Lissann Lichtenstein

DANC 1010
October 27, 2015
Life History Interview
At Highland High School, there are many different cultures represented in the
student population. It was here that I met my friend Ali. When we first met, the only real
difference I noticed about him was that he was African American. However, as time went
on, I learned more about him. He was born in N'Djamena, Chad (which is the capital city)
and is of the Muslim tradition. His family came to Utah when he was two and he has
been here ever since. I chose Ali for this interview because we are different in some
significant ways and I wanted to learn more about who he is and this assignment was a
wonderful opportunity for me to do so. We consulted together only once, due to our busy
student schedules, but I feel that the interview went well and that I was able to learn a lot
from just a little conversation. I was nervous about asking him to participate in this
interview and about how he would react to the questions that I asked. However, there was
nothing to worry about, as he was more than willing to help.

One of the more interesting parts of the interview for me was learning how much
Ali has not experienced because he is of a minority group. When I think of a minority, I
often think about the oppression they experience and how they have to struggle for the
basics the majority takes for granted. But, as I pondered on my experiences with him in
high school, I remembered that we never treated him differently from the rest of the
members of our group, except on occasions because he was pretty much the only boy in
the group. And even as he has gone on in life to college, that really has not changed. He

assimilated well into the American way of life and is very quick to make friends who
really do not make a big deal about his differences. However, there are parts of his other
cultures, African and Islamic, that have stuck with him and make him more unique.

I have known that family was a key part of Alis life, but in talking with him, I
was able to learn more about why that is. In Africa in general, family is the key
component of society. He explained that often times, families will often live together,
regardless of marital status or if they have children. This is because Africa has more of a
collectivist society while America is much more individualist. And family is a major part
of Islam as well. The Quran talks about the importance of families and specifically the
importance of respecting your elders. Respect has always been something that
has stuck out to me with him. He told me that he does not have
problems with the majority groups of races or religion here because he
bases himself on being respectful and thereby expecting people to be
respectful in return. One thing he said about respect that surprised me
was that eye contact with someone older than you is a sign of respect
while avoiding it is a sign of disrespect.

While discussing the roles of men and women, he said that in

Chad, while it varies from family to family, girls more often are found
doing the work in the home while the boys are supposed to do the
harder manual labor. Also, when it comes to social gatherings/parties,
men and women tend to be separate from each other (although

mingling is not prohibited). That means that they could be in separate

rooms from each other or just on opposite sides of the same room. He
mentioned that while a mans status is seen to be higher then a
womans, it does not infer that women are inferior; the roles the
genders carry out are simply different from each other.

He mentioned that dance is a very accepted practice in Chad, but he does not
really remember any native dances from Chad since he left there at such a young age.
Also, having grown up in the United States, his music tastes reflect our current culture.
He admits in those senses he is not very unique from the rest of my age group.

One of the places of major difference between us was in religious practices. He is

not the most devout of Muslims, but there are many practices that he does follow. He
participates in Ramadan, a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset, and in the tradition of
not eating anything made of pork. He has had to explain himself a few times during
Ramadan as to why he is not eating or drinking and why he wakes up in the middle of the
night to eat and drink, but he has found most people are very understanding of it once
they know the basics as to why he is doing it. Also, as I have previously stated, he is very
respectful of all those who are around him and really does not get mad at people.

I found it very interesting how similar our experiences here in the

United States has been. While Ali is part of a minority, he hasnt
experienced much prejudice from others because of it. Traditions from

Chad and from Islam have had a major impact on him, even though he
does not proclaim his differences and their impact on his life publically.
And that may be a major reason as to why he is not often stereotyped
against. He does not go around parading his differences in background
and religion for all to see; he keeps it to himself. Many different
cultures and religions, including the LDS faith, make it clear that they
are who they are and that they are different. And while it is nice to
know the differentiations, it is not always so necessary. Our interview
helped me to break down some of the stereotypical walls about
Muslims that pervade in this country, particularly after September 11,
2001. Many people in this country believe that most Muslims are going
to be extremist and want to destroy America. However, that is not the
case. Goodness can be found in all areas of life and respect of
differences, even when they are not something you agree with, is the
way to spread that goodness to all. I am truly grateful for the
opportunity this assignment gave me to learn more about my friend.
My respect for him has grown and I hope to be able to apply his
qualities of respect and family love more fully into my own life.