ALRIGHT GUYS I DID IT. I promised that my next article would have nothing to do with boxing, so here I am delivering on that promise (you can write me a check or just thank me with cash).
As some of you may know, and as many of you will soon know after reading this article, IHS is planning a trip to the fabulous nation of Morocco. More specifically, ultra-Xtreme superstar IHS teachers Todd Noyes, Steve Weissburg, and Elizabeth Campbell are arranging for a group of 24 students to travel to Morocco during February break, experience Moroccan culture, and work with a Moroccan school to see how education systems vary around the world.
We’ll be driving to New York City, boarding a plane to Casablanca, and then boarding a bus to Rabat, the capital, after landing. For the first few days, we’ll be seeing important historical landmarks such as the Hassan Tower and the Kasbah of Udayas. After that, we’ll be returning to Casablanca, where ICSD students will meet up with their host families and attend a few cultural workshops. We’ll spend the rest of the week working with schools there, and we will return to the U.S. on Saturday, February 25.
Apart from the obvious excitement of travelling to an exotic locale, there’s another reason that we believe this trip is so important. In today’s society, especially in the United States, Islamophobia and anti-Middle Eastern sentiment has become quite prevalent, and many do indeed have very negative opinions of Middle Eastern and North African people and their culture. The development of conflict in Syria, rise of ISIS, and numerous terrorist attacks in the U.S. and Europe over the years have only made these negative opinions worse in the West. In response to the tragic Orlando shooting in June of this year, Donald Trump called for a ban on Muslims entering the nation, saying, “I called for a ban [on Muslims entering the country] after San Bernardino and was met with great scorn and anger. But now… many are saying that I was right to do so. And although the pause is temporary, we must find out what is going on. We have to do it.”
Believe me, Donald Trump is most definitely not the only American that feels that way. Just ask a few of his most radical supporters. But rather than throwing our hands up in the air and making some joke about having our first orange president or about Trump’s uncomfortable comments about his daughter, it would be far better to truly educate ourselves so that we can educate others. By immersing ourselves in a predominantly Muslim culture, we will be able to improve our own understanding of what Islam truly is, and hopefully spread that understanding throughout the community and to all people around us.
Obviously, travelling to Morocco won’t be free. In fact, the price per student is roughly $1800. That’s, like, an entire pair of Yeezys. So in order to make this trip as affordable as possible, we have put a lot of time and effort into fundraising. We have a few fundraising projects in progress right now, including crowdfunding through a GoFundMe page, selling food at the craft fair, hosting a badminton tournament, and doing yard work for community members in exchange for donations. We hope to raise enough money to bring down the price per student by as much as possible. That way, we can ensure that as many students as possible can have this wonderful opportunity to visit a place as great as Morocco. So, if your parents have been getting on your case to rake some leaves or shovel the driveway, and you’d simply rather finish season 10 of Grey’s Anatomy, play League of Legends, or watch the Cleveland Browns fail spectacularly at football, let Ms. Campbell know and we’ll take care of it for you so that you can get back to enjoying Netflix in your cozy Snuggie. You could also help us out by sharing our GoFundMe campaign on your Facebook page, by trying some delicious mint tea at the Craft Fair on Friday, December 9, or by participating in our ballin’ (er, birdieing…?) badminton tournament coming soon.