When my story telling session started this evening, I was a little worried because here I was in a mosque, talking about Passover and the story of Moses.
Muslims believe that Moses was a prophet of God and came with a message for the people. He was Mussa Nabi. The kids did not know that and to my amazement, neither did some of the parents.
I started off with some trepidation, expecting the parents to yell or walk out but the faces of the children lit up with curiosity and as the story proceeded, I got more and more bold and used the ‘H’ and ‘J’ words – Hebrew and Jews.
It is this cultural illiteracy that is the root of hate. By telling the story of Moses and then of Jesus (after all it is Easter), I educated the kids that both Jesus and Moses were our prophets – Issa and Mussa. Now they had something in common with their friends at school.
We even discussed the importance of eggs during Easter and Passover and made a connection to Navroz, our New Year, which was celebrated on March 21st, and during which we also give an importance to eggs. Eggs symbolize renewal and all three of these holidays – Navroz, Passover and Easter are holidays celebrating renewal and rebirth. Whether it was the birth of freedom and a new nation, or the resurrection of Christ or the renewal of spring, they are all connected. We are all connected.
I came out of the story telling session elated, having educated the kids on the similarities of cultures and maybe even reduced the inherited hate that exists.
We already recognize that early childhood education sets the stage for future development. Why then would we not educate the kids about other cultures so that they can grow, already being familiar and comfortable with other cultures, especially where similarities exist? Especially if these teachings will help encourage peace, love and brotherhood!
