Recreating Hajj: A Palestinian Teacher’s Act of Resilience
Bringing a semblance of hope amidst the violence and destruction suffered by millions across Palestine, a teacher introduced the essence of Hajj to her students.
How did she do that? Well, let us take you through the process:
The Kaaba
Using her creativity, she made a small model of the Kaaba big enough for the children to perform the Tawaf, which means “to go around” in Arabic. In Islam, the Tawaf is a spiritual practice of going around the Kaaba, known as Baitallah (God’s house), seven times as a form of religious expression.
The Palestinian students went around the makeshift model of the Kaaba in what was the closest experience they ever had with practicing the Umrah.
The Sacrifice
A big part of Hajj is the sacrifice of a goat or sheep during the first day of Eid El Adha and that aspect of Hajj was also taught to the Palestinian students using a soft toy goat.
The Steps
Using a massive illustration divided into steps, Khader and another teacher taught the students all the steps of Hajj to introduce to them how it is practiced and its significance.
Why Is This Important?
Hajj and Eid Al Adha are both intrinsic parts of Islam and so are important to be taught to young Muslim kids. Seeing how Palestine has been suffering from an ongoing genocide, education and many aspects of normal life have been undermined.
That is why what Khader is doing is important: she is attempting to bring a semblance of normalcy to the children’s rights as well as access to their right to education.
“We teach our children that this is a Muslim holiday, and we teach them that regardless of circumstances, it remains a significant Muslim celebration,” described Khader.
It is all about stimulating their education and making sure it continues despite circumstances. If more people like Khader push to restore a semblance of normalcy to Palestinians’ lives, it will strengthen their already strong persistence and determination to fight for their country.
