, I also introduced the other four prayer times to share how Muslims denote time in close relation to the prayer times. For example, 3 am in Arabic is also known as السَّاعَةُ الثَّالِثَة فَجرًا (as saa’ah thaalithah fajran), with the word fajran referring to the first prayer time of the day. The Arabic manner of telling time shows us that the five daily prayers are very much integrated with the lives of Muslims such that it even influences the way they tell time.
Telling Stories for Better Illustration
At times, I use storytelling as a technique to illustrate some abstract perceptions of Islamic culture. I find that telling stories is a good way to introduce some abstract concepts that may be hard to illustrate just by telling. I had related to my students a story about a friend who had a schoolmate in Sudan to explain the concept of how Islamic dressing may be influenced by the religiosity of an individual.
In Sudan, it is normal for new foreign students to be accompanied by senior students to buy their needs at the market. At that time, the student was a junior who had not learned much Arabic. She was accompanied by a senior student, who had shown up all dressed in black. She had also don a long hijab (or head covering), which in some societies may characterise someone who has a high level of piety. In the midst of making their purchase, the senior student had uttered some words that sounded like the word “kiss” to the seller. Later on, she also sounded like she had used another disturbing word, “fakkah,” which of course sounded like the well-known English profanity. Although she didn’t see any inappropriate reactions from the seller, she was still in shock as to how someone of that expected level of religiosity could utter such words.
As it turned out, what she had heard as ‘kiss’ was actually كِيس kees, referring to a bag – her senior had actually requested for a plastic bag. On the other hand, what sounded like the F word was actually فَكَّة fakkah, meaning “change” as she was asking for her change from the seller. In this hilarious story, it doesn’t just explain the meaning of the words kees and fakkah, but at the same time also tackles the societal inclination to judge a person based on their attire, which is a common occurrence in the Islamic culture.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, we can see that Arabic Language classes are a good way to encourage conversations in wider community to bridge understanding about Islam and Muslims especially in the wake of Islamophobia. Language is an excellent opportunity to learn more about any culture, which can also be intrinsically connected to religion as is the case for Arabic.
There is a lot of room to explain the reasons behind certain thoughts or practices in Islam, which also essentially familiarises and normalises the Muslim identity to Arabic Language students, both Muslim and non-Muslims alike.
Arabic Language lessons may well help to erode the misperceptions of Muslims being characterised as terrorists or scary looking Arabs who look scary and instead introduce the culture and its people as normal human beings with a rich culture and identity within our social fabric.
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[1]Ibn Kathir. Al Bidayah Wan Nihayah. Beirut. Maktabah Al-Maarif
[2] Rawya J. & Chik A.R. (2012). Teaching Arabic for Cultural Purposes: A Case Study of Francophone ex Program of Arabic at Aleppo University. The 8th International Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) Seminar – Aligning Theoretical Knowledge with Professional Practice. 66 ( 2012 ) 37 – 45. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
[3] Arba ‘iyah A.A (2016). Malay Songket: Its Philosophical Symbol & Meaning. Proceedings of the Art and Design International Conference (AnDIC 2016), 51(2016) 467. Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0487-7
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the articles on The Ocean’s Ink are the authors’ own, written in their personal capacity. They may not reflect the view of The Ocean’s Ink or IMSGP as an organisation.