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From:

Amena Jamali

To:

Daniel Cummings

Date:

Thursday, October 01, 2015 6:49:19 PM

Dear Mr. Cummings:I am sorry that I took so long in writing this letter to you- I've had a lot of reading to do in college. Though I have to say, I really love UD. I heard about what happened on Sep. 11 a few weeks, and I want to express something I think I should have told you long before I graduated: I don't care what anyone else says, but Mac is the reason I am so openly proud of my religion and heritage today. I still remember that when I entered high school, I still feared being known as Muslim and asking for prayer space, and I felt self conscious and out of place in my dress. Indeed, one of the reasons I joined JROTC was because I wanted to feel more like I belonged in my own country. But all of that changed because of Mac. With the encouragement and understanding and curiosity of all my teachers and all the administrators, whomever I encountered, I found that all of those presumptions about not belonging are not true. True, there are always people with prejudice, but Mac is a place where there is no or very little prejudice. From Mr. Danby who was the first person to tell me to come to him if someone ever bullied me for my dress (and NO one ever did) to Mr. Dollar who stopped and waited for me to pray at so many UIL events, everyone at Mac taught me that I should be proud of being Muslim and that I can contribute to society WITH the uniqueness of my background, not in spite of. The names are too numerous for one email, and some names I do not even know, so I just mentioned those two teachers, but I can say that everyone has always supported me. It was at Mac that I learned that I shouldn't be afraid or embarrassed of needing to pray or of my dietary needs or of anything else. I mean, Mac IS the school, along with Irving ISD as a whole, that granted the students of my religious community, including me, two weeks every year to attend a religious ceremony. Among these illustrious people, YOU are the one who looked at my academic record, talked to my father, and did the unthinkable: you gave me the chance to take a whole month of school off and go for Haj yet not have to worry about APV when I get back. And then you were also the one who cared enough to ask later how it all went and took time out of your busy schedule to talk to me. See, Mac is actually the place where I feel respected as a Muslim, so all this stuff in the media that blows the one incidence into a general presumption about Irving ISD affects me personally. Mac is the reason that I do not fear prejudice as I'm going to a Catholic university, wearing my religious dress, and praying on campus. I learned at Mac that there are people in this world who are better than those spotlighted for their prejudice. I learned many things at Mac, and the most precious among them is the knowledge that I have the right to be proud of who I am, religiously and in other ways as well. I don't know very much about what happened that day last month, but it was ONE day, and I here cite four YEARS of respect, kindness, and love specifically at MacArthur High School and twelve such years in Irving ISD as a whole. And there are others that I know that could claim something similar. So, on this holy day (Today is a holy day in my sect- which I also have gotten leave for before in Irving ISD, if not specifically at Mac), I express my gratitude for all MacArthur High School has done for me, especially in regards towards teaching me respect for my own identity.

So, Mr. Cummings, I hope all this writing above brightens your day, because I really do mean it. Please use my words as you wish- I am not ashamed of my gratitude, nor do I wish it to be a private matter. Indeed, if you think it's okay, I would like to write a letter to the Dallas Morning News expressing the same sentiment- I really do think it's unfair that such a great school (the best in the world) is spoken of so poorly for a single day, when there were so many more amazing days. I also have something I'd like to ask you- my religious leader, of whom I've spoken much to you, His Holiness Dr. Syedna Aaliqadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS, may just be coming to Irving later this month or at the beginning of the next, and, if it's okay with you and Dr. Parra, I'd like to let you know about meeting him or at least coming to the public welcoming ceremony we will be sure to have. The date is still not set, and I still need to arrange your attendance with the local leader, a family friend, if you do decide to come. But I do think you would probably be welcome- I mean you do teach and have taught quite a few of His Holiness' young followers. It's a sort of once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I think you would enjoy it. I should also add that I think Mac overdid its job preparing me for college- I'm not sure whether this is overconfidence, but I think my junior and senior years may have been way more difficult and nerve-wracking than my first semester of college in true comparison. I just really miss Gradespeed. And I love UD- thanks for helping me with that decision as well. Oh, also, I've been meaning to come and visit, but I'm afraid I have to wait a bit- I have no car currently, and I'm about to step into the great make-up work pool awaiting me as this year's religious ceremony (which is going to be in Houston!) approaches. But I do honestly miss Mac and everyone there. Sorry about the really long letter. Thank you for your time and reading strain. With much gratitude and loving respect,

Amena Jamali

the Muslim female who was, by the way, the valedictorian of MacArthur High School's Class of 2015"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLAOn my iPhone

Amena Jamali

"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLAOn my iPhone

From:

Daniel Cummings

To:

Amena Jamali

Subject:

Re:

Date:

Thursday, October 01, 2015 7:36:15 PM

Dear Amena,There is absolutely no way that I can express in words my gratitude and appreciation for your incredibly moving e-mail. It's scholars like you that make me a better administrator and person.I have often thought about you and wondered how you are doing. I'm excited to hear that you are doing so well. You made an everlasting imprint on me and every single person that you came in contact with during your attendance at MAC. I greatly admire your confidence, intelligence, and success! Your picture is still proudly displayed on the wall at the front of the building.Please let me know when your religious leader will be in Irving. I would be honored to meet him and see you, again.Sincerely,Mr. CummingsSent from my iPadOn Oct 1, 2015, at 6:49 PM, Amena Jamali > wrote:Dear Mr. Cummings:I am sorry that I took so long in writing this letter to you- I've had a lot of reading to do in college. Though I have to say, I really love UD. I heard about what happened on Sep. 11 a few weeks, and I want to express something I think I should have told you long before I graduated: I don't care what anyone else says, but Mac is the reason I am so openly proud of my religion and heritage today. I still remember that when I entered high school, I still feared being known as Muslim and asking for prayer space, and I felt self conscious and out of place in my dress. Indeed, one of the reasons I joined JROTC was because I wanted to feel more like I belonged in my own country. But all of that changed because of Mac. With the encouragement and understanding and curiosity of all my teachers and all the administrators, whomever I encountered, I found that all of those presumptions about not belonging are not true. True, there are always people with prejudice, but Mac is a place where there is no or very little prejudice. From Mr. Danby who was the first person to tell me to come to him if someone ever bullied me for my dress (and NO one ever did) to Mr. Dollar who stopped and waited for me to pray at so many UIL events, everyone at Mac taught me that I should be proud of being Muslim and that I can contribute to society WITH the uniqueness of my background, not in spite of. The names are too numerous for one email, and some names I do not even know, so I just mentioned those two teachers, but I can say that everyone has always