“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait another moment
before starting to improve the world.”
-Anne Frank
----
“Hitler was amazing,” Nisrine described her assignment. “He
was the president of Germany .
He was a powerful speaker and wasn't afraid of anything.”
The assignment was to describe a historical figure in
English. She was my best student, always participating. On any other day, she
was a joy to have in class. I let her finish her praise for Hitler and
discussed my horror with her.
“Well, your grammar is great. But, do you really think
Hitler was great? He started World War Two. He killed lots of people!”
“Yea, I know. But I just like how powerful his personality
was. He just wanted what was best for his country.”
“He was bad. He killed lots of people!”
“What about America ?
You dropped the atomic bomb. What about that?”
“The atomic bombs were different. They ended the war.”
“Hitler was just trying to do what was best for his
country.”
Our debate fizzled, our perspectives out of sync.
In Western education Adolf Hitler is the epitome of evil. He
was Satan in human form. When I hear “Hitler” my gut reacts the same way as if
someone were swearing at me. His swastika has become a symbol of terror. No one
would dare name their kid Adolf anymore.
In Morocco ,
Hitler is just another name in the history textbook. He’s another politician
that did some good things and some bad things. Plenty of people dislike him,
but it isn't the same passionate hate you would find in Europe
of America .
From an Arab perspective, understanding of the holocaust is less emotionally
driven. History changes according to culture.
When I was learning American history in eighth grade I
remember Andrew Jackson being pretty cool. My textbook described how he fought
hard to take power from the wealthy elite and distribute it to the struggling
yeomen farmers. There was a small blurb in the book about the trail of tears,
but that was boring. The lies and treachery and murder were boring. I overlooked
his shortcomings in terms of Native American relations and regarded him as a
hero. Of course, if the Seminoles had been the ultimate winners in American
history, Andrew Jackson would have developed into a Hitler like symbol.
Christopher Columbus was a hero for centuries. Only very recently
has his status begun to decline. He used to symbolize discovery. America
owed its existence to his courage. Now, western education is beginning to
understand that his discovery was hardly anything more than a stroke of luck. He
ruled as the governor of Hispaniola , using torture and
terror to maintain control. Textbooks are beginning to consider him as a historical
villain rather than a hero.
Nisrine’s praise for Hitler was not an indication of a
screwed up evil soul. She did not study history from the same Euro-centric
perspective as I had. While students in America
are trained to understand that Hitler is the epitome of evil, Nisrine had
studied him in the same way I had studied Andrew Jackson and Christopher
Columbus. Just another name.
It was unfortunate that she admired Hitler, but it didn't
depress me until months later. Hitler had found his was into my lesson again. I
don’t remember how. In front of a crowded classroom, Nisrine explained why she
admired Hitler.
----
“He killed Jews. You know the people in Israel
that are killing everyone in Palestine ?
They are so evil. But Hitler killed them. So, there!” She turned to me to make
sure I understood her new argument. “That’s why I think Hitler was great. He
killed Jews.”
I was speechless. I would wait until after class to approach
her. This was not excusable according to cultural or historical perspective. It
was racist. It was hateful. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon attitude in Morocco .
The conflict between Palestine and Israel
is a heated issue in the Arab world. The struggle in Palestine
represents Arabs’ repeated failures for at freedom. For some individuals,
political frustration gets tangled with Antisemitism.
“You can’t do that. The war in Palestine
is between politicians. You can’t say Jews are bad. You can never say a group of
people is one thing.”
“Have you seen the news? Do you see all the Palestinians
dying? Nobody cares! You know my family was all crying last night. It’s like
there are these horrible things happening and nobody is doing anything. The
Jewish people have all this power and they kill the poor Palestinians.”
“Listen. You can say that the people doing the war are bad,
but you cannot say that Jewish people are bad. You know, they are normal people
in Israel just
like here. There are shop keepers and teachers and they try to live normal
lives like us.”
Changing the way somebody thinks about and understands the
world is not like a switch. By saying the right thing the light will not turn
on or off. Only experience can change the way somebody thinks. It takes time.
Months later I realized an experience that could help.
----
“She was only 14 years old when she started writing in her
diary. She had so many ideas and wrote them in a beautiful way. You guys realize
to help people and make the world a peaceful place you don’t have to be
president. Anne Frank just wrote. And she inspired lots of people.” I was in
control. Teaching in front of the class is thrilling when I feel passion for
the subject.
“But what happened to her? You say she died when she was 16.
Why was she hiding during the war? There is something you are not telling us.
What happened?” Nisrine had felt a deep connection with Anne Frank’s quotes.
“Anne Frank was a Jewish. She was hiding for two years with
her family because they were afraid of the Nazis. Somebody betrayed them and
they were captured. She was sent with her family to a concentration camp. Only
the father survived the Holocaust. The rest of the family died. But, even
though Anne Frank died, her message lives on. Her ideas and advice continue to
reach people around the world. Her life is a sad story. But it is also so
beautiful.”
Nobody spoke.
“Our assignment today will be to leave our final message to
the world. We are all dead. But, like Anne Frank, we have a final opportunity
to leave a message to the world. The whole world will read your message. What
will you write?”
After class Nisrine waited for me:
“Thank you. You took the hate away. Now I understand that
Jewish people suffer too.”
