Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy…
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go…
Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy…
“Beautiful Boy” – John Lennon
An Algerian boy, Mahdi, with liquid brown eyes that hold the sadness of what he has seen within them, and the noor—the light of God—shining through them, soft-spoken and gentle, has joined my class. He was afraid to say why he believes Muslim and Arab countries have problems with Israel and the United States
“I am afraid, you know, um, that, uh, they will be, uh, how you say?... mad at me, not like me, so…I not going to say.”
Another student, Edgar, says, “You think we’re gonna be mad at you if you tell us what you been through or think or something? Man, we’re not like that. You can say what you want.
“No…I scared and, uh, should not…I should not…”
“We want to hear what you have to say. It’s ok, man. We’re cool. It’s ok.”
“You,” I tell him, “are safe here, respected here, and have the freedom to say anything. In this country you have the right to speak freely. No one will hate you or hurt you. Mahdi, you are part of our family. We can agree or disagree with each other, but you—and everyone here—is loved and appreciated. And no one will go crazy or say hurtful things to you. Ask them. I do not allow ignorance or attacks. It just doesn’t happen here. Everyone knows, I protect you. I protect you and everyone in our class. You don’t have to speak. Just know that you can and no harm will come to you. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I think I know this. I…Ok. I…in Algeria
Mahdi goes on to tell us about the Israeli blockade of food and medicine from the Palestinian people, the soldiers with guns who provoke the Palestinian people, and a little bit about how Islam is misunderstood, and that terrorists who claim to be Muslim are not Muslim, that Islam is a peaceful religion.
“You know how we say ‘Hi, uh Hello? Salaam alaikum.’ It mean ‘Peace be with you.’
I tell him “Shalom” means “Peace”. He smiles and tells me he knows this and is happy. He tells me he has Jewish friends, and knows, "Not all of everyone...uh anyone bad or the same."
“And, and I want to tell you a story about the Prophet Muhammed. He have a Jewish neighbor, and the man, he put garbage in front of Prophet Muhammed’s door everyday for many, many days. Then, one day, Muhammed see no garbage by his door. A neighbor say the Jewish man who was mean to him was sick. So, Muhammed, he go see, uh, visit, yeah? Ok, he visit him. The man say, ‘Why you here? I put garbage by your door. We not like each other. Why you here? And Muhammed, he say, ‘Because you are sick and I come to help you.’ The man, he say, ‘Why? I put the garbage by your house.’ And Muhammed say, ‘The garbage is thrown away. Do not worry about it. I am here because we are brothers, all God’s children, and I here to help you, to make things better. I love you.” And the man, he cry and hug Muhammed and say, ‘I want to be like you. I want to be a Muslim.’”
We talk about conversion. We talk about getting along without converting. We talk about respect for all people, no matter their religion. Mahdi wants us to know Muhammed and Islam are good, not like some people think. We talk about ignorance and how it hurts our world. We talk about forgiveness and how it helps all of us to be better people, is a gift we give ourselves and those we forgive.
Mahdi stays after school. I know he wants to talk. He tells me why many in the Arab and Muslim countries have problems with Israel Israel
“Ms. Reale, can I tell you this I saw that hurt me inside?
I am moved that this beautiful boy wants to talk, to get this out, and that he trusts me.
“Miss, I was watching the television one day, and I see an Israeli man, and he with a Palestinian woman. All around her there is Israeli men. And this man (he clasps his hand around his forearm), this man, he bite her. He bite her, Miss, like an animal bite. Then she scream and he throw her up against a wall, and all the other men, they start throwing rocks at her. They don’t stop. They hurt her with these rocks and they don’t stop. And she cry and have no place to go. This hurt me here (he puts his hand over his heart), and make me to get sick. That what make us mad over there, in my country. And we don’t know why the United States, they don’t help her, you know? Help the Palestinian people more. They like nobody, like dirt. But they are human being, you know? We all God’s children.”
Yes, Beautiful Boy, I know. And, I know I am blessed to have you in my class, my life. And I know the world will be a better place with both of us in it, as we try to forgive and love—even when it is so very hard to do so. That is where grace comes in: It is easy to love when all is well. It takes grace to love when life is so very, very difficult.
There is a proverb that says, “When the student is ready, the teacher will come.” We are all students and teachers. I am glad I was ready for Mahdi.
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