California Students Must Study Islam

[Kat Kanning]

California Students Must Study Islam

The U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 2 refused to consider an appeal from a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision by parents who objected to their 7th graders being required to take a 3-week course in Islam indoctrination in the California public schools. The pro-school, anti-parent case is Eklund v. Byron Union School District.

The Excelsior public school in Byron, California was teaching 7th graders how to act like Muslims, using a student guide stating, "From the beginning [of this module], you and your classmates will become Muslims."

The students were given Muslim names and told to recite Muslim prayers. They were required to give up things for a day to recognize the Islamic practice of Ramadan, and students said that the teacher gave extra credit for fasting at lunch too. Students were told to recite from the Koran, encouraged to wear Arab clothing, told to pretend they were making a pilgrimage to Mecca, and earned points for using Muslim religious phrases such as one meaning "God is great." For the final exam, the students had to write an essay about Islamic culture. The essay assignment warned students as follows: "BE CAREFUL HERE ? if you do not have something positive to say, don't say anything!!!"

The school district argued for the court's approval of this course in order to give the teachers assurance they would not be sued for teaching about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving or Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.

The Byron school district still continues to make the same instructional materials available for use by teachers. In 2003, this public school received a Distinguished School Award from the California Department of Education, declaring it to be one of the state's "most exemplary and inspiring public schools."

http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/2006/nov06/CA-islam.html

[Minsk]

Just in case the students had not yet figured out that teachers were the enemy, that should neatly drive it home. Show children what living in a theocracy feels like...

Add modules for Judaism and fundamentalist Christianity and the students would wind up opposed to any organized religion. Circulate a little pro-liberty literature and you'd have a good crop of libertarians.

While being a waste of tax money is annoying, I think they're actually doing us a favor

<edit>
Snopes has a quickish discussion of the program and case. I suspect the standards include an unbalanced quantity and slant on Islam, and one school decided to be idiots.
</edit>

[TEBON]

Do they also do a 3 week course in the other religions?  When I was in grade school we did.  I also remember having to take either Russia/East Asia class or Middle East/Africa.  I took the Middle East and Africa, unfortunately, and learned more in depth about Islam.  They didn't make us fast or anything, I'd remember that seeing as I was one to love my lunch.  I also think that learning about the other religions is important, they can do this without living the part.  As for the guidelines for the report. . . they're rubbish. . . there's no need to not include the cons for each religion as well.  In fact, there's no need not to teach science as an alternative to religion. 

[KurtDaBear]

The students should launch a jihad against the teacher, who is probably not a real Moslem and is therefore a fair target.  (Moslems are strong believers in equality and civility.  It's just that those rules do not apply to slaves, women or non-Moslems.)

[Braddogg]

These kids have a pretty firm understanding, through experience, of how Christians practice their faith.  Maybe this is a twofold fear: 1) they may come to understand that Muslims are, well, kinda like them; and 2) that there are lots of crazy belief systems, and maybe Christianity isn't "normal."

[TEBON]

These kids have a pretty firm understanding, through experience, of how Christians practice their faith.  Maybe this is a twofold fear: 1) they may come to understand that Muslims are, well, kinda like them; and 2) that there are lots of crazy belief systems, and maybe Christianity isn't "normal."

blanket statement, just because some or MOST of the kids know about Christianity, doesn't mean all of them do.  Perhaps, instead of telling them about Islam for 3 weeks, perhaps they learn about ALL religions.  Having the kids fast is as worthless to them as it is to the people that practice Islam. 

[Braddogg]

These kids have a pretty firm understanding, through experience, of how Christians practice their faith.  Maybe this is a twofold fear: 1) they may come to understand that Muslims are, well, kinda like them; and 2) that there are lots of crazy belief systems, and maybe Christianity isn't "normal."

blanket statement, just because some or MOST of the kids know about Christianity, doesn't mean all of them do.

That's fair.

Perhaps, instead of telling them about Islam for 3 weeks, perhaps they learn about ALL religions. 

It's not as though the kids are only in school for 3 weeks.  The probably (and the snopes.com article referenced above seems to support this assumption) learn about lots of different cultures at school.

Having the kids fast is as worthless to them as it is to the people that practice Islam. 

Not any more worthless than singing Christmas carols, eating Asian food, hitting a pinata, or playing dreidel.  Cultures can't just be taught, they have to be experienced, or so the pedagogy says.

[TEBON]

These kids have a pretty firm understanding, through experience, of how Christians practice their faith.  Maybe this is a twofold fear: 1) they may come to understand that Muslims are, well, kinda like them; and 2) that there are lots of crazy belief systems, and maybe Christianity isn't "normal."

blanket statement, just because some or MOST of the kids know about Christianity, doesn't mean all of them do.

That's fair.

Perhaps, instead of telling them about Islam for 3 weeks, perhaps they learn about ALL religions. 

It's not as though the kids are only in school for 3 weeks.  The probably (and the snopes.com article referenced above seems to support this assumption) learn about lots of different cultures at school.

Having the kids fast is as worthless to them as it is to the people that practice Islam. 

Not any more worthless than singing Christmas carols, eating Asian food, hitting a pinata, or playing dreidel.  Cultures can't just be taught, they have to be experienced, or so the pedagogy says.

you could be right, I just remember in school those were the worst days when I had to eat with chopsticks and learn about the Sunnis and the Shiites. . . I just remember that those were just more "off days". . .

I too think that Christmas was a worthless holiday until I found its pagan roots.

[Braddogg]

you could be right, I just remember in school those were the worst days when I had to eat with chopsticks and learn about the Sunnis and the Shiites. . . I just remember that those were just more "off days". . .

I too think that Christmas was a worthless holiday until I found its pagan roots.

::shrug::  As long as you're consistent and think that learning about all cultures (except, of course, for the mainstream culture) through experiencing them is wrong to do in schools.

[TEBON]

you could be right, I just remember in school those were the worst days when I had to eat with chopsticks and learn about the Sunnis and the Shiites. . . I just remember that those were just more "off days". . .

I too think that Christmas was a worthless holiday until I found its pagan roots.

::shrug::  As long as you're consistent and think that learning about all cultures (except, of course, for the mainstream culture) through experiencing them is wrong to do in schools.

oh absolutely!  I was born and baptised and raised a Christian, who continually questioned the messiah status of Jesus. . . didn't bode to well for Sunday School.  I choose to not take a side when it comes to educating children on religion, nor do I take all sides. . . I'm more against them all.

[Russell Kanning]

Your tax dollars at work.

[error]

Your tax dollars at work.

Don't look at me, I didn't give these lunatics any money!

This is just one more way California is going straight down the tubes. Get out while you still can.