OPINION:
“Are you confused yet? Good! That means you’ll ask more questions, and that’s how you learn,” our Israeli tour guide said as we stood on the border of Israel’s Green Line, discussing the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I was 19 years old and visiting Israel for the first time with Passages, a Christian organization dedicated to taking Christian students to Israel and mobilizing young people to support the Jewish state on campuses and in communities across the U.S. and to stand up against antisemitism. It was my first time in Israel and my first time in the Middle East.
What I would experience over the next nine days would open my eyes to the realities of this region and lead me to ask this question repeatedly: How could I never have known this?
For most of Generation Z, the extent of our education about the Middle East has been about wars and warnings of how dangerous the region can be. Through experiencing Israel, I saw a region that has seen hardships yet is not defined by its struggle. For the first time, I saw the Middle East in a different light than the history books and news headlines often paint it in.
When students lack an understanding of the Middle East, misinformation takes root. What young people aren’t taught in the classroom is supplemented through social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, which are often filled with hatred and misinformation.
Last fall, Osama bin Laden’s “Letter to America” was trending on TikTok. Young Americans took to the app praising bin Laden’s criticism of the United States’ support of Israel.
TikTok supporters seemed to overlook how bin Laden played a critical role in the worst terrorist attack ever on American soil. A few months after the “Letter to America” trend, college campuses across the country erupted with pro-Palestinian encampments and violent antisemitic incidents.
American college students have praised Hamas and celebrated the attack of last Oct. 7. Demonstrators have targeted Jewish students on campus and chanted “from the river to the sea,” often not knowing which river or which sea they are talking about.
These are just a few examples of how a lack of education about the Middle East leads to hatred and misinformation. It has a direct impact on students, on universities and on society.
When the next generation lacks education about the Middle East, they lack education on a foundational region of society and religion. They lack an understanding of a region that has shaped so much of our daily lives. Their lack of education has direct repercussions on our world today.
When students are educated about this important region of the world, the mystery fades away. I have seen this in myself and in other Passages students.
Passages recently surveyed 150 students about their thoughts on the Israel-Hamas war. These students have traveled to Israel with Passages before. They have visited the Gaza Envelope, met Israelis and Palestinians and been introduced to challenging concepts and perspectives. They prove that young people can reason through difficult topics surrounding the Middle East.
The data concluded that Passages students have a much more significant awareness of the war than students who have not taken a Passages trip.
Ninety-four percent of alumni believe Hamas committed atrocities on Oct. 7. Ninety-two percent believe Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas. Over half of Passages alumni report having weekly conversations with family and peers about Israel. Through experiencing Israel, they are educating those around them.
It is crucial that Gen Z (and everyone else) be properly educated on the Middle East, its history, its significance and its impact on our world. This is not because every person will become a Middle East scholar or a foreign policy expert but because every person will be affected by the Middle East in some way.
Every person in the Western world will encounter someone whose religion began in the Middle East. All three Abrahamic religions began in the Middle East. Judeo-Christian values that influence American society today originated in the Middle East. Important societal infrastructure such as written language, the judicial system and organized religion began in the Middle East.
To better understand the Western world, one must first understand the Middle East. When we deny the next generation a proper education in this region, we are denying them context for the world they live in today.
Yes, the Middle East has experienced wars, terrorism, political division and turmoil. Still, when we skim over this region as too confusing or contentious, we deny the next generation and ourselves the opportunity to understand the world in new ways.
If we don’t educate Gen Z on the Middle East, a social media algorithm will do it for us. This is already happening now, and it has damaging repercussions. We must begin truly educating Gen Z on the Middle East.
So, educate Gen Z on the Middle East. Teach them to think critically. Teach them to wrestle with conflicting ideas and perspectives. Teach them that it is OK to be confused.
Because, as an Israeli living in the Middle East once told me, “That’s how you learn.”
• Avery Chenault works at Passages, a Christian organization dedicated to taking Christian students to Israel and mobilizing young people to support the Jewish state on campuses and in communities across the U.S. and to stand up against antisemitism.
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