Saint Mary's Magazine Winter 2003 - Saint Mary's University of ...

CAMPUS NEWS
How I spent my
58% of students are
WWII veterans (1947)
26
Veterans Administration constructs two
barracks on campus for G.I.s (1947)
25
Some assume faculty have it
made in the summertime, sitting
poolside or reading a favorite
novel during their three months
of leave. The reality is, most
teachers use the time to enhance
their professional skills, prepare
new curriculum or study abroad.
Among the many traveling or
conducting research, here’s
what two Saint Mary’s faculty
did this summer.
Diehl
explores Islam
in Africa
Dr. Dorothy Diehl, chair of the
modern/classical languages
department, was selected by Saint
Mary’s Faculty Development
Committee to attend a course at the
Maryknoll Institute of African
Studies of Saint Mary’s University in
Nairobi, Kenya. She enrolled in a
three-week course on Introduction
to Islam in Eastern Africa. Each
week included three days of
lectures and three days of
immersion into the community.
Diehl said this immersion “allowed
Dr. Dorothy Diehl (left) and her field
assistant, Rukiyah Bakari.
me to truly feel – and be a part of
– the culture.”
Among the eight other students
were a New York Maryknoll
seminarian, a woman missionary
from Argentina, and a special
education teacher from the
Netherlands. Each was
assigned a Muslim
field assistant
who helped
arrange
interviews
with local
Muslims.
Diehl’s
field
assistant,
Rukiyah
Bakari, is a
26-year-old
law student
whose father
AFRICA
Nairobi,
Kenya
teaches at Nairobi University.
Rukiyah helped Diehl arrange
interviews with 10 Muslim women,
some in a polygamous marriage,
some divorced and others single, in
order to prepare a final paper on
women’s issues among Muslims of
varying backgrounds.
“Why do you want to learn
about Islam?” was often the first
question. Diehl explained that she
teaches about Islam in her
Francophone Literature and
Civilization classes but found it
difficult to explain the religion,
especially the woman’s role. This
explanation must have been
satisfactory, because all the women
agreed to be interviewed and were
extraordinarily hospitable and open.
One woman even invited Diehl
to attend a Muslim wedding. The
10-minute ceremony took place in
the bride’s home but only men took
part. The women responded to
prayer from an adjacent room and,
surprisingly, the bride was not
present, even for most of the
reception.
Although the streets of Nairobi
are dangerous after dark, Diehl and
the other participants felt safe and
welcomed during the day, even
when traveling alone. According to
Diehl, the most shocking thing
about Nairobi was not the
devastation of the
slums, but the stark
contrast between
the slums and –
directly across
the street –
the lines of
enormous,
★ beautiful
homes. Diehl
noted that it is
a shame that a
country with
so much
potential is
immersed in abject
poverty and political
corruption. Even her very
bright assistant, Rukiyah, predicted
she would have to leave the
country to find a suitable job.
Diehl did find time to explore
other regions of Kenya prior to the
course, taking a week-long
excursion to Mombasa on the
Indian Ocean and then a four-day
safari to the Masai-Mara after the
course concluded.
Now that she has returned to
Winona, Diehl is excited to share
her experiences with her students.
She has incorporated what she
learned in many of her courses,
especially in the Capstone class she
teaches in the sections on
relationships and faith.
By the way, Diehl completed
her 15-page paper (available
upon request) and received
an ‘A’ in the course.
18 SAINT MARY’S MAGAZINE WINTER 2003