From:

To:
Date:

Amena Jamali
Daniel Cummings
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 SLA
On my iPhone
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

Daniel Cummings
Amena Jamali
Re:
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. Cummings
Sent from my iPad
On 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

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 sectwhich 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

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

Amena Jamali
Daniel Cummings
Re:
Thursday, October 01, 2015 8:04:23 PM

Dear Mr. Cummings,

Nice to know the feeling is mutual- I'll never forget Mac, and Mac has not yet forgotten me.
And you haven't either. I've heard about that picture... Like I said, as soon as I can, I need to
come visit. I will certainly let you know about my leader's visit. Just as an approximation, it
will probably be after Oct. 25. He will come to Houston first probably.
As for the letter, it was my requirement and my pleasure. It is said in Islam that expressing
gratitude is essential to receiving future blessings. I'm glad you're probably smiling.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone
On Oct 1, 2015, at 7:36 PM, Daniel Cummings <dacummings@irvingisd.net> wrote:
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. Cummings
Sent from my iPad
On 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
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 sectwhich 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 SLA
On my iPhone
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

Amena Jamali
Chad Smith
Re: RE:
Thursday, September 17, 2015 11:03:19 AM

I didn't mean that at all- I wouldn't expect you to tell me those sort of things. I just feel bad
that our school is getting national attention for something it doesn't deserve. After all, this is
the school that I would say taught me to not be afraid of being Muslim. The teachers at Mac,
like you and Mr. Dollar, and Mr. Cummings supported me in every way you could for prayer
and religious events and everything like that. I can never thank Mac enough for that. Mac is
the reason I no longer feel ashamed in any way of my dress or my need to pray at school.
There was an unfortunate incident on one day, but Mac nurtured me for four years. This is not
fair.
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone
On Sep 17, 2015, at 7:41 AM, Chad Smith <chsmith@irvingisd.net> wrote:
This is our Mac. Apparently, the media has only one side of the story, and our
administration cant tell the rest of the story because of privacy protections. It is a sad,
challenging situation. I cant talk about it much though, in interest of following district
media policy, after all, I am an employee.

I cant wait to hear about your adventures.

Chad Smith
AP World History
UIL MacAdemics
MacArthur High School
chsmith@irvingisd.net
Twitter: @MrAwesome109
Room 109

From: Amena Jamali [mailto:

Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 2:10 PM
To: Chad Smith
Subject:

Wait is this our Mac?

http://theweek.com/speedreads/577442/texas-high-school-student-arrestedsuspended-after-bringing-homemade-clock-school

Sorry I've been out of touch. I'm soon going to send you a long email that details
all of my new adventures. It's just that I am very very busy this week with tests
and essays in every class.
Amena Jamali

"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA

On my iPhone

From:
To:
Subject:
Date:

Amena Jamali
Chad Smith
Re: RE:
Thursday, September 17, 2015 3:50:56 PM

I was anyway going to write a letter to Mr. Cummings. I'll ask my parents about the Dallas
morning news. This is something that I know I have a chance to do something about.
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone
On Sep 17, 2015, at 11:26 AM, Chad Smith <chsmith@irvingisd.net> wrote:
I honestly wish you would write a letter to the Dallas morning news.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 17, 2015, at 11:03 AM, Amena Jamali
<mailto
>> wrote:
I didn't mean that at all- I wouldn't expect you to tell me those sort of things. I just
feel bad that our school is getting national attention for something it doesn't
deserve. After all, this is the school that I would say taught me to not be afraid of
being Muslim. The teachers at Mac, like you and Mr. Dollar, and Mr. Cummings
supported me in every way you could for prayer and religious events and
everything like that. I can never thank Mac enough for that. Mac is the reason I
no longer feel ashamed in any way of my dress or my need to pray at school.
There was an unfortunate incident on one day, but Mac nurtured me for four
years. This is not fair.
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone
On Sep 17, 2015, at 7:41 AM, Chad Smith
<chsmith@irvingisd.net<mailto:chsmith@irvingisd.net>> wrote:
This is our Mac. Apparently, the media has only one side of the story, and our
administration can't tell the rest of the story because of privacy protections. It is a
sad, challenging situation. I can't talk about it much though, in interest of
following district media policy, after all, I am an employee.
I can't wait to hear about your adventures.
Chad Smith
AP World History
UIL MacAdemics
MacArthur High School
chsmith@irvingisd.net<mailto:chsmith@irvingisd.net>
Twitter: @MrAwesome109
Room 109
From: Amena Jamali [mailto:
]
Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 2:10 PM
To: Chad Smith
Subject:

Wait is this our Mac?

http://theweek.com/speedreads/577442/texas-high-school-student-arrestedsuspended-after-bringing-homemade-clock-school
Sorry I've been out of touch. I'm soon going to send you a long email that details
all of my new adventures. It's just that I am very very busy this week with tests
and essays in every class.
Amena Jamali
"Love of the country is part of the religion." -Rasulilah SLA
On my iPhone