Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Conversion???

After the girls finished the math EMSA and before break I was in 3/1 trying to keep them occupied and under control.  We were talking about the test and then I just let them talk.  Here's what happened.

Rauda - "Miss you said" followed by a whole bunch of words that I didn't understand in Arabic.
Me - "Wow!  I didn't know my Arabic was that good!"
Rauda - "No, Miss you said" the string of Arabic again.
Fatima - "Gooley (say) Miss"
Me - "Oh, Rauda you want me to SAY that?!"
Rauda - "Yes, gooley"
Me - "OK say it again"
Rauda - Arabic sentence???????
Me - "Too fast go slow"
Rauda - Arabic slowly!!!!!
Me - Whatever Rauda said I said although I had no idea what I was saying.

Look of shock on the rest of the girls' faces and a few gasps!  Oh no, what did Rauda just make me say.  She's not the type of student to make me say something bad, actually none of them are, so why the response.

Ashwaq - "Miss you Muslim" or Arabic word for Christian that I don't know?
Me - "I am Christian"

More gasps and a lot of yelling at Rauda in Arabic.  Yikes.  What happened?

Me - "What did I say?"
Ashwaq - "She make you say something for Muslims Allah put her in fire!"
Me - "No, Allah not put her in fire."  I probably should not have said that because I don't know what the Qu'ran teaches, but I didn't want Rauda to think that Allah was going to put her in the fire.
Moza - "She is small, not know." 
Ashwaq - "No she say so Allah not put her in fire."
Me - "What?"
Ashwaq - "She say for you be Muslim so Allah not put her in fire."
Me - "Oh, she wants me to be Muslim so Allah won't put her in the fire?"
Ashwaq - "Yes!"
Me - "OK, but I am a Christian and I am happy to be a Christian."

So, Rauda wants me to be a Muslim so she doesn't go to the fire.  I have to give Rauda some credit here; she has a lot of courage to talk to her teacher, even if it is in Arabic, about becoming a Muslim. 

Now, I have to go study Arabic so I can learn more words and be able to understand the next time someone trys to convert me to Islam!  I have a lot of work to do:)

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