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Show RELIGION IS MORE THAN ITS EXTREMES N early every religion in the world has a fundamentalist or extremist sect that has distanced itself from the ideals taught by the religion it is affiliated with. Groups such as the KKK or the FLDS church claim to be Christian but act in ways most would consider very "un-Christ like." Yet for the most part, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Christians in general have been successful in separating themselves from association with their fundamental counterparts. One group that struggles to distance itself from the shadow of its extremist factions is Islam. A recent poll done by the Arab American Institute found that only 27 percent of Americans hold a positive view of Muslims, due in large part to the fact that many Americans unfortunately equate moderate Islam with fundamentalist or militant Islamic groups. One reason for this is that many Americans simply haven't had any meaningful firsthand experiences with an adherent of the religion. In the same study, over half of the respondents said they felt they didn't know enough about Islamic history or people. It is easy to fear what one does not understand, and it's hard to understand a group of people when your only information source is news reports of suicide bombings on the other side of the world. I was lucky enough to have many long conversations with followers of Islam when I was an LDS missionary in France. I found Muslims to be some of the nicest people I met during my two years there. They invited me into their homes to share a plate of couscous, a popular north-African dish. I saw how the parents treated each other and their children with respect and love. They have a faith and devotion to their beliefs that I find admirable. I don't know if I could go thirty days without eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset. And if you think Mormons are "weird" for not drinking or smoking, Muslims live by a similar code of health, which includes abstaining from pork. Anyone who has eaten a pork salad from Café Rio has to respect someone who will make that kind of sacrifice for their beliefs. I would encourage everyone to make the effort to gain a better understanding of Islam. Check out a book at the library, watch a documentary or even Google 'top ten beautiful passages in the Quran: But the best way, of course, is to actually meet and talk with a practicing Muslim, who I am sure would be glad to answer your questions. If we all did that, I'm sure there would be a lot fewer of those ignorant bumper stickers that say, "All I need to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11." Let us all focus on the best in each other, no matter where we come from, what we look like or what we believe in. letters@chronicle.utah.edu DIVE IN LIChe 11 PlongezS umer ete ime and time again the world has proven that NAFISA language acquisition MASUD benefits its users in more ways than one. Socially, it allows us to communicate with others when we wouldn't have the means otherwise. This skill has also become vital in the business world, as globalization and the era of MNCs eradicates the limitations of our national borders. On an intellectual level, language has been found to increase cognitive development in children, especially with regards to critical thinking and memory. It's clear we've accepted these findings, since most (if not all) primary and secondary schools require participation in foreign language courses, yet our awareness of the benefits of language immersion is much smaller. Language immersion is the creation and use of a linguistically rich environment that allows students to explore and communicate more fully. We see this most often in dual-immersion schools where school days are spent in both English and a second language, each language being used for half of the day. Such a system isn't feasible in post-secondary institutions. It's almost comical to imagine organic chemistry being taught to a room of dazed students in Mandarin. And while the foreign language courses at the U can technically be called immersive, the true definition of the word has to do not only with conducting class entirely in a different language, but also with creating an environment in which a variety of subjects are explored in a shared tongue. These environments can be established in a multitude of ways. Language classes 1,4 14 THECHRONY could, for example, regularly tutor groups of children in elementary schools in districts where languages like Spanish are most prominent, or interact with groups of international students looking for a welcome break from speaking English.These opportunities would open doors for language students to strike up genuine conversations with those from diverse backgrounds. Studies from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition have shown there is a high correlation between exposure to a second language and language proficiency. Immersion allows students to become more aware of the cultures that fostered the language they've chosen to study. Further, by engaging members of the community who can't claim English as their first language, students get the opportunity to practice English with native speakers. This form of immersion, in which both parties can practice their native tongues, allows students to gain a deeper understanding of English as well. Studying abroad is extremely effective at supplementing language proficiency, placing students within the country and culture they're studying, but the expense of such programs is often too substantial for a student to pay alone. Immersive activities within foreign language courses at the U would allow students to increase their proficiency at no additional cost, while still being able to study other subjects, live at home and work. Immersion schools were initially created to give students an advantage in a world where life wasn't experienced only in English.Today, that fact is no less true, and this advantage grows each day as our minds transcend borders and oceans in an effort to connect with others. Making our classes truly immersive provides us with the means to strengthen that connection and benefit the community around us, a connection that everyone can understand. For more information on the benefits of immersion, visit carla.umn.edu . letters@chronicle.utah.edu |
