http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/living/education/3611010.htm Posted on Sat, Jul. 06, 2002 Byron district's lessons on Islam prompt lawsuit Christian law firm says that simulation exercises violated the Constitution By Kelli A. Phillips A Christian law firm is suing the Byron Union School District alleging that it violated the Constitution by teaching the Islamic religion to students. The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco federal court June 24 by the Thomas More Center for Law and Justice based in Ann Arbor, Mich., on behalf of a family from Byron and another from Discovery Bay. The controversial world history lessons occurred at Excelsior School over a three-week period in October 2001. In a seventh-grade class, students reportedly were required to participate in various simulation exercises, including selecting a Muslim name, wearing traditional Muslim clothing, memorizing Islamic prayers and playing a dice game, which acted out a "jihad," or holy war. Articles on the Internet and talk radio programs fueled the controversy last fall, bringing national attention to the 1,149-student district in East Contra Costa County. On Wednesday, Byron Superintendent Peggy Green said the district had yet to receive a copy of the lawsuit and was surprised by the action. "I don't know where (Thomas More) found the parents, because they've never appealed to us," she said. Richard Thompson, executive director and chief counsel for Thomas More, said the Byron district went far beyond what is acceptable in teaching religion in a public school. The nonprofit law firm specializes in religious issues. "Is this education or indoctrination? You can teach about religion, but you can't cross the line and promote one religion over another," he said. "The textbook and simulation workbook used in Byron and many schools in California crossed way over the constitutional line in regard to religion." While Thompson said many schools statewide use the same seventh-grade history textbook, "Across the Centuries," published by Houghton Mifflin, the suit named only the Byron district because there were parents willing to be plaintiffs. The two families could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The lawsuit asks that the court declare that the Byron district violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment concerning separation of church and state, to bar the district from funding and implementing the Islam simulation portion of the curriculum and to award the plaintiffs monetary damages and legal fees. Guidelines from the California Department of Education's Web site include in its seventh-grade world history curriculum lessons on Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. While Green hadn't read the allegations in the lawsuit, she said she stood by her statements earlier in the year. In a January press release, Green said the district is "not teaching religion," but instead "teaching the California state-mandated standards with state-adopted text books." She also said the district had no plans to stop using "Across the Centuries" because it is the only state-approved history textbook for seventh-graders. Thompson said the problem with Byron's lesson on Muslims and Islam was that it was the only one that used simulation exercises. "Our view is that this was an indoctrination; these students were coerced to be part of this to get a good grade," he said. The lawsuit also states that besides wearing a Muslim name around their necks, students were required to learn Islam's Five Pillars of Faith and imitate a requirement of each of those tenets. For instance, the imitation for the fasting of Ramadan asked students to skip a snack or lunch. "The Supreme Court says there's to be no school prayer, no talk of the Bible and no Lord's Prayer in public schools," Thompson said. "Yet in California, they're doing a lot more than that with the Islamic religion." "If it's OK to teach Islam, then it should be OK to teach Christianity."
Nevermind, don't want to start a debate...some people don't get sarcasm on this board. Let me just say I'm just as against this as I am people being forced to say the Pledge or being forced to pray, etc.
This is too funny They act like christianity is taught in school The Christmas Play anyone????? Or maybe the Easter programs??? Rocket River
We were required to read the Bible for school. How is that different? I think children should be able to be exposed to different religions in schools, but perhaps more equal time should be given to each religion. And as a side note, children have no rights. A person is not emancipated until he/she is 18. Children have to be taught somewhere and more and more parents are not doing it at home. If a parent does not want his/her child to be swayed by different teachings at school (whether it be religion or anything in life) then teach them differently or home school them.
OK, that's what I thought you were referring to, but I still don't get it. I'm guessing that most people who are against the forced recital of the Pledge is also against this. I'll go ahead and make the assumption that the same people who brought the lawsuit wouldn't mind it if they were teaching Christianity.
Because the ACLU wasn't approached by a family to sue doesn't mean they support this. The ACLU has fought for students who were forced to take the <B>edit</B>Star of David off at school. The families in this were probably just has misinformed as you and thought that the ACLU wouldn't take this case. I guarantee you they would have.
As someone who heavily favors the seperation of church and state, I think the teacher overstepped the bounds of that seperation with the extensiveness of the exercise. Reading the Quran would be an acceptable way to learn about another culture (as someone pointed out, they read the Bible in school - probably in English class). However, being forced to take on an Islamic name, picking a small portion of an Islamic tradition to practice and memorizing Islamic prayers are all too much. The teacher is in the wrong, and the courts will rule in that manner. This one is pretty cut and dry considering the precedent. Not to mention that the case is out of California - the same circuit where the recent Pledge case was ruled.
Geeeeez, ours courts have more important things to do than answer all these silly lawsuits from people who want publicity for their causes. Frankly, I could not care less if one public school system decides to change the Pledge, or another teaches Islam for a week. Can't the parents in those districts go to a PTA meeting and settle these issues in that forum? Why do the Federal courts, and my tax dollars, need to be dragged into this??
I agree wholeheartedly tbagain. If you don't want your child saying the Pledge, having to hear it, or being ridiculed for not saying it, then go to the school. Discuss with the teacher, principal, superintindent, other parents, etc. If you don't feel like you've gotten anywhere, then you should discuss legal action, but not until then, IMO.
On a slightly different note, what's the deal with having the students acting out a Jihad? I was under the impression that was not really so much a part of the Muslim religion. Do they act out killing abortion doctors when they learn about Christianity? But maybe I'm just misunderstanding.
Seems I'm in the minority here (and I usually am) but I'm glad the school put such an emphasis on Islam in their curriculum. Granted, some of the particular exercises like playing Jihad are a bit peculiar, but most of them are pretty harmless. Even if you think Islam is the work of the devil, is wearing a turban and calling yourself Mohammed for a little while really some sort of religious oppression? More than anything else, I think the American public (and private, for that matter) educational system completely neglects the study of religion. I'm talking here about education, not indoctrination. When I went to college, I knew nothing about Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and even Christianity. I now know a great deal about Christianity and Judaism and more than I did about the others, but my ignorance on the other religions is disgraceful. And, from conversations I've had, it seems my knowledge is actually above average. Such a lack of education is not good in any subject and leaves people defenseless to the very indoctrination educators are told to avoid. Does Islam teach women don't have souls? I don't know, but I've been told that. Can you be gay and Christian at the same time? Yes, but people won't tell you that. If we take a step back here (ignore for the moment the church/state issue), look at the situation and ask ourselves, "Is this education or indoctrination?" I think the answer is fairly clear. They are trying to teach their students what it is like to be Muslim. There is no indication they are teaching the students to be Muslim. As for the lawsuit, I think it is: 1. Baseless. The parents did not try to address the issue with the school before bringing suit. 2. Detrimental to their own children's education. The lawsuit will freeze any sort of attempt to teach anything associated with any religion. As a result, there will be huge holes in the children's education. In history, how do you explain the growth of Islam or the Cromwell revolution without a serious discussion of the religions that drove them? 3. Detrimental to religious harmony in the country. Not learning the real, valid essential natures of the world's religions are going to leave these children prey to whatever slanders may circulate about other faiths. Not knowing better, they themselves will repeat these slanders. Or, hearing slander about their own religion, they will feel misunderstood and alienated by the slanderers, increasing the mutual hostility.
