Cohort 34
Spring 2005

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Religions
Holidays
Education
Family Life
What Teachers Should Understand
Literature
Teacher Guidelines
The Katreeb Family: Journey to America

 Majority religion: Sunnite Muslim
– Other Muslim religions: Alawites, Ismailis, and Shiite
 Non-Muslim majority religion: Christian
– Greek Orthodox and American Orthodox
 Minority religions: Druses (related to
Islam), Jewish (dwindling —most have moved to the US or Israel)

 Muslims practice the five pillars of Islam.
– Shahada is the profession of faith: “There is no
God but God (Allah) and Mohammed is his prophet.”
– Salat is the requirement to pray five times a day: at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening.
– Zakat is the giving of alms to the poor.
– Saum is the requirement to fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
– Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims must make at least once in their lives.
• May include a stop in Medina to pay respects at the
Prophet’s grave.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 Sunnite Muslim: A member of the branch of
Islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors to Muhammad.
– Caliph: the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state considered to be a representative of Allah on earth; "many radical Muslims believe a Khalifah will unite all Islamic lands and people and subjugate the rest of the world.
”
• Khalifah: synonym of caliph
– http://www.worldreference.com

 Muslim: A believer or follower of Islam
– Islam: the monotheistic religion of Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century and based on the teachings of Muhammad as laid down in the
Koran.
• Koran: The sacred writings of Islam revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at Mecca and
Medina.
• Muhammad: The Arab prophet who founded Islam (570-
632)
– Mecca: joint capital (with Riyadh) of Saudi Arabia; located in western Saudi Arabia; as the birthplace of Muhammad it is the holiest city of Islam.
– Medina: city in western Saudi Arabia; site of the tomb of
Muhammad; the second most holy city of Islam
» http://www.worldreference.com

 Druze: an adherent of an esoteric monotheistic religious sect living in the relative security of the mountains of Syria and
Lebanon who believes that Al-hakim was an incarnation of God.
– Esoteric: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle.
– Al-hakim: an Ismaili caliph of Egypt who declared himself an incarnation of God and founded the
Druze religious sect (985-1021).
• http://www.worldreference.com

Syrian Muslim Holidays
– Ramadan
– Eid al-Fitr
– Eid al-Adha
– Muharram
 Syrian Christian Holidays
– Christmas
– Catholic or Orthodox Easter

 The dates of Muslim holidays change yearly
 The Islamic religion follows the Lunar calendar.
– 354 days in a year
• Each year the holidays are 11 days earlier than the previous year.

 Ramadan: Ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
– Fast from sunrise to sunset.
– A time for reflection of spiritual matters.
– Shows devotion to Allah and Mohammed.
– Builds self-discipline and encourages compassion for those who are less fortunate.
– During Ramadan families eat their evening meal with each other.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html

 Eid al-Fitr : The “breaking of the fast” at the end of Ramadan.
– People eat special foods, including sweets, and many people stay up all night.
– Visit family and wear new clothes.
– Children receive gifts of money from their relatives.
• There are rides for children in the streets and fireworks at night.
– The celebration is three days.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html

 Eid al-Adha : Lasts four days and comes at the end of the traditional season of pilgrimage to Mecca.
– Celebrates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to God.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.ht
ml

 Muharram: The beginning of the first month in the Hijara (lunar) calendar.
– Is the Muslim New Year.
– Commemorates the day on which Mohammed and his followers left Medina for Mecca.
– Festivals held throughout the year:
• Palmyra Festival: Held in the desert and features singing and dancing as well as camel and horse races.
• Latakia, Syria: A peace festival is held during the month of August.
• September, an international folk festival is held in Busra.
– The festival continues every night for three weeks.
» http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html

 Christian Syrians celebrate Christmas and the Catholic or Orthodox Easter.
– Communities celebrate these holidays.
– Only a few decorations appear in
Christmas time
• Christmas lights are uncommon.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holidays.html

 Primary education is free.
 Attendance is mandatory for ages 6 to 15.
 Students wear a green, military-style uniform.
 Taught in Arabic.
 Learning a second language is mandatory at eight years-old.
– Most students study English.
 Religion is taught also.

 Secondary education is free at state schools.
– Ages 15 to 18.
 Four universities.
– Students pay a small tuition to attend.
 Literacy rate has increased significantly over the last 20 years.
– About 71%.
• 86% of men and 56% of women.
– http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 Having children is very important.
 When a couple has a son, the parents take the name of their first son.
– i.e.: If they name their son Yassar, the father becomes Abu Yassar or “father of
Yassar” and the mother becomes Umm
Yassar or “mother of Yassar.”
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 Children do not leave their parents’ home until marriage.
– Some newlywed couples live with their parents for a few years after marriage.
 Weddings are major social events.
– Arranged marriages are common in Syria.
– In the city there is usually more freedom to choose a marriage partner.
• Parents of couple must OK the marriage.
– The groom pays a bride-price (majr) to the bride’s family.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 Men have a strong individual and family honor (ird).
 Women do not have equal status.
– Men and women rarely socialize together outside the home.
– It is legal for Muslims to have multiple wives.
– Rare for Syrian families to divorce.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 The elderly are respected.
 Elders live with their families their entire life.
 Nursing homes are not available.
 A death in the family entails three days of mourning.
– Women relatives of the deceased must wear black months after their passing.
• http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/

 Patriarchal: The husband or “head man” is the leader of the home.
 Females, beginning at a young age, are expected to “help raise[ed] younger brothers and sisters…and continue[d] that obligation until her death…”
– The Katreeb Family

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
 Female students may seem to be reclusive.
This can be attributed to their lack of social standing in Syria.
 Syrian students of Muslim decent will need to pray during the school day.
– Set up a “special” place where they can go to pray.
 Syrian students of Muslim decent are not going to eat at school during lunch while they are observing Ramadan.
– Be understanding of their religious holiday. This is a practiced Muslims have been observing for centuries.

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
 The term Mohammedanism is offensive to Muslims who believe that Allah, not
Muhammad, founded their religion.
– Teachers should be careful of the questions they ask or comments made about a student ’ s religion.
– Teachers should research the student ’ s religion to preempt a faux pas.
• http://www.worldreference.com

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
 When you need to speak with a parent of your Syrian student the mother may not be allowed to make a “decision” about her child without first consulting her husband.
 The most important piece of information to keep in mind is that there is no
“typical” Syrian student or family, just as there is not in the US.

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
 Some families have come here to find safety aware from the constant war in the Middle
East that has been going on for centuries, while others are coming for better opportunities.
 Treat each family as their own unit. The way you will handle situations regarding a student depends a lot on the religious and social background that student comes from in Syria and the amount of education the parents have had.

Aspects of Culture that Teachers Should Understand
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Syria is an old country with an extensive religious and political background.
Holy wars have been constant in Syria and surrounding countries for a long time.
Syria used to be a larger country containing the land of what is not Israel and Lebanon.
Because of Syria’s extensive history students may have mixed emotions regarding the US and Syria.
Take the student’s feelings into consideration. Be both patient and understanding of their country’s history.

 Disney is universal!
– Middle Eastern children are very familiar with
Disney. You may consider using a Disney book, such as “The Lion King,” to provide the student a comfort zone.
 Cookbooks
– Let the children share their “Funds of Knowledge” through different cookbooks.
• Believe it or not, Betty Crocker has cultural foods!

 Concept Books
– Concept books tend to be filled with pictures. Students can learn the English terms and share the Arabic terms in the concept book with the class.

 Use these titles in your classroom as a reference for you, as a learning experience for your native students, and as a familiar experience for your Syrian student(s):
– Ahsan, M.M. Muslim Festivals.
Illustrated by
M.M. Ahsan. Vero Beach, FL: Rourke Enterprises,
1987.
– Bloom, Jonathan, and Sheila S. Blair. Islamic
Arts. Art and Ideas . London: Phaidon Press,
1997.

– Bloom, Jonathan and Sheila S. Blair. Islam
: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power.
New Haven, CT and London: Yale
University Press, 2002.
– Burns, Khephra. Mansa Musa . Illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. San Francisco:
Harcourt Brace, 2001.
– Chalfonte, Jessica. I Am Muslim.
New
York : PowerKids Press, 1996.

 Ellis, Deborah. The Breadwinner . Toronto,
CA: Groundwood, 2000.
 Goodwin, Jan. Price of Honor: Muslim
Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the
Islamic World.
New York: Plume, 1995.
 Kessler, Cristina. One Night: A Story from the Desert.
Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr.
New York: Philomel Books, 1995.

 Naff, Alixa. The Arab Americans . New York:
Chelsea House, 1988.
 Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Flag of Childhood:
Poems from the Middle East.
New York:
Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002.
 Nye, Naomi Shihab. The Space Between
Our Footsteps: Poems and Paintings from the Middle East.
New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1998.

 Weiss-Armush, Anne Marie. Arabian
Cuisine . Illustrated by John Berry.
Beirut, Lebanon : Dar Annafaés, 1984.
 Wprmser, Richard. American Islam:
Growing Up Muslim in America.
New
York: Walker & Co., 1994.

 Know that females may not have the same amount of education as males the same age because women do not have the same rights as men.
 When probing the class, do not put students on the spot unless they are comfortable —their education has been more formal that what is in the US.

 For counselors —Note that religion plays a major role in most Syrian families.
You must respect the rules those families follow.
 Some towns do not have electricity or indoor plumbing —there may be cultural bias that you will have to overcome or work around.

 Though these students have been educated, many times the schools are overcrowded, on double session and without up-to-date information.
– You may have build an entirely new foundation of knowledge for that student and overcome their misconceptions or outof-date conceptions regarding academics.

The Katreeb Family: Journey to America
 1894 —Elias Thanaus Katreeb begins his journey to America.
– Burj Safita, Syria  by donkey to Beirut,
Syria (now Beirut, Lebanon)
– Boarded at a house in town for a few weeks

Stop in Marsilles, France

Ellis
Island
– Processed and sent to Pennsylvania with many other Syrians.

The Katreeb Family: Journey to America
 1894-1896 —Elias begins his living
– Established a local grocery in Southside
Pittsburgh
– Returns to Syria in 1986 to marry Sarah
Libbos Katreeb.
– Sarah and Elias returned to the US taking the same long journey.

The Katreeb Family: Journey to America
 1897-few years
– Elias and Sarah were able to afford to bring
Elias’ sister and husband to the US, and
Sarah’s two brothers.
• Ann and her husband moved to McKeesport.
• Sarah’s brothers moved to West Newton.
– The majority of Syrian immigrants from Burj Safita were living in West Newton at that time.

The Katreeb Family: Journey to America
 Not all of the Katreeb-Libbos family was able to enter the US because of quota reasons.
– Many members of my family immigrated to
Brazil, where that part of the family still is today.

 http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/ex plore/nations/syria.html
 http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvande r/ChildrenLit/islamicliterature.htm
 http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/%7Ekvande r/ChildrenLit/index.html

 http://cp.settlement.org/english/syria/holi days.html
 http://www.worldreference.com
 Katreeb, Charles. The Katreeb Family.
Florida, 1995.