BLOG Posts

I went into this presentation with a unique perspective because I was on the GIP US-Mexico border trip with Sophia. I loved reliving our greatest moments through her presentation, and it was interesting to hear what she had learned from the experience. Though we went on the same trip and heard from the same groups, all of us had slightly different takeaways from the weekend and I enjoyed hearing Sophia's. I also appreciated how she connected her life as an artist to the impressive murals we saw at Chicano Park. I asked Sophia if her outlook on her own art has changed as a result of this trip and she answered that the murals at Chicano Park made her think more deeply about the meaning behind her own artwork. Sophia also made a very important comment, that we can never fully understand someone else's experience. I thought that this necessary statement was well placed in her presentation as she explained how she has benefitted from the trip and now has a better understanding, though not a complete one, of the experience of the people we met with and learned about on our trip. She also emphasized connections between societies and pointed out the importance of empathy when experiencing and learning new things. Although I am sad that our GIP group could not put on out intended symposium, I am so glad that Sophia had an opportunity to reflect on the trip and present her experience to the community.

APRIL

So far, Phillip, Noelle, and Michael have presented their capstone projects online, and Mady has led a panel on religion and culture in Israel. I am so impressed with my classmates' passion and ability to present their ideas and findings to the community. While Saya and I are still figuring out how to adjust our project into a presentation that we can do virtually, I am inspired by my peers as they show what they have learned. It has been great learning alongside all of them and now it is very cool to see where they have taken their study.

Saya and I are currently discussing our plans for a webinar in May. We would like to have Miry Whitehill join us to stress the importance of helping refugees at this time as well as explaining how Poly students can get involved with Miry's List both while we are under quarantine as well as next year in person. Saya and I would like to go over our plan for how we wanted to spend the grant money and emphasize why it is critical to support organizations that aid refugees, such as Miry's List.

MARCH

Mady put on a spectacular event on Tuesday night that centered around religion in Israel-Palestine. It was very striking to me to hear how open all of the panelists were to having open discourse with each other. Bishop John Harvey Taylor, an Episcopalian bishop, started off his speech with his belief that, "We do and think the way we do because of our origins." He emphasized the importance of not assuming our own views are correct because we can all learn from other people and we must consider the similar aspects of our backgrounds before those that are different. Eliana shared the meaning of the word "Israel" -- the one who wrestles with God. She followed by stating that, "being Jewish is something that I practice, not something that I am," to clarify her relationship with judaism. Eliana Kya and Marium Mohideem are both part of the group Newground, which is focused on interfaith dialogue. They brought up the role of power with the Israel-Palestine discussion and referred to the importance of discussing it as a geopolitical issue rather than a religious conflict. Ultimately, the three panelists left the audience with a lot to think about, especially with their closing remarks about Mady's question of their ties to the land. Bishop Taylor reminded everyone of the golden rule and insisted that that is the only solution to the conflict. Marium Mohideem elaborated on how religion and people are highly politicized in the region and it is critical to acknowledge how complicated the situation is before trying to understand it fully. Eliana concluded by opening up about the mutual fear and complexity of Israel-Palestine relations. Mady moderated very well and I learned a lot from this event.

AUGUST

I spent the end of my summer at Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine. During the two and a half weeks, there were several Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Quaker services that we could attend. The Muslim service was very interesting to observe; the campers who were not practicing sat in the back of the auditorium and we were given bed sheets to cover our heads. Some parts of the service were in English and others were in Arabic. I enjoyed being able to continue the conversation with those who practiced after the service. I discussed differences between the service at camp that was led by camp counselors and the muslim services my friends and I have attended at home. Next, I observed Shabbat. The service took place in front of the lake and we all watched the sunset as we sang. I had never attended a Jewish service, and I learned about how lively Shabbat is. We sang a song to welcome Shabbat, and then we sang more songs and I attempted to follow along and interpret the Hebrew in my song book. We finished the service with grape juice and hallah. I was amazed by the energy of the service. The observers were encouraged to participate, which was the main difference between the Muslim and Jewish services. A week later, I attended the Quaker service at camp. The first thirty minutes consisted of the group sitting in a circle meditating, and then people stood up to express how they felt. This service was the most open to participation seeing as how very few people in the circle were actually practicing Quakers. After a short description of how the service is structured and Quaker beliefs, we jumped into participating. People were very vulnerable and honest, and it felt like a very accepting place. Overall, I learned a lot from the religious services I attended at camp. One of my favorite aspects of the process was the introduction and open space for questions about the practices. I learned more about Eid Mubarak from my friend who fasted, and I had a long conversation about Shabbat with my bunkmate after the service. I am very grateful that I had this opportunity this summer.

JULY

JUNE

For my Globalization and Human Rights final, I researched religious intolerance in Egypt. The assignment was to create a presentation on a human rights issue that is prevalent in your country of focus and suggest a possible solution. I have been studying Egypt in GHR, and the most prominent human rights issues that I found are the usage of the death penalty, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and religious intolerance. I decided to present on the issue of religious intolerance because I think that it is the human rights issue most intrinsic to Egypt's history and the sustained culture. I found that there are three religions recognized by the government: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. However, the majority of Egypt's population is Sunni Muslim and other religions are not tolerated in general. Land is not given to people from different religions to create places of worship, and Christians and atheists are more likely to be arrested than people of other religious backgrounds. My proposed solution is focussed around education. I think that it is important to educate Egyptian children on tolerating peoples' beliefs, and it is also imperative to educate the rest of the world about the religious discrimination that takes place in Egypt. With education as the primary goal of my solution, I propose to teach Egyptians, and the world, about religious intolerance and hopefully change the biases so that Egypt can become tolerant of all religions.

JUNE