Those of us who have taught in public school know how little time we have during lockdown drills to complete the protocols.

The Muslim brother had one thing on his mind as he engaged the terrorists: quickly initiate the lockdown and give teachers the time they need to complete the lockdown procedures. He was thinking about saving the children 😢

Why wasn’t there another armed security guard to support the brother? As I understand, public events in high risk places, with 150 or more patrons attending, require at least two security guards.

However, we need to look at the cause of this hate and not just the symptoms. When we look at all these attacks on mosques in the West, in America, New Zealand, or Europe, they have one thing in common: they were all carried out by male white supremacists. They all praised NAZIS. And it’s not just Muslims they hated. They also hated Jews, immigrants, non-whites, women and the LGBT community, in fact every vulnerable minority in our country.

And that is the problem we need to tackle.

One place where this hate ideology can take root is in our schools; it’s systemic. It’s camouflaged in the school curriculum. For those of us who are educators, we need to expose it!

I once had Swastikas drawn in my classroom. When I complained to the school, the house counsellor sent me pictures of four colorful Swastikas in the email saying they can be found in many cultures! The school admin called Swastikas “an element of speech!!!” I couldn’t believe it. This was the response from a public school in America!

I called the Sheriff’s department and told them how I feared going to school again. Within one hour, the school called me to file a police report. Apparently, the school got a call from the Sheriff’s department.

People don’t just wake up one fine morning and become white supremacists. They learn it over time. We have a religious responsibility to expose white supremacy wherever it takes root. We have to tackle it at its roots, and not just simply look at the symptoms. Security guards can only do so much.

And hate doesn’t just appear as Islamophobia. I actually saw Swastikas drawn in the prayer room of an Islamic school I once taught in. When I complained to the school principal, she smiled and told me to just erase them! Instead, I informed the school security officer. It was the same dismissive attitude towards hate speech that I saw in the public school I taught in.

If we don’t call out white supremacy and hate in all its forms, don’t be surprised when it rears its ugly head!

و الله المستعان

Bint A, fantastic comment, thank you. I really appreciate it.

Asfia, the way you wrote about Arafah made me pause and reflect. We get so caught up in dunya, we forget how heavy these days are with Allah.

Tawfiq, you were quick off the bat with that comment. You must have been waiting for the new chapter. You’re right that Darius didn’t say Bismillah. Very astute observation.

Sifu is not the guy’s name, it actually means “teacher.” Like sensei.

Keep reading akhi, I always enjoy your comments.

The crowd chanting “Bridge Boy” had me grinning like a foo 😂 Tho Darius hated it.

That guy Sifu is the GOAT. I like how at the end he called Darius “dirty” but still respected him.

BUT ALSO… Darius kinda scared me in this chapter ngl 😬 Like when he slipped into River Flow and started feeling nothing. I feel like he’s going down a bad road. He didn’t even say Bismillah, whassup widat?.

And NAHHHHH judges trying to rob him at the end had me heated. Soon as they said he lost the weapons competition too I was ready to throw a cabbage myself 😂