Division of Academic
Affairs and Division of Student Affairs
The college classroom provides a forum for intellectual and even
emotional challenges through dialogue, debate and the dissemination of factual
information. For many students the classroom provides the only opportunity for
a structured discussion in the company of divergent beliefs and perspectives.
Faculty have a unique opportunity to help our students process and gain insight
into the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. However, the religious,
political and ideological nature of these discussions can be difficult to
facilitate. Moreover, the uncertainty
of effectively managing such dialogue in the classroom setting may lead to a
missed opportunity for emotional, social, and intellectual growth. This discussion guide serves as a reference
framework to facilitate discussions that may arise in the classroom in response
to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Included in the second half of
this discussion guide is an overview of the emotional and physical response
offered by the Syracuse University Counseling Center.
As a university community it is important to provide opportunities for dialogue and interaction among students, faculty and staff of diverse backgrounds, experiences and viewpoints to enable us to deal with what has happened, and constructively forge our future.
Dessa Bergen-Cico Ph.D.
Associate Dean of Students, Division of Student Affairs
Resources
Counseling
Students who are experiencing depression or anxiety that appears to be affecting their overall ability to function, may benefit from counseling. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength, it is not a weakness. Students may access the Counseling Center by calling 443-4715 during normal business hours, or 443-2666 after 5 p.m.
Faculty and staff who are experiencing depression or anxiety that appears to be affecting their overall ability to function, may also benefit from counseling. Faculty and staff may contact the Employee Assistance Program (E.A.P.) at 443- 1087; the Goldberg Couple and Family Therapy Center at 443-3023 or Psychological Services at 443-3595.
Hate Speech
and Hate Crimes
Students experiencing incidents of hate crime or hate speech should contact the Office of Judicial Affairs at 443-3728, or the Department of Public Safety at 443-3202 (Residential Security) or 711 (emergency).
In addition to the emotional scars
and physical wounds left by last week’s terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center and the Pentagon there is collateral damage of discrimination and
prejudice brought to the surface by the attacks. Factual information can helps
us "resist the temptation to hold entire communities responsible for the
acts of individuals".
In response to rising violent and verbally abusive behavior against Arab Americans, Indians and members of Islamic communities across the country, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has set up a National Complaint Line to report such incidents, at (800) 552-6843.
Source:
Blake, Joseph Violence Against Fellow Americans Leads to National Complaint Line 2001 DiversityInc.com Sept., 17, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
Establishing Ground Rules for an
Effective and Open Dialogue
A
discussion that involves religion, politics and ideology can be very productive
and enlightening particularly when there are ground rules established to
facilitate respectful communication. Here are some suggested ground rules to
facilitate constructive dialogue in your classroom.
1.
Do
not interrupt another person while he or she is speaking.
2.
Keep
comments short to allow for maximum participation and exchange of ideas.
3.
Listen,
and try to hear what the other person is saying.
4.
Use
reflective listening skills to ask for clarification when needed, rather than
jump to conclusions about the interpretation of what you think someone meant.
In other words summarize what you understood a person to say and ask for
clarification. with statements such as “What I heard you say was…Is that what
you meant?” -or- “Are you saying that
all people…?”
5.
Do
not attack, do not try to hurt, do not pass judgment.
6.
In
order to establish a safe and trustworthy environment to foster dialogue,
explain to the students that the discussion is a private conversation; and,
what is shared in the classroom should not be repeated elsewhere without
permission.
7. For the purpose of the dialogue, right and wrong are subjective and personal.
Factual Information to Facilitate
Discussion of the Misperception of the Association of Islam with Violence
·
“Despite
the presence of violence in many regions of the world ranging from Ireland to
Lebanon, involving many religions from Christianity to Hinduism, the Western
world associates Islam more than any other religion with violence”. notes
Islamic scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
·
The
history of Islam has not been witness to any more violence than one finds in
other civilizations.
·
Muslims
are members of the Islamic faith. The word 'Islam' itself means 'peace.'
·
Muslims
believe in a strict code of social and religious behavior, and it is a myth
that terrorist-style violence is part of that code.
·
Terrorism
is not unique to any one religious group or people. Terrorists aren’t really
practicing a religion: they’re practicing an ideology.
·
According
to Islamic law, the use of "injurious physical force or action" is
only justified in "the case of war or punishment." Even in times of
war, the Islamic law rules of engagement forbid "the inflicting of any
injury to women and children" and "the use of force against
civilians."
·
According
to Islamic Law, “Only fighters in the battlefield must be confronted with force
and it is only against them that injurious physical force can be used.
"Inflicting injuries outside of this context … is completely forbidden by
Islamic Law.” Terrorism does not meet Islam’s definition of a "just
war."
·
"Islam
upholds the principle of personal responsibility and considers any attack on
innocent people as a major crime."
Sources:
Pine, Jordan T. Extremist Beliefs vs. Islam’s True Teachings? DiversityInc.com September 17, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
Pine, Jordan T. Who
Are Muslims? What Do They Believe? DiversityInc.com
September 13, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
Seyyed Hossein Nasr in Al-Serat: A Journal of Islamic Studies.
Demographic Statistics to Reframe Misperceptions of
the Muslim Community
·
There
are approximately 1.2 billion Muslims throughout the world.
·
Only
18 percent of Muslims live in the Arab world (i.e. defined as Iraq, Saudi
Arabia and other countries west of the Persian Gulf); the remaining 82% live
throughout the world.
·
Approximately
7 million Muslims reside in the United States.
·
Muslims,
members of the Islamic faith, are the fastest growing religion in the United
States and the world. Islam is expected
to be the second largest religion in the United States by 2010, according to
the U.S. Department of State.
·
Thirty
percent of U.S. Muslims are African-American.
·
Thirty-three
percent of U.S. Muslims are South-Asian American (e.g. Pakistani, Indian and
Afghani).
·
Twenty-five
percent of U.S. Muslims are Arab-Americans.
·
Muslims
are not necessarily Arabs.
·
Muslims
may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians,
Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese or other nationalities.
There are about 200 million Arabs.
·
Arabs
can be Muslim, Christian, Jewish, an atheist or a follower of
another faith.
·
Only
about 12 percent of Muslims worldwide are Arabs. There are more
Muslims in Indonesia, for example, than in all Arab countries combined.
·
Allah'
means God. The same word is used by Arabic-speaking Christians,
Muslims and Jews.
Sources:
The American Muslim Council, Washington, D.C.
Pine, Jordan T.
Who Are Muslims? What Do They Believe? DiversityInc.com
September 13, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
The U.S. Department of State Report April 2001
Tolerance.org September 19, 2001 www.tolerance.org <http://www.tolerance.org
Facts About Arab Americans
·
Thousands
of Arab-Americans live in New York City.
·
Today,
most Arab-Americans are native-born Americans.
·
Arab
Americans are U.S. citizens and permanent residents who trace their
ancestry to or who immigrated from Arabic-speaking places in southwestern
Asia and northern Africa (i.e. the Middle East). Not all people in this region
are Arabs. Most Arab-Americans were born in the U.S.
·
About
half of Arab-Americans live in metropolitan areas.
·
Most
Arab-Americans are Catholic or Orthodox Christians, but this is not
true in all parts of the U.S. Although Arabs are connected by culture, they
have different faiths.
·
Arab-Americans
trace their roots to many places, including parts or all of
Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, and Morocco...Some Arabs are Israeli citizens.
·
Some
well-known Arab-Americans are Christa McAuliffe, Doug Flutie, Casey
Kasem, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving founder Candy Lightner.
Source:
100 Questions and Answers About Arab Americans: A Journalists Guide Detroit Free Press
September 19, 2001 http://www.freep.com/jobspage/arabs/arab1.html
Political Overview of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban
Osama bin Laden’s Ideology
Osama bin Laden has been responsible for the deaths
of more Muslims than non-Muslims.
Terrorism is not unique to any one religious group
or people.
The stated purpose of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist
organization is "to kill Americans and their allies, both civil and
military," a mission, he has said, that is the responsibility of every
Muslim. However, Osama bin Laden does not represent all, or even the majority
of, Muslims.
The Council on American Islamic-Relations (CAIR), a
Washington, D.C. based Islamic advocacy group, issued a very different opinion
of the responsibility of every Muslim. Following the attack, CAIR called upon
the Muslim community to offer support, aid comfort and professional service.”
Muslim medical professionals … [should] go to the scenes of the attacks to
offer aid and comfort to the victims. Muslim relief agencies should contact
their counterparts to offer support in the recovery efforts. Individual Muslims
should donate blood by contacting the local office of the Red Cross."
Terrorists aren’t really practicing a religion:
They’re practicing an ideology. According to Aly
Abuzaakouk, executive director of the American Muslim Council, Osama bin Laden is a prime example of this.
Osama bin Laden’s ideology is derived from the war
in the 1980s to remove the Soviet Union from Afghanistan. Backed by the United
States, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Osama bin Laden helped accomplish this feat
in 1989, marking an historic defeat of a major power by Islamic forces. This
victory "radicalized" bin Laden’s beliefs.
Following the 1989 removal of the Soviet Union from
Afghanistan, bin Laden turned against the United States, and began referring to
the U.S. as "The Great Satan."
He used his wealth to finance the re-training of
those troops that were loyal to him and he formed an organization called Al
Qaeda (The Base). This group has been linked to attacks on American troops in
Somalia, Saudi Arabia, the World Trade Center bombing of 1993, the bombings of
the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, and the U.S.S. Cole.
Al Qaeda justifies the killing of civilians by
rationalizing that it’s the American tax dollar that fuels U.S. interventions
in Africa, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf.
Sources:
Pine, Jordan T. Extremist Beliefs vs. Islam’s True
Teachings? ©2001 DiversityInc.com
September 17, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
James Phillips, Middle East and Middle East terrorism analyst for The Heritage Foundation
The
Taliban
The Taliban is the current governing body of
Afghanistan. They gained control of the Afghani government when they captured
Kabul, the Afghanistan capital in September 1996.
The international community refuses to accept the
Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan, with former president
Burhanuddin Rabbani still occupying the nation’s seat within the United
Nations.
Taliban has banned television and music and
introduced public executions and amputations.
The international community has criticized the
Taliban for unfair treatment of women, restricting their access to health care
in addition to forbidding women from attending school and work.
Source:
Valia,
Matthew Helpful Definitions to Understand Possible Suspects in the
Attack2001 DiversityInc.com Sept. 12, 2001 http://www.diversityinc.com/
Assisting Our Students in Response to the Current Tragedy
We are all in the midst of dealing with an
incredibly traumatic event. As we will all need to be part of the healing
experience for each other, the Counseling Center would like to offer you some
thoughts and suggestions as you deal with students in class, in formal and
informal gatherings, and on an individual basis. The following is a list of ideas
to
think about; some of these ideas are very basic and self-evident. There
is also a segment on common stress reactions that people may
experience.
Thoughts:
·
A
crisis situation is one, in which an individual's typical coping responses do
not work or may be less effective than usual.
·
An
individual's response to a crisis is very individualized. We must be careful
not to judge another's response, especially if it is different from our own.
·
The
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors experienced may be in response to the event
at hand, as well as previous (and potentially unresolved) events from the past.
Current ones often triggers emotional responses to previous losses.
·
A
sense of anxiety and panic would be absolutely predictable in response to
recent events. There is so much we don't know; trying to find answers to
explain such a tragedy is normal. Without available explanations, the attempt
to find answers may take on a flavor of desperation and seem frantic in nature.
We can help by allowing people to identify and discharge all the questions,
fears, and uncertainties going through their heads. It's important to validate the
concerns rather than talk people out of them. Remember, in crisis
situations some people may not respond in their typical, rational way.
·
In
crisis situations, we can help people by engaging in a problem solving approach.
This would include identifying the issues and then going through a step-by-step
process to identify possible solutions for resolving the problem. For example,
the concern may be that a student or co-worker has a family member who works in
the World Trade Center. The need is to know if that family member is all right.
The problem solving steps are to find various ways to communicate with the
family member or someone else who will know if the person is okay. Also,
identify what the person can and cannot do. What is within his or her control?
·
Let
students and colleagues know about the resources available on campus. These
resources include, but are not limited to: faculty and academic advisors;
Division of Student Affairs staff, including Counseling Center staff, Office of
Residence Life staff, and Parents Office staff; chaplains; the Employee
Assistance Program; and fellow students and co-workers.
·
It
is often helpful for people just to be with one another during times of crisis.
Saying
the "right" words isn't the most important thing; feeling connected
to people close to you is more important.
Common Stress Reactions:
Physical
Reactions Cognitive Reactions Emotional Reactions
Fatigue/exhaustion Difficulty concentrating Guilt
Sleep disturbance Difficulty solving problems Feelings of helplessness
Underactivity/overactivity Flashbacks of the events Emotional numbing
Change in appetite Difficulty making decisions Overly sensitive
Digestive problems Memory disturbance Fear/anxiety
Nightmares Preoccupation with the
event Sense of hopelessness
Muscle tremors/twitches Lowered attention span Hyper-vigilance
Headaches Violent fantasies Anger/irritability
Startled reactions Moodiness
In addition to the above reactions, you and/or your students may experience a period of mild to moderate depression. These symptoms are listed in below.
Symptoms of Moderate Depression
·
Poor
appetite
·
Insomnia
·
Lethargy/low
energy
·
Social
withdrawal/isolation
·
Loss
of sexual drive
·
Difficulty
concentrating
·
Persistent
sad mood
·
Sleep
disturbance
·
Intrusive
thoughts
Again, these are normal reactions. Although painful, they are part of the recovery process. While there is little anyone can do to take away these uncomfortable feelings, there are several things a person can do to speed up the recovery process.
Actions to
Help Speed the Recovery Process
·
Within
the first 24 to 48 hours, engage in periods of strenuous physical exercise
alternated with relaxation. (Soothing music would be an additional bonus to
your system.)
·
Structure
your time. Keep busy and keep your life as normal as possible.
·
Don't
berate yourself for having these reactions.
·
After
all, they are signs of your humanity.
·
Talk
to people about your feelings, fears, and uncertainties.
·
Do
not attempt to numb your emotional pain with drugs or alcohol.
·
Reach
out to others and spend time with people you trust and cherish.
·
Help
someone express his or her feelings: a very cathartic experience that should be
shared.
·
Give
yourself permission to fall apart, feel rotten, and cry.
·
Keep
a journal. Write your way through those sleepless hours.
·
Pray,
meditate, and appreciate the sanctity of life.
As stated previously,
students who appear depressed or exhibit one or more of the symptoms noted
above may benefit from counseling. Reaching out for help is a sign of strength,
it is not a weakness. Students may access the Counseling Center by calling
443-4715.