to be OUTRAGED by this university lecturer???!!!

[Oakmaiden]

So much so that I have lost control of my punctuation???

This is the situation: I was in a lecture this morning about Inclusion in Society. We were discussing racism and multiculturalism. Towards the end of the lecture the lecturer said that she felt that multiculturalism could be taken too far, and that since world domination was a central tenet of the Muslim faith, she thinks immigration should be curbed or she is concerned that we will be "taken over" and all have to live by Islamic laws. I mean WTF??? "World Domination is the central tenet of the Muslim Faith"???

One I had picked my jaw up off the floor I did challenge her fairly firmly. She made me get up in front of the class to tell them all why I thought she was a racist she was incorrect in her assertions. Which frankly I was more than happy to do - and was rather depressed at how many of the class seemed to agree with her.

So - was I wrong to challenge. Actually, don't answer that - no I bloody wasn't. But - should I be taking this further? Should she really be teaching inclusion/sociology to would be teachers if she cannot keep her own odious opinions out of the lectures? Should I write a letter of complaint to the course leader? Or should I just keep my head down?

tryingtoleave I couldn't agree more with your post. I thought at first that the OP was a postgraduate trainee teacher but now it appears she is a first year undergraduate. Anyway, she seems to think that she knows more than the lecturer and can tell her how to do her job. I would suggest that the OP actually gets on with getting her degree and does some research instead of wasting everyone's time at the university with this nonsense. Complaining about lecturers is a lazy way to go about studying. If the OP doesn't understand the point, then she can go to the library, do some backround reading and expand her knowledge. Then if she still doesn't understand, she could ask.

I honestly wonder whether some people are cut out for university level study. When I studied at the world famous Leiden University in the Netherlands, we had some of the most renowned professors in their fields lecturing to us (I don't say teaching, this is not school), and the deliberately controversial opinions they used to come out with were breathtaking. It was of course to challenge us and expand our field of knowledge.

I have to say though I think this lecturer would be pretty safe in her job. The universities know how to protect good staff simply doing their jobs and sift through the pointless complaints. There is always guaranteed to be at least one awkward, complaining student per tutorial group. The number that I've had suggesting they cannot possibly have got only a "C" because they've have worked at so-and-so company and have done x, y and z. And you have to point out to them that the bottom line is what work they produce in their assessed work, not the fuss they make in getting there.

Most of what I wanted to say has been covered, but OP the lecturer was not being racist as Islam is a religion not a race. I am constantly at how many teachers think that any criticism of Islam is racist.

The establishment of a world wide Caliphate (i.e. everyone on the planet becoming a Muslim) is one of the goals of Islam, therefore what she said is correct, however far down the list it might be after the Five Pillars. You need to be sure of your ground before you challenge her by going to the HoD, as you are factually incorrect on two points here and will end up looking very stupid.

I'm a teacher and I think immigration should be curbed (infrastructure reasons); I have worries about Sharia and the attempts to establish parallel courts in the UK (have had those worries since the mid 80s), and I agree with her that multiculturalism can be taken too far.

As to your assertion that you will value every student equally, you won't, believe me. It's difficult to value every child the same when there are those who steal from you, are foul mouthed, threaten others with assault, key your car, force others into unpleasant sexual acts etc and all these things can and do happen.

You will also find intolerance everywhere in the teaching profession so get used to it. Other teachers will be intolerant of your PC views (I would be and would have avoided you like the plague); teenagers are notoriously intolerant if they don't like you, and you may be dealing with that all day. We live in a society that has freedom of speech, and a right to express your views. When we have had discussions in the classroom like you have had in your lectures, several students have expressed exactly the same views as your lecturer, except far more trenchantly, and whilst one can debate the issue with them, they are as entitled to their point of view as any one else is. All we can do as teachers is to raise questions that challenge their views and hopefully prod them to consider another take on the situation. If they leave a lesson asking why do I think 'x', then you've done your job. You are not the thought police.

Inclusion is a very wide concept - it covers everything from SEN, physical handicaps, to differing religions and races and to study how we deal with that in the classroom is a good thing. You will be challenged on inclusion though by your students if you are going to teach secondary, so you had better learn different responses other than a knee jerk complaint.

All you can do as a teacher is your best for the students you teach, but that will be in the face at times of wanting to boot the buggers out of your classroom, or heaving a sigh of relief when they leave in Year 11 and you never have to see them again in your life. Others you will be sad to see go and will have really enjoyed teaching.

Thanks, nijinsky. I'm glad to hear you think the lecturer's job would be safe. I would be too cautious to express such a view as my opinion (unless I had so much expertise on the subject that I was absolutely convinced I was right and could defend it). If I wanted to raise it for debate I would present it as someone else's opinion.

The op reminded me of the second year law students I teach. They must be bright, because it is a hard course to get into, but they are so stubborn and smug in their views. They sneer at the views of the less educated ( like the cabbie comment above) and were horrified when I suggested their opinions were no more based on fact or expertise but were simply garnered in the same way from newspapers and peers ( albeit different ones). The only type of critique they know how to do is to dismiss someone's work because they are a white male. I suppose it is not really their fault - they must have been failed by the education system at an earlier point.

YABU.

tryingtoleave I teach law purely at postgraduate level, and I am also horrified by the lack of education some of the students have. Putting aside the fact that their bad spelling and grammar has obviously not been corrected by now, I am astonished at the number who lack any semblance of research skills and who think Wikipeadia is a valid resource.

scaryteacher " I am constantly at how many teachers think that any criticism of Islam is racist."

Unfortunately some people do think this way. Which is what I mean about questioning whether such people are suited to university level study. For example, I know quite a lot about Sharia law and feel quite confident in stating that even in its domestic setting, it is an archaic legal system unsuited to changing with the times (due to the way it deals with the concept of legal precedence and its lack of regard for stabilised procedures) and is enforced, in the main, by non-legally qualified persons. To me, the Danelaw 1200 years ago was a more advanced legal system, and Roman law over 2000 years ago was certainly better. Sharia law is only really a suitable legal system in agrarian, isolated, undeveloped societies.

I suppose the OP would think I was being racist in making such comments?