Equality and Discrimination

Learning Objective:
- Recognize that we are all equal and deserve the same rights and treatment.
- Understand what discrimination means
- Understand that it is wrong to think one group of people are better than another.

Quran Verse: 
la yaskhar
Let not one community make fun of another community Surah Hujurat 49:11

The Quran teaches us that we are all children of the same parents, Adam and Hawwa and created from the same earth. Allah has created humans into many nations, communities, races and colours. But one nation or race can not claim they are better than others. As human beings we are the same and it is only our faith and actions that make us better or worse before Allah. 

Yet within society, people don’t always get along, and sometimes we forget that it is other people’s differences that make them unique and special. We often look down on people as we believe that they are lesser than us in some way. Allah tells us in the Qur’an, u’diluw, be just and always act fairly. Allah teaches us that every member of society is equal and deserves the same rights, treatment and respect from others. 

The opposite of equality is discrimination. Discrimination is when someone is treated differently or unfairly based on a variety of things such as their beliefs, their skin colour, or even whether they are a boy or girl. This is completely wrong.

In Surah Hujurat, Allah warns those who discriminate against and make fun of others. Some people think that they are better than others because they are fairer in skin colour or because of where they were born. They use these false beliefs to cause anger and hatred between communities. History is full of examples of one group of people depriving another of its basic human rights.

Activities:

Diversity
A Beautiful World of Colours

We're All Wonders

What's Inside Counts

Surah Al Hujurat 49

Rosa Parks

Resources:

Equality Lesson: God Is Just

Teach about Black History Month by Noor Kids

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A Beautiful World Of Colours.

Learning Objective: 
- To know that Allah created us all in different shades and colours
- Working together helps us to create more beauty!

Quran Verse:
Among His signs is the difference of your languages and colours Surah Rum 30:22

Activity: A Beautiful World 
Allah made us all a different shade and colour. No one colour is better than another. By mixing and working together, we can create a brighter more beautiful world!

1. Divide a paper plate into six sections.
2. Squeeze the colours red, yellow and blue into alternating sections.
3. Have the child dab their paintbrush into red and paint onto the section inbetween. Wash the paintbrush and dab the brush into the yellow paint.
4. Add the yellow to the red, mix together and watch it create orange.
5. Continue in the same way creating green by mixing blue and yellow and purple by mixing red and blue. Don’t forget to wash the paintbrush each time!

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Diversity

Learning Objective:

- To understand how our differences make us unique and help us to learn about each other

- Inside we are all the same beautiful creations of Allah

- We can not judge a person from their outside appearance

- To Allah the goodness of your heart is more important than the outside appearance

Quran Verse:

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Surah Hujurat 49:13

Allah created each of us different on the outside and that is what makes us unique with different hair, different skin colour, different language, culture and interests. We are all wonderful creations of the most amazing artist! Allah tells us in the Quran 49:13 that He ‘made us into nations and tribes, so that we may know one another’. Our differences help us to learn interesting and beautiful things about each other. It would be so boring if we were all the same!

To Allah it doesn’t matter what we look like. As human beings we are all the same. Allah teaches us in the same Quran verse that it is only our faith and actions that make us better or worse before Him. He only cares if our heart inside is full of goodness.

Activity: 

1. Place a white egg and a brown egg in a bowl on the table.

2. What do you notice about the eggs? 

How are they different?

How are they the same?

What do you think each egg looks like inside?

Do you think the brown egg is brown on the inside or the white is white on the inside? 

3. Crack the two eggs.

Are they different on the inside?

When the eggs are cooked together, will you be able to tell which parts of the eggs had the white shell and which had the brown shell? The colour of the outside makes no difference to the appearance or taste of the egg on the inside.

We can not judge a person from their outside appearance. To Allah the goodness of your heart is more important.

See Also:
Lesson: Equality and Discrimination

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We're All Wonders!

Learning Objective:

- To help children look beyond the physical appearance and see the wonder in everyone.

- To appreciate their own good qualities

Our physical appearance is just one part of us. We can't think we know what people are like just because of how they look. Everyone is special and good at something and it's these qualities inside us that make us all unique and wonderful! If we always look with kindness and get to know people for who they really are inside, we'll realise that we're all wonders!

Activity: Circle Time Prompts

Have the children sit in a circle and use the prompts to explore differences and similarities.

Share one thing that you're good at

Share one thing you like about the person to your left

Say one thing about the person next to you that is different from you
What do you love about yourself the most? A talent, skill, behaviour.
How would you feel if someone didn't want to play with you because they said they were different to you?
Share a smile around the circle

Activity: We're All Wonders!
Decorate a cut out figure to resemble the outside appearance. On a second cut out, have the children think of what they are good at and the special qualities they have inside them. Attach both figures with a paper fastener, emphasizing how we must always look beyond what we can see and look for the wonder inside.

Read: We're All Wonders by R. J. Palacio

Activity: Diversity

Activity: What's Inside Counts

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What's Inside Counts!

ACTIVITY: What's Inside Counts
Materials Needed: 
Two gifts, one dull and the other exciting! 
Wrap one in a plain box and the other in a box covered with fancy paper,
bows and ribbons.

Show the two gift boxes. Have the children point out which they would like to choose. Open each to reveal the more exciting present in the plain wrapper!

The wrapping is like our appearance, and the gift inside is like our hearts. To Allah, it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside. It is more important that our heart inside is full of good deeds. 

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