Cultural Reporter Summary - Joe Morrison

I wanted to find out the struggle, if any, between youth growing up while balancing themselves as a Muslim minority. I chose cultural hybridity. I felt through my limited experiences that the Muslim kids I’ve worked with that they struggle sometimes because they have assimilated at school and with friends, but once they go home it was another world at times.

 It was hard to decide who to interview. I had many students at Goodrich Middle School that fit. My morning regulars fit, I had three Muslim students every morning from three different countries. I decided to interview two students, a former football player and a former Goodrich student. They both don’t flaunt their Islam culture. The football player, Kevin, I didn’t even know about it until midway through my 3^rd season with him. Of both my students, their parents aren’t both Muslim. I definitely think that adds to the confusion, but it also helped me understand that being Muslim is more than beliefs. It brings a different culture to the family. It’s a different world with different beliefs, language, and characteristics. From what I learned and observed it was very different than the public world.

The first theme is family. Both students had a great love for their family. My former middle school student has a mother who is Eastern Orthodox and a father who is Muslim. They both are Bosnian, but their religious beliefs are a bit of a weird mix. I asked her how that works for her and the household. She said, “My mom, I guess is in charge of us when we want to go out or with school. And my dad, he is the boss of the house and has last say in most big topics, like when I get in big trouble” (Goodrich, personal interview, April 18, 2014). So the mom who “fits” in better with the public views handles the public lifestyle more frequently.

The second theme is friends and peers. Both former students just from my observations over the years didn’t let people know they were Muslim or from Muslim families right away. It wasn’t that they were trying to hide it, but because it wasn’t obvious. With my ex-football player he was fortunate to be in a school where diversity was everywhere, so for the most part his friends don’t care much about that. Although he said in his first year of high school he was hesitant just in case. Especially in sports because it was important for him to feel comfortable. With my former student she was in middle school when I had her most of the kids in middle school are just naturally judgmental. She had a very difficult time, which is how we had such a strong relationship.

In a way my third theme could be finding the balance between it all. I noticed this was difficult during certain times, especially for both students in middle school. Kevin said he didn’t let just anybody come over to his house. He also heard a lot more dirty jokes about Muslims and it got under his skin a bit. Kevin said, “Now I don’t give a crap. I understand there are haters out there that don’t understand that people Muslims aren’t all the same, not even close” (Kevin, personal interview, April 13, 2014).My former Goodrich student talked about balancing both lives out a lot. She talked about how it was like having split personalities. She too said she doesn’t let just anybody come over, they have to be a good friend. Because of her religious beliefs and family culture she has hardly ever had anybody stay the night, but it didn’t bother her because it’s her family. She said “There are things that I’m left out of for sure, but I make up for it by being so wild and crazy” (Goodrich, personal interview, April 18, 2014).

Overall I think it seems evident that there is a line being drawn between public and private lives. How they act and react to each seems to vary a little bit depending on their age. Cultural hybridity seems to be obvious. It all comes down to where the line is drawn. Although it is different for every family, because being Muslim is not just a race or religious thing, it’s an entire culture that belongs to many different families. I interviewed a Bosnia student with parents that have two very different religious beliefs who are not from the United States. I interviewed another student who is African American and Hispanic, but his mom is Muslim. Both family set ups are very different yet each student goes through similar struggles. I am getting an interview with an adult at the Islamic Foundation of Lincoln to see what differences or similarities there are the older you get. 

Goodrich. (2014, April 18). Personal Interview. J. Morrison

Kevin. (2014, April 13). Personal Interview. J. Morrison