Assumptions on fluency and professionalism

Originally written March 2019

"You have been here long enough to be perceived as civil"

Very often, people say things like: " Your English is very good, for how long have you lived in the US?" and then they are very surprised when they realize it was a very short time for developing this level of proficiency they've observed.

There is a wrong assumption that immigrants and refugees develop strong language proficiency through merely "living" in the United States when in most cases this is not true.

 
In fact, a significant proportion of immigrants come to the US already fluent or with an upper-intermediate level of proficiency because of the quality of language education they received in their home country, as a result of sincere self-learning efforts, or because of prior exposure to the English language and culture in their home countries (Most of African and Asian countries were former British colonies).
 

Meanwhile, some immigrants live in the US for decades and decades and never learn English or never reach a higher level of proficiency for so many factors mainly because second and foreign language acquisition is not a magical process, and English isn't a mineral in the American drinking water or air.

Most importantly, the United States -at least right now and in my experience in the last decade-is also built to facilitate the creation of linguistically and ethnically isolated communities, where you can live and work on the margins with your own folks without having to interact in English or with English speakers, it is not a place where people will welcome you with open arms and say hi to you if you look or sound different.

Besides being totally inaccurate and entitled, the assumption that any forms or signs of so-called "professionalism" you may show particularly with spoken language, is due to your prolonged exposure to "the American culture" suggests that other countries, their education, and professional settings, are almost always inferior and less developed than the US. 

So yeah, next time you want to compliment someone's ability to speak English, an international language and a dominant global culture, don't say stuff like that.

The divine gift of writing

Written originally on January 29th, 2023

 

ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ (1) خَلَقَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مِنۡ عَلَقٍ (2) ٱقۡرَأۡ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلۡأَكۡرَمُ (3) ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِٱلۡقَلَمِ (4) عَلَّمَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمۡ يَعۡلَمۡ (5)

1. Read! In the Name of your Lord who has created all that exists.
2. He has created humans from a clot.
3. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.
4. Who has taught ( the writing ) by the pen.
5. He has taught mankind that which they didn't know.

The first Quranic revelation to Prophet Muhammed صلى الله عليه وسلم

As I was going through my blog drafts on this blog from when I first began my English writing/blogging journey back in 2008 (90 unpublished drafts!), something I find myself doing every year or so, I found myself thinking of those commonly known, memorized, and recited verses of the Quran from Surat Al Alaq, I found myself feeling a sense of content and gratitude for the precious gift of writing and the ability to express oneself in spoken or written words to convey feelings and thoughts to others. 

As I read my posts on experiences I have passed, and experiences I still deal with, I also feel grateful that I have access to a good deal of my own words, thinking processes, and my feelings from a long time ago that feels like another lifetime, from times when I perhaps had more clarity at times, and more intensity at others, from stages in my life when I might have had more space to reflect, analyze, and contemplate, and better tools to navigate the world.

The irony in all of this is how I continue to experience navigating this world in similar ways, because I'm still the same person on the outside for all the environments I'm put in. It's crazy to think now that as time passes in years and decades, while a lot changes, a lot also remains the same. Not in so many good ways. 

It makes me a bit frustrated to imagine going through similar patterns and experiences since the first time I stepped out of Egypt in 2009, and until this day and time in 2023. Is this what they refer to with some fancy terms in English as re-exposure, or pro-longed exposure or something of that sort? Is that what they do research studies over years to write papers about?

On a good note and back to the beginning of my post, it does help me to see how I viewed novel experiences when I first went through them as a teenager who had just began wearing a scarf and spoke intermediate English with a British accent, and how I felt, versus how I might feel and respond now as a woman in her early to mid thirties who became an American citizen but still gets treated the same exact way no matter how far she has walked in the world and in her own internal journey.

We are fortunate when we can feel our feelings, and when we can understand why we feel them, we are fortunate when we can record those feelings and reactions and go back to them another time for guidance. Because we are living in a world where most people are conditioned to not feel their feelings, or don't have the space- or choose to not- to process feelings. 

The Lantern (Fanoos) Lady

From Middle East Eye Discover's post on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpfKZxfDY_8/ 

During the Muslim holy month of fasting, Ramadan, and in the weeks leading up to it, it is hard to find a street in Cairo without the familiar glow of the fanous - or Ramadan lantern - displayed for sale.

The Ramadan lantern is a folkloric symbol that goes all the way back to the days of the Fatimid Caliph El Moaz (932- 975), whose chief general Jawhar al-Siqilli ordered the people of Egypt to go out in the streets lighting candles to welcome the Caliph home from Africa.

The night was windy so the Egyptians used simple fanous - lanterns - to protect the candles from the wind. Having seen the luminous and beautifying effect, the Caliph became enamoured with the idea and ordered that every mosque in Egypt should have a lit lantern in front of it.

Over the centuries following this incident, the lantern became inextricably linked to the holy month of Ramadan in Egypt. Even today, every house in Egypt makes sure to buy at least one lantern at the beginning of the month.

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Bringing Ramadan Spirit to American classrooms and libraries Ramadan 1444 Hijri/2023 AD:

Bringing Ramadan and Eid's spirits and how I relate to them as an Egyptian who was uprooted from my homeland and culture into an American classroom is a wonderful healing experience. 

It's a blessing that God opens such rare opportunities I have been yearning for, who knew that would be even possible?

This year feels really special in this regard, I was able for the first time to talk about how special Ramadan is in Egypt and how a lot of the cultural manifestations of the celebrations started in the heart of old Cairo, my beloved home town. Lanterns, tent makers quilts, the Mesaharati (the drummers who walk aroudn before dawn to wake people up) and so many more things that became an association with Ramadan worldwide. 

This is my 9th Ramadan away from Egypt, and as I approach the 10th I still struggle to think about those years passing, I obsess over decorations now more than ever because I feel like I need every single visual reminder possible to stay connected to my history. It's hard to speak of the intense emotions associated with my Ramadans in Egypt and to put it out in words, but despite the difficulty I deal with each year, I'm happy that I spoke of the beauty and shared it with so many more people this year.

Supporting awareness around Arab Heritage Month in schools

Some of this year's new efforts and small success, connecting closely with the School District of Philadelphia to bring more context on the underrepresented experiences and stories of my people.

I feel grateful for having this opportunity to write something about Arab Heritage Month and Arab communities in Philadelphia for the April newsletter issued by The School District of Philadelphia's Equity Coalition. I will also be hosting a learning session mid-April to talk about best practices around the integration and celebration of students, families, and community members who have Arab heritage and shared experiences with Arab cultures in schools and beyond.

"Equity in Practice is a monthly lunch and learn series in which district stakeholders can learn about what services our partners throughout the city offer and learn ways to engage with the communities they serve."

Register here

Wednesday, April 12th, 2023, 12pm – 1pm, Virtual on Zoom, FREE

Read it all and pass it on, let's continue to shed light on our communities and their contributions. 

 https://www.philasd.org/dei/2023/03/27/april-2023-newsletter-2/

  

 “The Philadelphia area has been home to immigrants with Arab heritage from as early as the 1800s, the Arab community in Philadelphia has continued to grow rapidly and become more diverse in the past two decades. The Arabic language is now among the 5 most spoken languages in our school district by English language learners and their families.

Arab families in Philadelphia are concentrated in South, North, Southwest, and Northeast Philadelphia and while some have been here for 5 generations, many are also newcomers.

The Arabic language holds a special place for Philadelphia residents of many diverse cultural backgrounds who don’t necessarily hail from the Arab world with West Africans, Southeast and Central Asians, and African American Muslim communities in Philadelphia as examples.

Despite a long history of existence dating back prior to the US independence, Arab American communities from the Middle East and North Africa are still not included in the U.S Census, but there are national and local campaigns for their existence to be recognized.

We hope that this Arab Heritage Month is an opportunity for us to explore and reflect on the history, contributions, as well as current challenges that Arab heritage communities, students, and families in our school district strive to overcome.”

Our Names أسامينا

I ride the Uber today with a driver, his Uber name is Charles. My Uber name is Sarah. 

I overhear him say "Shabaan, Ramadan, InshaAllah" to someone on the phone, he speaks in a West African language, I'm curious and happy.

I smile and ask him about his phone conversation, I figured I can do because we are both African, Muslim, and immigrant, we can do that, he tells me that he is explaining the lunar Muslim calendar for his friend in Africa.

We start talking about Ramadan, immigration, and living as a Muslim in Philadelphia, how much we agree that we love being Muslim in Philly despite all the issues, how our Black Muslim brothers and sisters put the foundation for us to come here and be safe, somehow, in comparison to other places.

I didn't tell him how lovely it is that this week in particular I see so many Black sisters wearing Hijabs and Black and bright pink Abayas, and how that compensates for the Ramadan decorations and lantern and nuts vendors in Cairo whom I miss, the sights that usually tell me that the Holy Month is approaching, my heart jumps on the MFL.

I ask him what his real name is, he says I'm Ismail from Ghana, I tell him my real name is Shimaa and I'm from Cairo. 

 

We change our precious names to protect ourselves from harm and ignorance.

We talk about how much we love and appreciate Ghana and Egypt and start calling each other brother and sister, like all Muslims and many Africans do. I have interactions like this with many of my Uber drivers, Ismail, Younousa, Mohammed, from Algeria to Niger, to Mali, to Albania.

But I also get those weird and awkward reactions once some others see that Sarah is an immigrant visibly Muslim women.

I get them when I walk into a room to be the presenter, doing the professional development, when they didn't expect someone who looks like me to stand in front of the room and lecture, in English.

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During the CAIR - Philadelphia Chapter banquet last weekend, Muslim Comedian Dean Obeidallah was telling jokes about how some Muslims have their own "Starbucks Names", that Mohammad goes by Bob and the like. It instantly made me think of my Uber Name, our Uber names.

I change my name to Sarah on Uber's app to avoid not being picked up because of my name. I know many drivers will see my name and not want to pick an "Alshimaa" up. But nobody will have a problem with picking up a "Sarah" or a "Charles".

I don't change my name in other settings and replace it with "an American name" because it's difficult to pronounce, I love my name, and I also don't care how people pronounce my name, but I'm noticing how everyone is becoming hypersensitive about saying your name correctly which is not of important to me personally.

Besides, what is the point of trying to say my Arabic name "correctly" when you don't want to hear what I have to say or treat me as an equal? As a thought partner? As a professional and a citizen?

You can call me Sponge Bob or Shaimaaaaouaaa, I can take this as long as you will not be biased or disrespectful in how you treat me.

You share these experiences with some people from here who don't understand why your name can be a problem and they think you are weird. I liked that we joked about how people use different names to become invisible, to avoid racism and discrimination, and sometimes even persecution.

You are lucky if that is not a concern of your's, but you gotta do the work to know what others might be experiencing.

 

 

(Our names "Asameena", a song by Legendary Lebanese singer: Fairouz")