Chronicles of MADRASAS

What is madrasa?

Madrasa is a small school intended to teach children about Islam most madrasas are attended by young pupils from  five years and up and the teachers or Ma'alins rent one room to teach so sometimes the room becomes over crowded because they don't limit the number of the pupils to match the size of the room, sometimes the Ma'alins let kids sit outside if there is an area to sit.

Most  Ma'alins are male and usually middle aged, they wield a large stick or their own belts to beat the children who misbehave or those who neglected to memorize the Quran  or those whose family or other pupils reported that have misbehaved during out of the Madrasa times yet they still get punished by the teachers even when  it does not concern the Ma'alins what a pupil did when he/she was out of Madrasa because this is the pupil and his family's problem not the teachers' problem however he still punishes the pupil for what he/she did after Madrasm they are told to recite Quran in a loud voice you could hear their voices from a long distant.

Ma'alin is not your typical teacher that you had in elementary,middle or high school whom you always see smiling, joking, engaging with activities or helping with the studies and helping you with your subjects, he is usually strict with the children, he doesn't smile and he is ready to whip you if you neglect reading and memorizing the Quran (Koran) or the arabic alphabet he doesn't mind if you neglect reading and memorizing other subjects like math, history etc but he cares deeply about whatever that comes with arabic language.

What they do in Madrasa is they open the Madrasas for the pupils and wait for the exact time to start reciting the Koran, they tell the pupils to get in line and the pupil come to the Ma'alins, hand over their Kitabs (Koran book) and they start reciting verses of the Quran that was told to memorize by the ma'alin himself and if the pupil fails he'll be whipped on the butt or on the palms of his hands, some pupils are given time out they are told to sit outside of the class room and they stay there until the Ma'alin calls them, if they go home or anywhere else they get double the punishment, some times the Ma'alins get two of his strongest and biggest pupils or four chubby little men and orders them to hold a pupil's arms and legs then he whips the poor kid's butt, other times he tells the pupils to lay on the hot sandy during the hottest days and they lay there until he gives an order and then they are given second chance to memorize the verses again and recite it tomorrow. but if he passes and recites all of the verses correctly he is lucky and gets new verses for tomorrow and also they  get some arabic alphabets written on their books or on the black board and white chalk.

Young pupils are more afraid of their Ma'alins than they do of their own parents for example a young boy is enjoying  foot ball play on a dusty street with other local boys or sitting on a corner and watching other boys play soccer but then all of sudden he spots his Ma'alin nearby he then runs away or hides, or a six year old girl is standing outside her home without hijab and she spots her Ma'alin and she runs to hide because he'll punish them when they come to the Madrasa the next day.

However this is not why I'm writing this article, I'm writing this article because of some terrible experiences in  various Madrasas that I have attended back in Somalia.

My first madrasa was quite fancy it was located in the middle of a big city the building was big enough and students were not that big number and we sat on benches instead of plastic mats and there were two Ma'alins, the boys' room was separated from the girls so I never saw the boys or their room and there is nothing much to tell about this marvelous Madrasa but there is one thing that is different from the others the Ma'alins never whipped us I don't know if they whipped the boys but not the girls.

My second madrasa was also big one but very poor there were no fancy benches unlike the previous we sat on plastic mats of course the building was big enough for all of us it was a four bedroom house but the interior walls that divided the rooms were removed so it was like a mini warehouse with a kitchen and a bathroom in the back however we were not allowed to go to the back even not to use the bathroom.

The boys and girls were separated but we were still in same mini warehouse but on separate corners it was couple blocks from my home I would wake up in 5AM, brush my teeth, wash for Fajr prayer,pray and then I would make injera our usual breakfast pancake and tea after that I would change, grab my Kitab,notebook, a pencil in a stripped plastic bag  and head to the Madrasa.

In this new Madrasa there were two Ma'alins but they never come together only one would come to open the Madrasa for the pupils and head back to the Masjid that was within a block, the pupils would flood into the madrasa and wait till one of the Ma'alins come but we had what we called a Kabiir. Kabiir is usually the oldest of the pupils who supervises the other pupils so they don't fight,  bully or do anything stupid his name was Abdirahman and he was probably 15 years old he would slow pace around the boys corner and told those who spoke to shut up and those who moved to go back on your spot or those who didn't listen to him to whipped them with his belt and if they didn't obey him he reported to the Ma'alins but for girls he never came to our corner but if one of us did not obey when he gave us an order he wrote down our names and passed it to the Ma'alins and the Ma'alin punished us for being disobedient.

The Madrasa was not that bad at first but then arose a bully squad, the kabiir had three other siblings two boys and a girl named Khadra, she was older than I and she was mean at first a nice person or I thought was because she smiled when she looked at me but perhaps I was just a former shep-herder who couldn't tell the body language like is it a mocking smile or is it a kind smile who knows. Khadra was an arrogant and big headed just because her older brother is the kabiir she thought they had control over all of us the other pupils and she was mean and bully along with her brothers including the kabiir himself.  

One day I was sitting on a corner of the girls area and I was as usual sitting alone with no friend because I didn't know anyone personally except my cousin in the boys area, I spred my legs to stretch myself and I was enjoying being alone undisturbed until the worst come, Khadra saw an opportunity when I stretched my legs she sneaked behind me without making any attentions to me or the other pupils she then came back and pretended she was stepping over my spred legs but then she intentionally stumbled herself on the floor and when everyone's eyes were on the  poor Khadra who was laying on the floor she accused me of spreading my legs with the intention to trip  her over but I have spred my legs before she stood up and sneaked behind everyone but who cares nobody is going to say anything even if the other pupils were aware of her deceitful lies they don't want to get involved.

Khadra threatened me and said she was going to make me pay for what I did to her, but this was what she wanted all those smiles where not a kind person's smiles they were a bully's mocking smiles. The other girls joined her and they started verbal bullying so I moved to another corner that was far from them until the Ma'alin came and we recited the Quran. After the Madrasa was over we all went to our homes it was almost noon I walked with a next door neighbor called Yurub along with Khadra and her bully minions, Khadra came to me and asked. Why did you made me trip over when we were in the Madrasa?

Why did I? before why the question is .Did I made  her trip over? well, I'm not usually the kind of person who argues when I know the person did what they did intentionally/What is there to argue with her now. I stayed silent because that is what I used to do back then, when she didn't get an answer she grabbed the back of my hijab where a thick knot of my hair were and forcefully threw me on the dusty ground, I stood up still silent and undusted my clothes because it was the best way because arguing with her will only give her opportunities to carry more bullying and well her little bully minions were laughing and mocking me calling me coward but I still smiled and went by.
Yurub the next door neighbor stood up for me and told Khadra to leave me alone because she was not going to give up her bully she thought she found the right person to practice bullying before Khadra said a word her minions were all over Yurub and since Yurub was the tallest in the class they could not reach her head so they pulled her hijab from left to right and from right to left and Yurub pleaded me to help her but I didn't know what to do its not that I was afraid of them but I never went to fight to a human being I didn't how to approach someone, how to punch or kick or even slap that was to me for adults only, not after I saw what those siblings have done to an innocent boy once, one day the the siblings were late and there was also a new pupil a bit younger than the kabiir and he seemed to be new to class because we have not seen him before and since the kabiir was late he must have took the duty himself. When the kabiir, Khadra and the other siblings came to the class the kabiir confronted the boy asking him who gave him the permission to be a kabiir. Abdirahman was as arrogant and stupid as his sister was and he was also bully although he was much older than the pupils he bullied his peers. there was a heated argument and the boys stepped outside to wrestle however Abdirahman was older and stronger so he won the fight but he kept beating the boy so badly and although he won the wrestling his stupid siblings were also beating the boy too, and he was screaming for help as we all stood in the front of the Madrasa watching like as if it was a wrestling ring, nobody wanted to get involved in the fight its not because their teacher might think they were aiding the kabiir but also nobody wanted to get in the siblings way, it felt like the new pupil's fate put him in the mouths of four tigers to share his flesh and eat him alive. I have never seen the boy again and Abdirahmaan did not get punished by the Ma'alin. Of  course I feared that if I said or fought back I would be like that boy we were over 40 pupils and none stood up for him even if Abdirahmaan was too old for us to stop  nobody stopped the other siblings from beating him too he was  one against four and I didn't want to be in that position I would rather be silent the bullies might eventually get bored and find someone new to bully.

I didn't say anything about the incident to my grandmother its not that I didn't think it was not that important it was because she will be yelling at me and blaming me for not fighting back or for not speaking up for myself. What is the point then if I'm going to be yelled and called coward by my own family. However Yurub broke the news to grandma which she did as I expected and after she finished her hurtful words she asked Yurub to take her to her Khadra's home and apparently my grandma humiliated me in front of my bully telling her what she wanted to hear. Grandma told Khadra's mother. My granddaughter just came from nomad, she doesn't know how to fight she is just a mere shep-herder who knows nothing about city live. Well thank you grandma because this is why Khadra targeted me at the beginning and its why she doesn't want to give up bullying me even thought my grandma reported her to her mother and also to the Ma'alin Khadra continued her bully.

Another day I was alone walking in the neighborhood looking  for our  strayed goat when Khadra came out of thin air she was on her way to return borrowed shoes, when she saw me walking she came straight to me and without saying a word she started  a whole lot of punches,kicks,slaps and pulling, I didn't lift a finger to defend myself so when she got tired she left on her own will. I keep asking myself why would she do beat me without giving me a reason. Was I paying for reporting her bullies to her mother. well if that is the case then thank you grandma again for this too, but this one is a secret I only carry now.

The boys in the Madrasa also bullied my cousin too its kind of my fault because I told him to disobey the kabiir by saying Ala mayee awoowow its a kind of a joke word that tells the commander that you disobeyed him instead of responding (yes sir) when he orders you to shut up or do something, after he said ala mayee awoowow the boys laughed and called him awoowow (grandpa) I felt guilt for that but also it helped me because when the boys bullied my cousin and called him awoowe he hated it and he throw insults  also he threw stones at them which did not end well, after that grandma changed our Madrasa and we never saw the bully Khadra and her minions.

The new Madrasa was very small smaller than one bedroom it was a small corrugated iron sheet room with one tiny window and a door, this Ma'alin didn't have a kabiir or needed one because he was in the room from the opening to the closing  for a while my cousin and I attended the Madrasa in the mornings but later transferred to afternoon with the older women this Ma'alin was a busy man he taught children in the mornings and afternoons also at early afternoon he taught women the subjects were always the same Qran and arabic alphabets, however the Ma'alin was paid one month to teach me how to read and write somali language and that where I learned it from.

During one of our regular afternoon ladies class time I came to the class before the Ma'alin come. we set up and class and divide the room with a large curtain so the Ma'alin can sit the other side of the room behind the curtain that day when I came to the class there was a fight between two of the lady students one was Hayat and the other was Saynab apparently they were fighting because the previous day Hayat lost her notebook and when she asked the students if they saw a notebook Saynab gave the book to her with a smile but Hayat didn't notice anything, after Hyat went to her home and tried to read some of verses of the Quran that was written in the notebook for her because she was a slow learner and basic and needed to learn how to read Quran alphabetically until she masters it.

Hayat's notebook was written some nasty words saying that she is such and such slut, the culprit who wrote the book swore they saw Hayat doing what she is being accused of in fact the culprit didn't see anything but she is being a jerk, mean and stupid. But who is it? So Hayat suspects the reason that Saynab was smiling yesterday when she gave the book to her was because she wrote those nasty insults and confronted with her which ended with a physical fight. 

The Ma'alin arrived shortly while the heating was still ongoing, he asked what is going on. in which Hayat passed the page of the notebook to him telling him this will tell you what happened after he read the book he asked us who wrote it but nobody claimed it so he conducted a test to find the real culprit. he asked  Hayat to give the list of the ladies that were sitting close to her and when she did he asked us each to write an alphabet letter one that he picked up himself and we wrote as he asked us to. When it was my turn he asked me to write the letter K and I did. As soon as I passed the sheet under the curtain he threw me killer questions like. Why did you write those bad things on Hayat's notebook? What made you do it? Why? and what?. I admit I was scarred its scary to be accused to what you have not done and for me its what I hate the most, I told him it was not me, I didn't write any book sir. I was told that I don't need to defend myself because my own hand writing is proof enough to convict me to writing that nasty words on Hayat's notebook and he would not leave me alone with his killer questions of Why? and what? I felt powerless, I have told him its not me and I wrote no book but he won't believe me and he was acting like as if I was some kind of lowlife who would do something like that.

I went home to see if grandma could settle things and I knew it would not help that much unless someone come forward and claim that they wrote the letter but I still had to try he would listen to grandma better however as usual my grandma was the kind of person who would humiliate and embarrass me while trying to help me and instead of settling things down with the Ma'alin she told him I'm ready to cut Asma into two piece if she is the culprit but all I need is an eyewitness. Well this was even worse to me because I needed her to be my side not to side with everyone so once again I had no one to be my side and help me get through the worst day ever.

And my biggest fear was what if the real culprit who wrote the book come out as my witness and accuse me of writing the book and then the case would be simply closed and grandma will be doing her turn to do and say more hurtful things because I already had enough of it fortunately that didn't happen Saynab's sister Asad had a brilliant idea and told my grandma to ask the Ma'alin to do more tests and test all of the lady students not just only those who were sitting close to Hayat and he did but still no luck. But what about those who are absent today? nobody was aware that someone was absent. Then the Ma'alin dug an old case about during my morning class that was almost a year ago well he had a good memory anyway. The letter was writen by a girl named Hamdi and the mastermind was another named Nimo. Nimo wanted to pass probably a love letter to couple big boys that were sitting in the opposite corner of the room however she didn't write it herself instead she asked Hamdi to write and begged her to write it after Hamdi finished Nimo then again asked Hamdi to pass the letter which Hamdi refused and said I wrote the letter as you begged me to now either you pass it  yourself or I'm going to tear it, Nimo then asked a little boy sitting in the middle of the room please give this to those boys. Pointing her forefinger to a tall skinny guy along with a chubby short one but the kid was too smart and knew something was not right passing love letters in a Madrasa was wrong and he called the Ma'alin using his loudest voice Ma'alin I have a letter given to me by that girl. Pointing his finger to Nimo. He continued, Ma'alin she asked me to pass it to those boys pointing his finger to the big boys in which the Ma'alin asked him to give the letter in him instead so the love letter ended up in the wrong hands.

Now the girls started to argue Nimo trying to pin the letter to Hamdi and Hamdi defending herself by saying. The Ma'alin said if someone pleads you to do something in the name of Allah then do it for them and since you pleaded in the name of Allah I'll tell the Ma'alin that and another girl Hani saying. the letter was written with my pen so I'll  ask the Ma'alin if I share the sin for borrowing my pen however the Ma'alin talked to only Nimo and told her not to write letters in the Madrasa.

But the question is why did the Ma'alin bring back this old love letter and accused me of writing it too? He told my grandma and all the lady students in the class that I wrote a letter to some boys in the madrasa long time ago. Well if his memory were that good to remember the letter why are not they they good enough to remember who wrote it? Was he doing this to end the case and convince everyone I did it or was he simply just confused and forgot who wrote it? I can't tell what his intentions were but I didn't say anything about the old letter not while I'm still the accused suspect proven by one letter that matched those on the notebook. The class was almost an end and my grandma still didn't have an eyewitness nor the Ma'alin have other suspects or proof and the things were not bearing any fruits.

But ten minutes before the class was supposed to end there came the only one lady who was absent during the day, I was sitting in front of the Madrasa ashamed to look anyone because of the unfair accusations and heated questions from the 

Ma'alin burying my head  down on my knees and grandma sitting near still waiting a mysterious eyewitness to stand up and say. Oh Asma is the culprit, I saw her write Hayat's book yesterday. Fortunately someone finally broke the long day silence. It was Samira the only eyewitness who saw when Hayat is book was written and knew who did it but she stayed silent. The reason is that the real culprit was Nimo who was absent all this time but come to the class ten minutes before the end and Samira understandably feared if she accused Nimo while she is away things may not go well for her. 

So Samira calls the teacher and says. Ma'alin I know who wrote Hayat's book.

Ma'alin. Who was it? Speak up.

Samira. It was Nimo.

Ma'alin. Both of you step outside.

The Ma'alin, Nimo and Samira joined me and grandma in front of the Madrasa and the Ma'alin asked. Nimo. Is it true? but Nimo claimed Samira and she wrote it together however Samira denied any involvement and now the culprit was only Nimo. Apparently Nimo and I were not only friends but also we shared same hand writing. I admit that was good to know.

At the end of the day the Ma'alin just apologized with a lame excuse that because my handwriting matched Nimo's that it was unlikely his fault that I went through the terrible day filled with false accusations, humiliations. embarrassments and killer questions that I had no answers for.

I was not even relived when the real writer was found all I felt was anger and frustration because I have been crying and sitting in front of the Madrasa more than  two hours with no support, comfort and treated like as if I was invisible and couldn't feel hurt at all. I told my grandma that I didn't write the love letter that I was being unreasonably accused of and the next day she took Hamdi to the Ma'alin as a witness that I didn't write that letter either, I still felt no relieve all I wanted was to punch him in the face.