Towards an enriched campus: the power of language - A blog on Islamophobia

A blog Written by Third Year, English Language Student, Nurunnahar Sultana on her experiences and achievements as a Muslim university student.

September 2019

I looked around the grandiose lecture hall. Almost all the seats were full of Sports and Health Sciences students. I took out my crisp new notebook and pen, eager to make notes and begin my learning. I had returned to university as a mature student and mother of three, so I cherished this moment because I had waited such a long time for it. That September, I was the happiest person I had ever been in my life.

Prior to attending university, I had a short stint at being a secondary school teacher, after which I was involved in providing voluntary services at the mosque where my husband was the Imam. I had hosted and spoken to priests, Rabbis and esteemed members of the police force. School children often visited the mosque as part of their Religious Studies lesson. I also organised classes and events for members of our own congregation. I saw us as part of a community that is looking to learn and not afraid to question; a community that may disagree yet continues to hold each other's hands. This was a community we created, because we had some authority. Having a background as a teacher, I understand the power relations between student and teacher. I know how important it is to create an atmosphere where all students feel safe enough to express their ideas and opinions without facing backlash and without insulting and degrading each other. I have also seen first-hand the harm that can be done by teachers in classrooms who set a tone of dissension, creating hard feelings between students for no reason. No learning objective was ever achieved by pitting pupils against each other.

(A picture of my husband at a Holocaust memorial (He is currently studying Masters in TESOL and Applied Linguistics at UCLan)

First impressions

I was not sure what to expect of university, but my first impressions were purely positive. What I cherished most from those first few weeks at university were the conversations I had with the students on my course. Here I was, a visibly Muslim woman, engaged in intellectually stimulating discussions with my peers who couldn’t be more different to me. This was the moment I let go of fear and embraced inquisitiveness. As for the lecturers, they were exceptional. They were experts in their fields with a keen desire to help and support students. I couldn’t help but think how different this was to previous experiences I had in secondary school and college. It helps from time to time to challenge our own preconceptions. I was filled with gratitude and deeply humbled by the whole experience.

Serendipity

Although I was enjoying my experience as a new student, I quickly realised my area of interest might lie in something quite different to Sports and Health Sciences. So, while I was sad to leave the friends I had made on my course, I moved to the School of Humanities, Languages and Global Studies (yes, what a surprise!) to study English Language and Linguistics. Once I was on my new course, I discovered that it felt just right, much like Baby Bear’s porridge. It was here that I discovered the power of language and how we could use it to influence outcomes, build or burn bridges, and mislead people. I began to think deeper about the language we use. I was eager to find out how we could use language to engage in a more valuable discourse at university and beyond.

From class discussions to prestigious publications

It was not until my second year of study that I studied a module that deals with the rhetoric of framing in the UK media with Dr Isabela Fairclough. We investigated how the use of language in newspaper headlines could produce changes in the public’s attitudes and outcomes. During the second week of the module, we were set a piece of homework where we had to write an imaginary letter to the Vice-Chancellor. In the letter, we framed our own experiences in terms of a value most significant to us. I thought about a value that I felt strongly about: it would be freedom of speech. Here is an excerpt from that letter I wrote which sums up how I feel our universities and communities should approach freedom of speech in a way that enables everyone to feel heard and appreciated:

“I believe that if all views are expressed respectfully, and with the intention of seeking answers, then this will result in a significant shift in paradigms, creating environments where there is less bias, more objectivity and more tolerance.

If I were to sit in a class full of resentful peers who are afraid to give their opinions, it would be difficult to have fruitful discussions, and this could cause me to miss out on valuable knowledge. Consequently, this would place limits on our overall learning experience at university, where effective groupwork is a vital component of students’ progress.

Educational institutions that have established themselves over decades and centuries owe their success to our scholarly predecessors who were courageous enough to view the world from many perspectives. They were the ones who were not afraid to question or seek answers. To limit a student’s freedom of speech in an academic setting such as university, would be to discredit the efforts of our most influential scholars. I conclude by highlighting the words of Albert Einstein:

“The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think”.

(Taken from Language and Power: Essays in Honour of Norman Fairclough.) 

My dear lecturer Isabela was so impressed by the letter that she asked me for permission to publish it in a book she was editing in honour of her husband, Norman Fairclough, who is the Emeritus Professor at the University of Lancaster. I felt honoured and overwhelmed with gratitude. Isabela exemplifies the role of a teacher: the one who amplifies her students’ voices and takes pride in their progress and recognises their successes.

I hope that this account I have shared inspires our university to continue to find ways in how we can use language to enrich our academic learning, create opportunities for students from all backgrounds, and encourage us all to keep aiming higher.

For details on Dr Isabela’s publication and how I contributed to it, please click here.

Written by Third Year, English Language Student, Nurunnahar Sultana