Imagine being arrested, thrown into a makeshift cage behind a bus station, and denied any phone calls. All because you’re a Muslim. Such was the case for Abdulrahman Zeitoun in the wake of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. His ordeal is told by author Dave Eggers in Zeitoun, the critically acclaimed American Book Award winner. After choosing to stay in New Orleans to try and protect his home and small business despite the imminent storm, Zeitoun becomes a victim of racial profiling and is assumed to be an Al Qaeda terrorist, leading to his arrest.

The book has been part of the seventh-grade English curriculum for the past two years. After reading the book, the entire middle school had an assembly on November 11 to hear Mr. Amine Aghzafi, a Benjamin parent who also serves on the Benjamin Parents’ Association (BPA) and the School’s Diversity Committee. Aghzafi is also a Muslim, and he came to talk about his faith, the misconceptions associated with it, and instances where he has been faced with racial profiling just as Zeitoun was.

Aghzafi also answered student and teacher questions, from personal (Have you made your pilgrimage to Mecca?”) to general (“What is the difference between Islam and Christianity?”), to everything in between (“Do you eat meat?”).

Having Aghzafi speak was another opportunity for the Middle School, which was recently named a No Place for Hate for the second consecutive year by the Anti-Defamation League, to promote understanding amongst diverse groups and appreciation of diversity. Head of Middle School Mr. Charles Hagy said Aghzafi’s presentation was important because “the only way you overcome bias and prejudice is by education.”

Many of the middle school students also enjoyed listening to what Aghzafi had to say. “I really loved the presentation because it really made me think that it was okay to be different and that I should not be scared of that fact,” said seventh grader Anthony Cavallo. “I really liked Mr. Aghzafi’s presentation because now I know that it doesn’t matter what other people say about me, because I am not scared to be different anymore,” added fellow seventh grader Alex Michelon.

Aghzafi himself welcomed the opportunity to speak to the middle school students, reprising a presentation he had given to Benjamin’s high schoolers earlier in the year, because he feels it helps them “be exposed to many aspects of life so that they are prepared to face the world when they leave high school and their homes.” Aghzafi continued, “Sharing my knowledge and experience is my way of giving back by helping the next generation.” He also felt it was helpful to “share my personal experiences as well as shed some light on a Muslim’s everyday life.”

Afghazi’s presentation came just two days before the terrorist attacks that rocked Paris, where nine ISIS terrorists and perhaps several more accomplices killed 130 people and injured 368 others via gunfire and bombs. More recently, another terrorist attack resulted in 27 deaths at a resort in the West-African country of Mali on November 20. According to www.truthuncensored.net, the al-Qaeda affiliated group Al-Mourabitoun, another Islamic extremist group which is based in northern Mali, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Aghzafi finds it frustrating that innocent Muslims are often discriminated against for the deplorable actions committed by these Islamic extremists. “[I’m] very disappointed in how people can do the exact opposite of what God asks us to do in Islam and still claim that it is done in the name of religion,” he said. “Somehow, all these terrorists forget that in Islam, when anyone takes an innocent person’s life, it is as if he/she has taken out all of humanity in God’s eyes.”

These tragedies underscored the importance of Aghzafi’s address to Benjamin’s students. At a time where Islamic extremists and jihadists openly and routinely display their hate for Westerners and those outside the Muslim faith, where there is anxiety and mistrust in America regarding Muslim and Middle Eastern individuals, and where debate rages in this country over whether to accept Syrian refugees, it is worth noting that Benjamin is attempting to stem the tide of ignorance and violence while promoting understanding by inviting such speakers to educate its students.