50 teachers, administrators in Pennsylvania learn about Islam, Arabic culture

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Thursday 11 Jun 2015 - 12:06 Makkah mean time-24-8-1436 (Image from WND) Philadelphia, (IINA) - Around 50 teachers and administrators at a Pennsylvania school district attended a recent training session on Islam and Arabic culture, during an all-day in-service workshop, according to the WorldNetDaily (WND) American website news. The workshop in the town of Lebanon was led by a former district Arabic translator Muhammad Omar, a worker for the Department of Human Services in Philadelphia who “took time off from his new job as a case  to share his knowledge of Islam with the staff,” the Lebanon Daily News reported. “I think this is the first time ever in the United States that a school district goes to a mosque,” the mosque's founder Hamid Housni told the Daily News. “Usually a representative of a mosque goes somewhere. We don’t have words to explain to you how we appreciate that. This is very, very special.” The training session included a comparison-contrast of U.S.-Arab education, as well as a visit to a local mosque to learn more about the Islamic religion – and to join in the congregation’s prayer service, the news outlet said. Teachers were given opportunity to ask questions and afterwards, called the event informative.                                                          “It’s important that we educate ourselves about cultures that are different from our own and that we try to eliminate some misunderstandings,” said Lara Book, one of the teachers who attended, EAGNews.org reported. “And any way that I can communicate with my students that makes it more meaningful or easier, it is a vital tool.” Book also said: “Basically, although our cultures are different, the fundamentals of them are similar and we all want the same things, happiness for our families, health, and success. Although we might go about finding those things in our lives differently, from a cultural standpoint, we all want the same thing.” SM/IINA