A delicate question

Kwame: It's too bad you don't like soccer, Driss. Ajax is playing tonight.

Sarah: Horrible, I just don't understand what you like about a match where supporters are such racists.

Kwame: Racists?

Sarah: Didn't you hear them hissing.

Kwame: Hissing?

Sarah: Yeah, hissing like: "Hamas, Hamas, all the Jews on the..."

Driss: That is why I never go to a match.

Sarah: Last week it was shouted in the classroom. I didn't feel very comfortable with that.

Kwame: How did the teacher react?

Sarah: He didn't. He pretended he didn't hear anything.

Kwame: That's ridiculous!

Sarah: It doesn't always happen. The social studies teacher is brave enough to say something about it.

Kwame: What do you mean by brave?

Sarah: I notice that there are fierce discussions and most pupils think strongly about the Palestinian -Israeli question. Immediately everybody has his or her opinion ready. I think you must be more than a little courageous to discuss that question during a lesson. Hey, there he is, let's find out what he thinks this.

Kwame: Hello, Sir.

Teacher: Hello, Kwame, are you enjoying your break?

Sarah: Sir, what do you think of this? Last week there was hissing during a lesson and someone shouted 'Hamas, hamas all the Jews...'. The teacher didn't do anything. Can he just let this happen?

Teacher: No of course he can't. I can imagine it's pretty difficult but as a teacher you always have to say something about this kind of thing.

Sarah: I really think that those pupils are racists.

Teacher: Ah, it's not that simple.

Driss: No, they're not racists, they anti-Semites. You know, people who are against Jews.

Teacher: No that's not what I mean. You are right by calling it anti-Semitism. But I think you can't judge those pupils so quickly. Mostly they don't understand what they're saying and they copy other people's behaviour. Or they just like to provoke other people.

Sarah: But then I think it's very wrong anyway. Especially because this teacher did nothing while he must have heard exactly what they were saying.

Teacher: I hear from a lot of colleagues that they find it difficult to lead that kind of discussion in the right way. They don't think it's their job and they think it belongs to lessons like social studies. I don't agree with them, especially when pupils make that kind of remark. Every teacher ought to say something about it.

Driss: Basically you should always say something about it. But at home I don't get involved in these discussions any more. There are always those remarks about the Americans and the Israelis!!

Teacher: So, what do you hear?

Driss: Well, what the Germans did to the Jews, that they are doing exactly the same thing to the Palestinians.

Kwame: Yet it's the Muslims that are causing all the trouble.

Teacher: That's what I mean. The holocaust and the Middle-East question are two totally different things. The discussion becomes chaotic this way and nobody understands anything about it.

Kwame: What does holocaust mean?

Sarah: Don't you even know that???

Driss: Look, that's why I don't want to discuss these things. Immediately, you're an anti-Semite.

Sarah: That's not what I meant.

Teacher: I can imagine that Kwame doesn't understand the meaning of the word holocaust. It's about the massive murder on the Jews during the Second World War.

Kwame: I know that. I just don't understand the meaning of the word holocaust. And when I ask a question like that, it doesn't make me an anti-Semite, does it?

Teacher: No Kwame, but it's a very delicate question in the Netherlands.

Kwame: But then all the more reason why I have to ask these questions so I can figure things out.

Teacher: That's true Kwame, asking questions is a good thing to do. Maybe we should talk further another time. Now I have to go. (teacher walks away)