| FrontPageMag.com | By Robert Spencer | By Hugh Fitzgerald | Books | Jihad Watch | Islam 101 | Qur'an Blog | Raymond Ibrahim | Robert Spencer |  |
|
|
|||||||||||
|
|
What other religious tradition gets this kind of treatment in American public schools? Discussing "accommodations that schools can make to enable Muslim students to observe the holiday?" If they were discussing ways that the schools could help their Catholic students observe Lent, do you think it would take longer than a nanosecond for them to hear from the ACLU? From the Religion News Service, with thanks to LGF:
During the next few weeks, multicultural trainer Afeefa Syeed will bring third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students from a Muslim academy in Herndon, Va., to nearby public schools to share the practices and beliefs of their holiest month, Ramadan.Syeed and the children will present the call to prayer in Arabic, display prayer rugs and offer tastes of dates. In countless other classrooms across the country, similar efforts will be made to educate students about the time of fasting and spiritual reflection for adherents of the world's second-largest religion.
Ramadan, which likely will begin Oct. 15, depending on the sighting of the new moon, is making more appearances in public school classrooms, thanks to a series of new teacher training initiatives, an increased fascination with Islam and the assurance that schools, if careful, can educate impressionable children about religion without crossing a constitutional line.
The Council on Islamic Education, a nonprofit organization based in California, plans to release an updated version of its booklet “Muslim Holidays,” which was first published in 1997, for the more than 4,000 teachers nationwide who have used it.
The booklet, which contains lesson plan ideas and historical and cultural background on Ramadan and other Muslim holidays, also outlines the various state regulations governing instruction about religion in public schools and discusses accommodations that schools can make to enable Muslim students to observe the holiday.
Muslim educators note tremendous progress in education about Ramadan and Islam in general in public schools, particularly since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 — perpetrated by extremist Muslims — brought Islam into the national spotlight.
Another reason for this success, some say, is an increased general awareness in public education circles of what is constitutionally appropriate to teach about religion.
In 1995, President Clinton released “Religious Expression in Public Schools: A Statement of Principles,” guidelines on promoting the free exercise of religion in schools without endorsing a particular faith. The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center in Arlington, Va., subsequently launched a series of training initiatives to remind public school officials nationwide of the regulations concerning religion in schools.
Unlike the political situation, which has become divisive in some ways, “the educational arena came out unscathed” by increased attention on Islam since Sept. 11, said Shabbir Mansuri, founding director of the Council on Islamic Education.
Whereas Ramadan used to garner only cursory attention from public school teachers, Muslim education consultants say, interest in deeper understanding of the holiday has spiked.
“They want to know accurate information,” said Sharifa Alkhateeb, president of the Washington-based Muslim Education Council.
For teachers and administrators, as well as fellow students, explaining Ramadan helps the school accommodate the religious requirements of the holiday.
For example, at puberty, children begin to participate in the daily fast, which lasts from sunrise to sundown each day of the month. Many schools arrange for Muslim students to sit in the library during lunchtime so that they are not surrounded by food as they fast.
Educators cite Ramadan as a good opportunity to teach students about Islam and its practice. But teaching Ramadan in public schools has not been without controversy. Last year a federal judge said that the Byron Union School District in California could continue a three-week curriculum that emphasized role-playing exercises requiring, among other things, seventh-grade students to recite Muslim prayers.
Despite the ruling in the district's favor, the school suspended the program because of the outcry the lawsuit spawned.
Crucial to avoiding these kinds of problems, say educators, is understanding the difference between “teaching” and “teaching about” religion.
Role-playing exercises that require students to recite sacred words or imitate Muslim prayer practices simply are not appropriate.
That's for sure. I was an expert witness in the Byron case, and it seemed to me to be fairly clear there that the line was crossed, particularly in the workbook that was used, which asked students true/false questions that required them to affirm tenets of the Islamic faith as objective fact. But from the looks of the judge's ruling in that case and this present story, even though that program was suspended, evidently it was just the beginning.
Posted by Robert at October 10, 2004 6:19 AM
Print this entry
| Email this entry
| Digg this
| del.icio.us
Frankly, I'm for my kid learning about what others believe and how they worship; but I'd not encourage role-playing of the sort that involves using others' prayers and rituals.
Maybe, had the ACLU lost in cases like Abingdon Township, our PC crowd wouldn't be so paranoid about their Evangelical neighbors keeping thumbscrews and oil cauldrons in the basement--they know them to well.
Posted by: Kepha1![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 10, 2004 7:35 AM
This role playing could be potentially dangerous because to convert to Islam one has only to recite and repeat a statement about there being no god but the one Muslims have and that his prophet is the one that Muslims have, and hey presto, that makes you a Muslim.
The punishment that Muslims are instructed to mete out on those who renounce Islam is death.
So there could be cases whereby children unwittingly convert to Islam then are too afraid of dying to go back on what they said.
It is something to consider.
Posted by: Elephant at October 10, 2004 7:42 AM
Where is the ACLU whn you need thyem?
Can we sue these dhimmi bastrads trying to initroduce islam throught he backdoor with a lawsuit? a pro bono one maybe?
Posted by: voletti at October 10, 2004 8:48 AM
Sorry, I can only view this as covert brainwashing and propaganda. Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I understand of the American school system is that it has been busy stripping out religion from school for years. So why allow this exception for Islam? The kids in this program are too young to know what's really going on. No doubt they'll be presented with a nicey nicey, la di da, group hug, sanitized look at Islam. Oh how quaint! Oh how lovely! It's all about pretty little prayer rugs, and holidays (who doesn't enjoy holidays?) and the wonders of fasting, and ooh, doesn't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy, boys and girls?
It's "get 'em while they're young", brainwash a whole generation so they'll be more pliable, more amenable, more accepting. Sly, conniving Islam, getting its filthy paws on our kids' minds, via stupid leftie teachers who've been teaching our kids to loathe their own Anglo/European/Judeo/Christian culture for years now.
"Many schools arrange for Muslim students to sit in the library during lunchtime so that they are not surrounded by food as they fast."
Yeah, and at this rate, there'll soon come a day when our schools will dictate that no kids be allowed to bring food into school at all, to appease the Muslim kids. And maybe our grocery stores and restaurants will be ordered to shut down during the daytime too.
at October 10, 2004 10:00 AM
Does this mean that Christian or Jewish clerics can go to Mosques or islamic schools and lecture on the worths of their religion ? If this is all America's educators can come up with in response to the Jihad threat then you guys in the States are worse off than we are in Britain. If this is what they are allowing the muslims to teach your children we all might as well give up now. Either that or send these Leftist teachers to Saudi and Iran to get a taste of pure islam. This has got to be the longest suicide note in the history of civilisation. We are sleep-walking into a new Dark Ages. Goodnight America.
Posted by: Son Of Albion at October 10, 2004 10:18 AM
Yes, feralee and SOA, they have been busily removing all traces of religion from American public schools and public buildings -- but of only ONE religion in particular. Any guesses as to which one that is? Yes, this blatantly religious proselytizing for Islam is seeping into our schools while the ACLU sues to keep Christmas trees out of school rec rooms.
A couple of years ago the NY School District ordered that prayer rooms be found for Muslim students. It was thwarted only because the Catholic Archbishop of NY demanded prayer rooms for Catholic kids too. The school district realized they were opening up a can of worms and nixed the prayer room idea.
But they'll be back with that demand soon enough. They have zero respect for our Constitution and our political mores and traditions.
Posted by: Suzan at October 10, 2004 10:29 AM
This strikes me as government indorsed religion. If Christianity is not allowed why should this religion be taught. All to teach tolerance of the enemy of freedom. What part does the government play in this sickness? How high up does the stink rise?
Posted by: Carolyn2 at October 10, 2004 10:46 AM
This may well appear to be a nice, neutral act --this allowing Muslims to come in to present a show-and-tell about Ramadan. But it is not. It is on a par with those outreach experts, smiling and charmng and plausible, who with some samples of Qur'anic calligraphy (what Infidel would know if what is calligraphed is some particularly bloodthirsty passage?), a prayer rug, and some nice picture postcards of the Mosque of Omar (always the Mosque of Omar), the Blue Mosque in Ispahan, and one or two others, provide just the touch of Arabian-Nights exoticism and charm that will enthrall young children, and make an impression on those impressionable minds.
Of course no one expects students in an elementary school to be told about the uncompromising hostility between dar al-Islam and dar al-harb, about the Verses of the Sword and the 100-odd other verses about Jihad, about the jizya, or the dozen other disabilites that made life so difficult for Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and even more difficult for HIndus and Buddhists, about the Muslim attitude toward music, sculpture, paintings of living things, about the hatred for dogs (noticed, by the way, how many stories have been appearing about mysteriously-murdered dogs around the country recently?). But if they are not to be told anything like the truth, why engage in this seemingly plausible, seemingly innocent, but in fact propagandistic effort to implant, in young minds, the idea that Islam is just like what you know, my little fellow monotheists and sharers of the "abrahamic faith" -- you Christians have your Lent, and the Jews have their dietary rules -- and you know, Islam has both a long fast ("it is our way of showing our respect for God, and you can imagine, boys and girls, what it must be like not to be able to eat all day long, for a whole month! Wide eyes, amazed and impressed little faces -- these kind people, these nice people, my goodness what they do for their faith. They put us to shame!). It will have been a great successs -- making such an impression will stick, with young minds: "Oh, yes, I learned all about Ramadan in third grade, and next year we're going to do a whole unit on Islam, which the nice man told us was the world's fastest growing religion. And they have a lot in common with us, and their churches are called mosques and we saw pictures of them and they were s--o-o-o-o beautiful."
Are there any grown-ups in Virginia able to see what this is all about? And are there any parents able to stop it? This is, though the approving authorities fail to understand it, classic Da'wa, beginning early. If one wants to explain the Five Pillars of Islam, by all means the teacher can do so -- but without importing "helpful visitors" from a mosque or "Islamic Academy" all too willing to offer their version of events. And if the Five Pillars are in fact discussed, any real teacher would also discuss the geopolitical aspects of Islam --that Muslims believe that Islam should spread across the globe, that the early conquests of Islam were both promoted and justified by, the Islamic belief-system which carefully incorporated bits and pieces of the pre-existing main religions in the areas they first conquered -- that is, it contains large amounts of material, children, that you will recognize as being from Judaism and Christianity, but also with the "djinn" and other remannts from pagan Arab lore. Now that would be acceptable. Involving these outside, well-trained, smooth propagandists (they study how to do this most effectively -- there is nothing spontaneous about the presentation at all; this is Da'wa, Da'wa, Da'wa).
One would not allow Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses or anyone else to come into a classroom to offer young students their proselytizing pitch. But that is what is happening here -- the "kinder gentler" face of Islam is being presented.
So, for all of you concerned with How Islam Came to Herndon, Virginia, brought to you by the Afeefa Syeed Academy (those prayer rugs, that call to prayer in Arabic, those dates -- ooh, why it's a little taste for these wide-eyed American children, of a magical tale out of Sheherazade, set in Grand Cairo or old Baghdad.
Parents, if you can, stop this from happening. Read carefully what you find at this posting, at this website. Go to www.dhimmitude.org, and find out exactly how non-Muslims were treated under Muslim rule. Go to www.faithfreedom.org, and read what Ali Sina and others have to say. Go to www.secularislam.org and read the analyses of Ibn Warraq, and the testimony of ex-Muslims.
And if your child, or other people's children, or your cousin's child in Vermont or California or Wyoming or wherever, are subjected to this kind of clever brainwashing, make it a point to undo the damage in every way you can. Inform yourself. Begin to tell your child what Islam is all about. Do not call it a religion but a "belief-system." Explain that it is far more than a set of rules of individual worship. Expalin that it is no accident that it is a mishmash of Christian and Jewish beliefs and stories and appropriated figures, because it was created, one strongly suspects (whether or not it began either as a Jewish, or a Christian sect), precisely because it made more palatable the Arab conquest of larger, richer, more settled, and in every way but the military, more advanced and powerful peoples, Christians and Jews, who lived in Mesopotamia, Syria, Judea, Egypt, North Africa -- the first places conquered by the Arabs.
Work to undo the damage, and to inform yourselves. You need not become an expert on Qur'an and hadith and sira. But you need to know a little something. And you need to connect the dots: the attacks on Christians in the Sudan and the Philippines, the attacks on Buddhists in Thailand, the attacks on Hindus in Kashmir, in Pakistan, in Bangladesh, even in India itself, the attacks on Orthodox churches in Kosovo, and on the Orthodox sites in Constantinople, the attacks on the Christian Copts in Egypt, the Arabic-speaking but non-Arab Maronites in Lebanon, the attacks on Infidels, whether nipped in the bud or executed, on the Christmas market in Strasbourg, on the Madrid metro, on targets in Milan and Rome and Berlin and London and Manchester and New York and Washington and Buenes Aires and Luxor and Djerba and...oh, you can fill it up yourself. Immunize yourself, immunize and inform your children. Knowledge here is power. The civilization you save may be your own.
at October 10, 2004 11:03 AM
The best way to pull this madness out of our schools is to get churches agitating to present christianity in schools as well... that will make the leftie defenders of this insanity backoff faster than kerry changes positions.
Posted by: voletti at October 10, 2004 11:20 AM
Hugh,
You have put it perfectly.
Also. Memo to the DHS:
Check on possible funding flowing into the NEA from the Saudis.
Posted by: montfort at October 10, 2004 12:08 PM
Well this just bolsters my argument that it is Christendom that is not aloud in America!!
Why not tell the kids that they can convert or just pay the jizya poll tax. I am sure a few of the concerned parents would have happily paid the jizya poll tax to keep there children from having to convert. This would have been a good lesson in economics and sharia law. The children could then experience what America will be like we they are grown up!!
In 1942 it would have been a death sentence if Japanese ideals about their Emperor where being taught in our nations schools. And only because they attacked Pearl harbor.
I guess the terrorist have won something, not only did they show America about their religion of peace but now liberals in America cant get their noses up shaved Moslem hind parts fast enough.
Americans are being jerked around by this so called PC crowd. I believe that the PC crowd is so small in number they would all fit on one or two 747's heading for Saudi Arabia. There and only there will they find the peace that comes when Christendom is not around.
I could see my kid showing up for school with his No Islam, Know Peace T-shirt. And we would put Al Qaeda for Kerry on the back.. I dislike liberals... Because of what they do and stand for!!
I just hope they don’t get what they deserve... Kinda..
Posted by Kepha1
“our PC crowd wouldn't be so paranoid about their Evangelical neighbors keeping thumbscrews and oil cauldrons in the basement--they know them to well.”
Any proof of this Kepha1? I hear about Moslem terrorist but so far haven’t seen any Christian suicide bombers!! Maybe you know some??
Kepha if your conscience is bothering you, it is not the fault of Christians.
No Islam, Know Peace
Isa al Masih
Posted by: Bar at October 10, 2004 12:22 PM
When I was a child growing up, I remember that I was continually ravenous all day. I couldn't wait until lunchtime, I couldn't wait until I got home from school to eat. Isn't this child abuse?
And what about breakfast? How are children supposed to concentrate on schoolwork when they are hungry from not eating?
And now, NON-MUSLIM children are supposed to be deprived of food as well? What is going on here?
at October 10, 2004 12:41 PM
Madness.... Plain pure simple fucking madness. Who in the hell are the people pushing this shit??? We're in a Goddamn war because of that disease of a religion and now some brain dead bunch of son of a bitches wants to teach that poison in public schools??? The parents of the children in that district should tar and feather that bunch of bastards and run them out of town. I'm so pissed off I want to break something!!!
Posted by: krkrjak at October 10, 2004 2:00 PM
Pure madness indeed! At what do our brilliant leaders do while this cancer is eating away at us? They focus their gaze unto the horizon, training their guns on the faraway enemy, ignoring the ones at home while the parse sentences and split hairs for political purposes to keep themselves in power. We the people see the danger and they are either blind, in denial, or complicit. Idiots!
Posted by: epg at October 10, 2004 2:56 PM
I know that if I was living in Herndon I would be sending our kids to school packing ham sandwiches and BLTs for lunch to "celebrate" the joyous season of Ramadan.
Posted by: Hulegu Khan at October 10, 2004 3:23 PM
I think it would be more instructive if the children from the Muslim Academy, instead of bringing dates and prayer rugs, brought some of their textbooks to the public school classroom and read aloud what their books have to say about Israel, Jews, Palestine, jihad and martyrdom.
Posted by: bgordon at October 10, 2004 3:54 PM
feralee,
I was about to comment on this news item, when I saw your post. You said exactly what I was going to comment - although I have to add one thing, if I may. When they fill the children’s mind so full of all the glorious aspects of the wonderful “peaceful” Muslim cult, the next step would be to prove they are “peaceful” Muslims and learn why and how to be a Jihadis and wear explosive belts? - learn why they have to hate non-Muslims - behead non Muslims - etc - etc?
Everyone,
Everyone who has posted their observations and comments - I totally agree. How on this green earth is one supposed to keep from venting harsh words of anger! ! Every citizen of Herndon, Va. should hold a massive demonstration around the school and demand the school teach what the taxpayers pay them for - not force this garbage on the children.
Everyone - make no mistake about it;
The Saudi’s are financing billions to do this.
Bush patted the Saudi’s on the back and declared - “These are our friends.”
Bush patted the Saudi’s on the back and declared - “The Muslim religion is a peaceful religion.”
at October 10, 2004 4:14 PM
An interesting piece on an Editorial page;
Two brutal tyrannies, two different U.S. policies
Quick, which country is ruled by the government with the most fervent Islamic extremism?
Iraq? Not even close, including under the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein.
Iran? No, it’s an also-ran in the screwy religious edict department.
Egypt? You must be kidding.
The answer is the original home of Islam itself, Saudi Arabia. There, the nation’s highest religious authority, Sheik Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al al-Shiek, the other day banned the use of cell phones with built-in cameras. The devices, he said, were “spreading obscenity in Muslim society.”
If you wonder how that could be, think cameras, not phones. Photography itself can get you in trouble in Saudi Arabia. Secrecy is official government policy. In addition, the sexes are segregated in public places, and women are forbidden to drive and required to cover themselves from head to toe.
In contrast, Iraqi women, under Saddam, were able to drive and otherwise conduct themselves like modern women more so than they can in some areas of Iraq controlled by religious fanatics today.
Not surprisingly, 15 of the 19 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were Saudis. The Saudi government continues to finance schools teaching Wahhabi fundamentalism, producing generation after generation of religious radicals who threaten the rest of the world.
Surprisingly, Saudi Arabia is not included in President Bush’s “Axis of Evil.” Instead, its leaders, members of the ruling family, are on the friendliest of terms with the administration.
No, this page does not buy into film-maker Michael Moore’s conspiracy theory about the House of Saud and the House of Bush. But it does wonder why Riyadh gets soft spoken suggestions about moving toward democracy while Baghdad got bombs.
Last year, the answer was that Iraq was amassing weapons of mass destruction. What’s the answer now? - - J.F.
at October 10, 2004 4:38 PM
BTW- endorsed (I really do know how to spell)
Posted by: Carolyn2 at October 10, 2004 5:10 PM
Go to:
http://www.soundvision.com/Info/ramadan/r.17tips.asp
Posted by: Carolyn2 at October 10, 2004 5:23 PM
I've been raising 4 children over the last two decades. During this time, I've had countless opportunities to volunteer and guide children through activities designed to teach respect for cultural diversity.
Together, the children and I learned a great deal about many cultures through language, dress, epicurean delights, music, songs, dance, crafts etc. . ..for cultures from the North American Indians to the Indians of the Far East and every culture in between.
Never at a loss for material, I never felt the need to explore the faith of an individual culture. Not to mention that doing so would cross the boundaries between church and state. It was simply unnecessary to explore different religions - especially for young children.
For the longest time, I have believed that culture and religion were two very separate topics. It is only recently, that I've become aware that there are cultures that identify themselves as religious as well.
This, for me is problematic. I still have children young enough to benefit from multicultural activities in school. On a personal level, I find it highly offensive that religion would be discussed or introduced as a role-play activity with my five year old in a public school. Ultimately, the introduction of any religious topic or activity is MY responsibility to introduce to MY children.
Since the ACLU worked so diligently to keep "religion" out of public school, I demand it follow through and claim no exception for Islam.
Islam, being a theocracy, has 'gamed' our system by choosing to play either the "ethnic" or "religion" card to suit their needs.
We need to become better card players (harness the constitution, strengthen immigration laws and utilize tax laws) to stack the deck in our favor so we can win this game for civilized humanity.
Posted by: justamomof4 at October 10, 2004 5:57 PM
Carolyn2
Having read the link you directed us to - It should be more than obvious the enemy is well on its way to success in achieving their objectives. It urgent that the citizens acquire the necessary knowledge and get organized to put a stop to this. I commend Mr. Spencer for slowing it down.
at October 10, 2004 6:02 PM
justamomof4.
Parents should have the ultimate authority in what is being taught to their children. In the words of your post, I feel you are doing the best you can for your children. If the schools, or anyone, takes it upon themselves to teach subjects that are harmful, they should be prevented from doing so. The ACLU has done an excellent job of transferring citizen rights and freedoms to criminal elements and now foreign enemies using children. This should have been stopped long ago.
at October 10, 2004 6:28 PM
Yes, indeed, insist that textbooks taught to American Muslim students be brought to the classroom and request that the Muslim presenter read the passages outloud about Muslim attitudes towards non-Muslims (better yet, let the teachers read the pages...reading is believing) And then, take the children out to the school yard and let them witness firsthand one of the celebrations of Ramadan, the slitting of the throat and the bleating and crying of a dying lamb or goat and the blood all over the playgound. Happy Ramadan, children!!!
Posted by: maryrose at October 10, 2004 7:35 PM
I wish to apologize for the use of "colorful language" in an earlier post. There are times I just cannot keep some of my red neck heritage from emerging however. And this topic certainly elevated my blood pressure. With blood pressure now under control I have returned to the topic to find several interesting posts. I'm in agreement with many, perhaps even most,but for those who believe that we in the west can win this war by just outlasting our enemy, and Islam and its followers are our enemy, I disagree. I do not believe every Muslim who practices Islam wants to do me harm but I do have to wonder why there's such a show of indifference on their part to those who do want to do me harm. Cannot such indifference be interpreted as not caring if I'm harmed by their brothers? Would not that make them my enemy just as well? So why is our enemy being allowed to bring their poison into our schools and feed it to our children? Where are the guardians that are suppose to prevent such activity from happening? This war must be taken to the enemy on their turf with the stead fast will to win and that's going to mean that tens of thousands of the enemy may have to die before we can declare victory. I don't see that kind of commitment coming from our leadership however until something occurs in this country so horrific,so unimaginably destructive and the death toll so high that the citizens will take to the streets as one and demand the total destruction of the Islamic cancer. I fear 9-11 was but a warm up for the psychopaths wanting to spread their filthy disease.
Posted by: krkrjak at October 10, 2004 7:51 PM
What would happen if parents refused to allow their children to participate in this program? Are children required by US law to attend?
I think I would publically question the school authorities about why an exception is being made for Islam - are the children learning about Buddhism? Are they learning about Hindu or Shinto beliefs?
I certainly wouldnt allow my children to role-play nor to take part in anything like Ramadan. I would also insist that the programs be flexible - ie, Musim children learn about Christianity and other religions.
People need to start questioning why Islam is being given a free pass while Christianity and other religions are derided and downplayed. I cant believe that parents are going along with this - its so obviously a softening-up process.
I thought the official ACLU agenda was to keep religion out of schools - how then, can they possibly justify this? Maybe some kind of class action is the way to go.
Posted by: DianaC at October 10, 2004 8:35 PM
Carolyn's link is a must read for those who haven't done so already. It's a shocking eye-opener. It shows a concerted, organized attack on our children's minds.
And go further into the site to read much ignorant silliness about the "benefits" of fasting. They tell us it is to shed obesity - funny but I see loads of fat Muslim women about. And lots of those Muslims clerics have a few dozen extra pounds on them. Obviously the Koran doesn't advocate the benefits of exercise. Fasting tells the body you are in "drought mode" and it then starts frantically storing fat cells, not shedding them. The article talks about therapeutic benefits of fasting. No examples and I doubt there are any. Personally, if I don't eat for a few hours I get a headache, then I get irritable, then I feel exhausted and ill. Science has shown us it is better to eat smaller meals frequently, not fast. Then at the end of the day, Muslims must gorge themselves like pigs right before bed - another proven no-no for healthy eating. But then again, their Koran isn't exactly full of scientific knowledge, is it?
This article totally frustrates me. As many of you have said - why the free pass for Islam? Why are other religions excluded from our schools but not Islam? Who the h*** is behind this? And why?
Posted by: feralee at October 10, 2004 9:25 PM
Oh, and I delved more into the site where they have instructions on how to handle Ramadan at work too! From what I can see, it is nothing more than religious proselytizing. I doubt my fellow JW would be allowed to get away with the same thing. Or my fellow Mormon! In fact I think you would be warned, maybe even fired. But Islamics can get away with anything I suppose. They have the CLU morons on their side, ready to do battle for them, and against us. If you were to warn a Muslim to keep religion out of the workplace, you'd probably end up with a huge legal bill defending yourself in court.
This is so frustrating. It's unbelievable what they get away with. Unbelievable! And even more unbelievable that our very own people aid and abet this.
Posted by: feralee at October 10, 2004 9:33 PM
Just like krkrjak I too have red neck roots, and I've had enough of this Muslim crap, I read these subjects and there post, and I get so damn mad, and what makes me even madder is there doesn't seem to be anything that we can do, I don't know if it would do any good but may-be if we start flooding our Congressmen and Senators with emails and snail mail may-be this would get some attention, but we need to figure out some way to stop the spread of Islam in our schools and in our country.
Posted by: Real American at October 10, 2004 9:55 PM
krkrjak,
You have conveyed my sediments exactly. The enemy has victimized citizens of many countries with their take over tactics. They went so far as to hijack a school and commit the ultimate heinous crimes against them. Now these same people are sneaking in the back door to victimize more children under the guise of “peaceful” Muslims. The longer this is allowed to take place, the worse the consequences will be. I do not condone violence, however, if the PC leadership continues to babysit these people, the citizens will have no choice. Enough to make a persons blood boil!!!
at October 10, 2004 9:55 PM
I recall the comic strip "POGO" wherein the character pogo proclaims "we have met the enemy and it is us"... Food for thought.
Posted by: krkrjak at October 10, 2004 10:07 PM
Nothing would be as efficient as a class action law suit ,signed by a few thousand of people.
If there is any lawyer amongst us,and if it feels up to the task,i`m willig to sign up and to make a donation.
A law suit would also bring the issue to the public scrutiny,which in the case of Islam,it can only damage their immage.
So far,we have only debated the issues presented here at Jihad Watch...Now let`s get organized and give the ACLU a fight for their money.
God bless America.
at October 11, 2004 12:48 AM
adela,
A very good suggestion to start with. I am willing to do what I can. Maybe another suggestion might be to print out the information in the form of a hand-bills and place them all over in public places? Get a petition going? Contact newspaper editors? Write to newspapers? Recruit more citizens to help? All of the above? I already sent an Email to my honourable Representatives. There must be some effective method to get peoples attention. I wish us well.
at October 11, 2004 1:08 AM
That POGO comic strip sounds right on the money to me, krkrjak (what an interesting name, are you from the beautiful island of Krk btw?).
Bad enough we have the enemy of Islam breathing down our necks, trying to spread its tentacles into our children's mind, but we have ourselves to blame too. Our evil twin, the loonie leftie PeeCee socialist wankers amongst us. The ones who are filled with self-loathing and insist we feel the same way. The ones who arrogantly insist they know what is best for the unwashed masses and insist on dictating to us what we are to think and believe in, calling us dissenters rednecks, hicks, bigots, racists, and stupid. They are aiding and abetting Islam's nefarious purposes. Without this evil twin, Islam would get nowhere in Western society.
After 9/11 Islam has ramped up its propanganda machine, fired it up into 4th gear. It desperately needs to cover up the real Islam, the one we saw on our TV screens on September 11th, on October 12th, the beheadings, the continuous atrocities, etc. The real Islam we continue to see, plain as day, obvious as anything, the true evil despicable nature of it. The mass murder it commits is a bit of a setback to its PR campaign. So they need to get into our institutions. Starting with the young, in our schools. Then into our churches, especially the limp-wristed, bum-kissing Anglicans, and our governments. It's a massive disinformation campaign, that unfortunately works on a lot of people.
Posted by: feralee at October 11, 2004 1:13 AM
Well stated, feralee. With any luck, enough citizens will become aware of this outrageous situations and give the order to the governments to put a stop to it, or we will.
Bush patted the Saudis on the back and declared - “These Are Our Friends.”
Bush patted the Saudis on the back and declared - “The Muslims Religion Is A Peaceful Religion.”
I would never call it a religion - I call it like it is, a Cult.
at October 11, 2004 1:29 AM
THSIMJ -
I want to be clear that I abhor the efforts of the ACLU.
My statement . . .
"Since the ACLU worked so diligently to keep "religion" out of public school, I demand it follow through and claim (allow) no exception for Islam."
. . .was intended to point out that I was abiding the rules as they exist and in return, I DEMAND equal application of the law.
I'm still awake at 2:17 a.m. . . .uttterly frustrated and infuriated about this topic.
Thank heavens that 'adela' came up with a suggestion to bring action. "Adela" wrote:
"Now let`s get organized and give the ACLU a fight for their money.
God bless America.
Posted by: adela"
AMEN! . . .and good night!
Posted by: justamomof4
at October 11, 2004 2:21 AM
Bar: My comment you quoted was fecetious. Of course I know perfectly well that Evangelical Christians are not preparing to torture people because I'm one myself. But I have run into Leftists who've lived cheek by jowl with us for lifetimes who are suddenly suspicious of us because the NYTimes, Washed-out Post, and Credulous Broadcasting System say that the Muslims of Hizbollah and Taliban are "fundamentalists", too! They actually do seem to believe that some sort of secret tunnel links Qom, Iran, to Lynchburg, Virginia.
Posted by: Kepha1 at October 11, 2004 5:11 AM
The clear attempt by Muslims to promote their religion cannot be blamed on the Muslims themselves. They are taking advantage of our Democracy, laxed societal standards and tolerance to advance Islam.
Basically, they are operating beneath the radar screen, while paradoxically not really hiding their intentions--to convert as many people to Islam as possible.
The fault for this lies with selective enforcement of existing laws, public apathy and intimidation under the guise of multiculturalism and political correctness.
Additionally, America's Christian heritage is under relentless assault on several fronts while the application of a maddening double standard with regards to Islam allows it to expand into every arena of American consciousness.
To an objective observer, it would seem obvious that if Islam continues to grow in America at its current rate, America's second largest religious group will soon be Muslims, just like in France.
I don't think we can afford to let that happen.
at October 11, 2004 5:43 AM
A smart thing to do is that whenever it's discovered that the Islamic plague is somehow permitted into public schools like this for promotional purposes, contact that particular school, and ask for an assembly with the student body.
Then, with all we know about this copycat faith, we can pass the truth on to the students, whose best interest the school is certainly forsakeing in order to promote diversity.
If the school refuses, then get an Attorney and sue their asses for discrimination and for putting children in harm's way. These are our tax dollars at work, and every school staff member works for us. It's high time they get reminded of this.
Posted by: DCWatson at October 11, 2004 8:46 AM
Can't someone contact the ACLU and get them to show that they're sicere about stopping all religions in schools and not just Christianity. It would be great to use an islamic-agologist group like the ACLU to actually fight islam on these terms. Can it be done ? How would one get the ACLU to take action ? emails ? phone calls ?
Posted by: Son Of Albion at October 11, 2004 10:08 AM
Sorry above post should read "sincere" NOT "sicere". Thanks.
Posted by: Son Of Albion at October 11, 2004 10:09 AM
to Son of Albion -
Here are the e-addresses of some folks to contact starting with the VA ACLU:
ACLU of VA
Executive Director: Kent Willis
6 N. 6th Street, Suite 400
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: 804-644-8022
Current Herndon,VA School Board members are:
Chairman, Kathy L. Smith, Sully District, kathy.l.smith@fcps.edu
Vice-Chairman, Kaye Kory, Mason District, kaye.kory@fcps.edu
Braddock District, Tessie Wilson, tessie.wilson@fcps.edu
Dranesville District, Jane K. Strauss, Jane.strauss@fcps.edu
Hunter Mill District, Stuart D. Gibson, stuart.gibson@fcps.edu
Lee District, Brad Center, brad.center@fcps.edu
Mason District, Kaye Kory, kaye.kory@fcps.edu
Mt. Vernon District, Daniel G. Storck, daniel.storck@fcps.edu
Providence District, Phillip A. Niedzielski-Eichner, pneichner@fcps.edu
Springfield District, Catherine A. Belter, catherine.belter@fcps.edu
Sully District, Kathy L. Smith, kathy.l.smith@fcps.edu
Also adding the following as per suggestion
by: voletti
"The best way to pull this madness out of our schools is to get churches agitating to present christianity in schools as well... that will make the leftie defenders of this insanity backoff faster than kerry changes positions."
Send messages, make calls to the local churches and synagogues too:
Congregation Beth Emeth, Herndon, VA
(703) 860-4515
Church Of Jesus Christ Of Lds
2727 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (703) 793-0012
St Veronica Catholic Church
(703) 689-4409
info@stveronica.net
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church
2516 Squirrel Hill Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (703) 793-1196
seberhart"@mtpleasantbaptist.org;mwillis@mtpleasantbaptist.org
Temple Baptist Church
(703) 437-7400
Pastor: davidpittman@templebaptistchurch.org
Assoc. Pastor: joemims@templebaptistchurch.org
Youth Pastor: jonstone@templebaptistchurch.org
Floris United Methodist Church
2730 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (703) 793-0026
Rev. Tom Berlin,Sr Pastor, tberlin@florisumc.org
Rev. Gordon Pruitt, Assoc.Pastor,
gpruitt@florisumc.org
Rev. Martha Real, Assoc. Pastor, mreal@florisumc.org
Trinity Presbyterian Church Web Site
651 Dranesville Rd, Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 437-5500
And the Herndon VA media outlets:
Observer Newspaper
1043 Sterling Rd # 104, Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 437-5886
editor@observernews.com
Times Community Newspapers
13873 Park Center Rd, Herndon, VA 20171
Phone: (202) 478-6666
Washington Families Inc
485 Springpark Pl # 550, Herndon, VA 20170
Phone: (703) 318-1385
editor@familiesmagazines.com
Anyone care to format a letter?
Posted by: justamomof4 at October 11, 2004 12:49 PM
Well done justamomof4, your children should be proud of you ! Is there any way this list can be posted to other articles on this site so that no-one misses it ? I will write letters and email as many as I can but as I'm over here in Britain they may not take me as seriously as U.S. citizens. This is the way for all of us to make a difference - lets show the liberals that we're not going to be brainwashed and smooth talked into losing our future.
LOVE LIFE - HATE ISLAM !!!
Posted by: Son Of Albion at October 11, 2004 4:37 PM
Relying on the ACLU will not stop Islam from forcing itself on us. In Los Angeles, the ACLU forced the city to remove a cross from its seal (by threatening a lawsuit). Bill O'Reilly of Fox News channel maintains, the ACLU is only adamant about removing Christian symbols and teachings from public view.
As the separation of chuch and state appears to be directed only against Christianity, lawsuits from that quarter would be more appropriate. Unfortunately, many Christian denominations appear to be reaching out to the Islamic world.
Jews also tried that and got what they deserved.
http://64.207.185.104/archives/2004/10/muslimjewish_di.php
at October 11, 2004 6:25 PM
unicorns62000 -
I take great offense to your comment . . .
"Jews also tried that and got what they deserved."
'deserved' ???
I will assume that you meant Jews should have
'expected' (not deserved) the outcome.
Posted by: justamomof4
at October 11, 2004 9:26 PM
Great to see this topic still active. Tomorrow I will be making phone calls and sending e-mail to all those on the list. Tip of the hat to "momof4" for providing the info.
This to feralee.... Pardon my ignorance but I have not heard of the island you refer to.As for the name, it's derived from a childhood nickname due to my fondness for a popcorn snack called Cracker Jack, hence KRK R JAK...krkrjak
Posted by: krkrjak at October 11, 2004 11:14 PM
justamomof4,
Please, please don't take offense at what I wrote. Yes, you are right of course, Jews should have expected the outcome of their attempt to reach out to Moslems. That, however, is my point. They did not. And why not? Because the people that tried to achieve an understanding with Moslems assumed that "they are just like us, only they call HaShem 'Allah.'" They did not delve deeply enough into the ideology that is Islam. Had they done so, they would have seen that the clerics and organizations they tried to cultivate would never accept their gesture of conciliation. That is why, because they did not know their enemy, I said they deserved what they got.
If you read the linked article, you will see that after having their trust betrayed, the people involved still hope to find common ground with "moderate" Moslems. Now, "moderate" Moslems either practice deceit by assuring us that Islam is harmless or they are "bad" Moslems, that is they do not follow the tenets of the ideology. Achieving good relations with the latter will not build a bridge between Judaism and Islam.
The main Moslem organizations in the US will continue to fund and support Islamic terrorists that kill Jews and will deny the legitimacy of Israel.
If you as a Jew heard that a certain person hates all Jews, that he tells his buddies that he'd like to get a hold of a Jew, and you try to find out why, and go to reason with the person, to show him that you are really nice, and you get beaten to a pulp, you should have expected that.
If you learn by making inquiries that a Jew-hating person goes around saying that Hitler was right about the Jews, that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," tell the truth about them, that this person has Swastika flags, SS daggers and other Nazi paraphernalia on the walls of his den, and you knock on his door, reach out to shake his hand and you get beaten to a pulp, you deserve what you get.
In the mistaken belief in a common humanity and the basic goodness of all people, some Jews still cannot believe that the spirit of Amalek lives today. I do.
Posted by: unicorns62000 at October 12, 2004 3:03 AM
justamomof4,
Please, please don't take offense at what I wrote. Yes, you are right of course, Jews should have expected the outcome of their attempt to reach out to Moslems. That, however, is my point. They did not. And why not? Because the people that tried to achieve an understanding with Moslems assumed that "they are just like us, only they call HaShem 'Allah.'" They did not delve deeply enough into the ideology that is Islam. Had they done so, they would have seen that the clerics and organizations they tried to cultivate would never accept their gesture of conciliation. That is why, because they did not know their enemy, I said they deserved what they got.
If you read the linked article, you will see that after having their trust betrayed, the people involved still hope to find common ground with "moderate" Moslems. Now, "moderate" Moslems either practice deceit by assuring us that Islam is harmless or they are "bad" Moslems, that is they do not follow the tenets of the ideology. Achieving good relations with the latter will not build a bridge between Judaism and Islam.
The main Moslem organizations in the US will continue to fund and support Islamic terrorists that kill Jews and will deny the legitimacy of Israel.
If you as a Jew heard that a certain person hates all Jews, that he tells his buddies that he'd like to get a hold of a Jew, and you try to find out why, and go to reason with the person, to show him that you are really nice, and you get beaten to a pulp, you should have expected that.
If you learn by making inquiries that a Jew-hating person goes around saying that Hitler was right about the Jews, that "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion," tell the truth about them, that this person has Swastika flags, SS daggers and other Nazi paraphernalia on the walls of his den, and you knock on his door, reach out to shake his hand and you get beaten to a pulp, you deserve what you get.
In the mistaken belief in a common humanity and the basic goodness of all people, some Jews still cannot believe that the spirit of Amalek lives today. I do.
Posted by: unicorns62000 at October 12, 2004 3:04 AM
This is what took place in California: "Corruption in our children's textbooks."
Islam in California public schools
By Allan Dobras
News Analysis
“We could never teach Christianity like this. We can’t even mention the name of Jesus in the public schools.”
—Elizabeth Lemings, 7th grade teacher
California public schools — the nation’s largest public school system — have introduced an intermediate school curriculum that gives a special and preferential status to Islam while relegating Christianity to a position among — if not below — Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
Historical revisionists have long misinterpreted the religious freedom clause of the First Amendment to keep Christian values out of public institutions. Apparently, these successes have emboldened some academicians to go beyond teaching humanism and to promote other alternative religious faiths.
Memorizing the Koran
Seventh-grade children in Byron, California, were given special assignments in Islam that included faith-related role-playing, according to a special report to ASSIST News Service (ASN) by author and educator Rev. Austin Mile. The story received wider national publicity after being reported by WorldNetDaily.com.
Rev. Miles wrote, “As children return to school this week, following the Christmas break, 7th graders in a growing number of [California] public schools, who are not permitted to wear a cross or speak the name of Jesus, will be required to attend an intensive, three-week course on Islam; a course in which students are mandated to learn the tenets of Islam, study the important figures of the faith, wear a robe, adopt a Muslim name and stage their own Jihad.”
Rev. Miles reported, “Parents were outraged when students came home with their handouts and were told what was being taught. Their complaints to the school principal not only were ignored, but officials of this public school, funded by tax dollars, essentially fluffed them off.”
A 7th grade teacher, Elizabeth Lemings, said she was “totally in the dark” about the new curriculum until her son, Joseph, who is a 7th grader in the same school where she teaches, brought home the handouts. In an on-site interview with ANS, Lemings said, “We could never teach Christianity like this. We can’t even mention the name of Jesus in the public schools, but over there [pointing to the building next to hers], ”they teach Islam as the true religion, and students are taught about Islam and how to pray to Allah.“
The handouts used in this course were obtained by ANS and were reported to include a history of Islam and the life of its founder, Muhammad. Rev. Miles said the handouts require students to memorize 25 Islamic terms and six Islamic phrases. Students are also asked to learn 20 Islamic Proverbs, the Five Pillars of the Islamic Faith, and to be familiar with 10 key Islamic prophets and disciples.
Mrs. Lemings told ACN, “Can you imagine the barrage of lawsuits and problems we would have from the ACLU if Christianity were taught in the public schools, and if we tried to teach about the contributions of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Apostle Paul? But when it comes to furthering the Islamic religion in the public schools, there is not one word from the ACLU, People For The American Way or anybody else. This is hypocrisy!”
In role-playing the Muslim faith, students were asked to wear Muslim clothing to school, stage their own Jihad via a dice game, and pick out a Muslim name (to replace their own) from a list of 30.
When Mrs. Lemings reportedly asked the principal of Intermediate-Excelsior School of Byron, Nancy Castro, if she could teach Christianity in the manner that Islam is taught and for the same length of time, Lemings was advised it would have to be after hours as a Christian club — and voluntary. Castro informed her that to do otherwise would be a violation of the separation of church and state.
State Officials Deny Pushing Islam
Roger Wolfertz, deputy general counsel for the California Department of Education, told The Contra Costa Times that state law forbids the Islamic history instruction from indoctrinating students in Islam.
“The law allows districts to teach about religion as long as they don't advocate or indoctrinate it or teach students how to pray. That is a provision of the law,” Wolfertz said.
Tom Adams, administrator for curriculum framework at the California Education Department, told The Contra Costa Times that the Islam curriculum “should not be construed as an endorsement” of Islam.
“State guidelines [for 7th grade] do include a unit on Islamic civilization in the medieval world,” Adams said. “However, it should be an academic approach on the historical significance of the religion,” adding that individual teachers and school districts can create their own lesson plans based on the state guidelines.
According to the Times, Adams said “there is nothing in the state curriculum that would call for” an assignment such as memorizing Islamic proverbs.
Principal Shrugs Off Complaints
In a January 12 interview with reporter Kelli Phillips of The Contra Costa Times, Castro defended the school’s policy, saying the school is following state guidelines on the study of ancient civilizations, not promoting Islam.
“We're teaching the California standard, which is written out in detail on the state education department's Web site. Every school in California is teaching this curriculum; if people have a problem they need to take it up with the state. … Students learn about Hinduism, Christianity and other religions. They're learning about ancient cultures and what their beliefs were.” [emphasis added]
In response to an earlier question, Castro told ANS that Christianity is already taught in the History and Culture class, which she said starts in the 6th grade. However, ANS reviewed the 6th grade materials and reported a disturbing bias. “Islam is presented broadly in a totally positive manner, whereas the restricted references to Christianity are centered on The Reformation, Martin Luther and The Catholic Church. Everything Christian is shown in a negative light, with events such as the Inquisition, the Salem witch-hunts, etc., highlighted in bold, black type.”
In contrast, the textbooks duck discussions of the cruelties and intolerance exhibited by Islam over the centuries such as forced conversions, massacres, persecution of Christians and Jews, denial of religious freedom, draconian criminal penalties, and the oppression of women. There is no discussion of the absence of liberty — and harassment of non-Muslim religions — in most Muslim-dominated countries today.
Continued on Page 2
Culture and Family Institute
an affiliate of Concerned Women for America
1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1102
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 289-7117
Fax: (202) 488-0806
E-mail: mail@cultureandfamily.org
BACK TO NEWS INDEX BACK TO HOME
Whitewashing Islam’s History
The publisher of the materials used by the California schools is the Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Company, a major provider of children’s textbooks and fiction. Summaries, outlines, and lesson plans for the books used in the Byron schools are readily available on the Internet and were reviewed by this writer. My reading of the material confirms the conclusions reached by ANS that the resources are biased, unbalanced, and clearly tilted away from the Christian perspective.
Although it is not feasible to include major portions of the resource material in this article, readers can visit the Houghton Mifflin Web site to examine course summaries, outlines and lesson plans. You can find the 6th grade materials (A Message of Ancient Days) at http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/6/index.html and 7th grade materials (Across the Centuries) at http://www.eduplace.com/ss/hmss/7/index.html.
Across the Centuries (7th grade) is made up of 18 chapters covering historical events from the dawn of the Roman Empire to the American Revolution. There are no chapter lessons devoted to Christianity, but Islam is comprehensively and favorably covered in two chapters, five lessons, and one unit activity. The unit activity covers the “Growth of Islam” and includes a lesson on the Crusades, which has a distinct Muslim bias.
A Message of Ancient Days (6th grade), which includes the Christian material alluded to by Miss Castro, is made up of 15 chapters covering the ancient Eastern and Middle Eastern cultures up to the fall of Rome. There are no chapters dealing exclusively with Christianity, but lessons in Chapters 10 and 15 include certain Christian perspectives that lightly outline the faith. At best, they are incomplete and misleading. Unlike the coverage of Islam, there are no unit activities devoted to Christianity. The teachings of Jesus are covered in little more than a footnote, yet lessons on Buddhism and Confucianism comparatively lavish praise on the faith of their founders.
Muslims Pleased
Not surprisingly, the Muslim community has reacted favorably to the California program. A report entitled Effects of Curriculum Reform in California on the Treatment of Islam in World History Textbooks, prepared by Dr. Gulnur Tanriogen for the International Islamic University Research Centre, said:
The results of this study showed that Islam receives more comprehensive and more accurate treatment in the California adopted textbook on world history than it did in textbooks accepted before 1989 when California's new standards were adopted. The findings of the content analysis demonstrate that the history and culture of Islam were not well developed in any of the textbooks except the 7th grade Houghton Mifflin text (Across the Centuries) which was adopted in 1990. … The Houghton Mifflin text was judged significantly superior in its treatment of Islam to all non-adopted texts.“ [emphasis added]
The deconstruction of Christian influence in America’s public institutions has been going on for some time, but has greatly accelerated in recent years. Christmas has become “winter holiday,” Easter is now “spring break,” and any mention of “Christ” or “Jesus” (unless expressed as a curse word) is enough to bring charges of a violation of church and state. Negative, if not blasphemous, representations of Christianity in art and media are commonplace. The overt promotion of Islam in California public schools, utilizing a biased series of textbooks, is clear evidence that social revolutionaries are pressing their war against Christianity and family values to a new level.
BACK TO BLESSEDCAUSE HOME
and then there was this:
Because Houghton Mifflin insists the quotes I gave from their textbook are out of context, and that they have sufficiently included "Muslims believe...", I am writing word for word what is in two pages from the textbook. There is so much more stating Islam's religious beliefs as fact, than at these two pages.
Because of copyright laws, I really must insert a comment every couple of paragraphs. Please forgive these rude interruptions in blue.
Across the Centuries
Unit 2, The Growth of Islam
Chapter 3
begins on page 58 with these words:
Lesson 2
Muhammad and Islam
Each year, a Meccan trader named Muhammad would spend a month in quiet thought while inside a desert cave on Mount Hira. In the year A.D. 610, something extraordinary occurred. The first verses of the Quran, believed by Muslims to be the written record of God's words, were revealed to him at that time.
(Notice what Muslims believe. That the words are of God, but "something extraordinary occurred" and "being revealed to him at that time" are stated as fact).
The story of how Muhammad received these messages was later told my his wife, Aisha (AY ee shah). Aisha was the daughter of Abu Bakr, a wealthy trader who was the first person outside Muhammad's family to become a Muslim.
Aisha tells that even before Muhammad's experience in the cave at Hira, he had had "good dreams which came true like bright daylight." Then, in the cave, something more far-reaching happened.
(If this is alright for the Islam section, can students read the Apostle John's account of Jesus as fact? And where are the statements of "Muslims believe???")
A being he later identified as the angel Gabriel, or Jibril (juhBREEL) in Arabic, came to him telling him to read, or recite. Trembling, Muhammad responded that he didn't know how to read or what to read. "Thereupon [the angel] caught me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more." Three times the angel pressed Muhammad, finally commanding him to
Read! In the name of your
Lord who created.
Created man from a clot
congealed blood.
Read! And your Lord is the Most
Bountiful.
He who has taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he
knew not.
Qur'an 96:1-5
(Fancy italics, centering, etc., are all the same as the textbook)
End of first page. On the far left column it says:
...... ..T H I N K I N G.... ..
... ....F O C U S.. ....
Find details to support the statement, "Islam, like other religions, is not only a system of beliefs but also a way of life."
Key Terms
Qur'an monotheism Islam Muslim mosque Sunna
Then there is a picture of people looking at a cave with the caption:
Today pilgrims visit the Prophet's Cave on Mount Hira.
Chapter 3
Page 59:
The Life of the Prophet
Muhammad was born into the Quraysh tribe around A.D. 570. Orphaned at an early age, he found work in the caravan trade. At 25, he married a wealthy widow in the trading business. This wealth gave him the freedom to visit Mount Hira each year to think.
On one of these visits in 610, Muhammad is believed by his followers to have had a vision of Gabriel. The angel told him to recite in the name of God. Followers of Muhammad believe the angel then told Muhammad the first of many messages from God.
So far on this page there are a couple of "Muslims believe" which is good, except for the title.
Muhammad's followers believe that in another vision, the angel Gabriel took Muhammad to meet Abraham, Moses, and Jesus in Jerusalem. From Jerusalem, both Muhammad and Gabriel ascended into heaven, where Muhammad spoke to God.
These revelations confirmed both Muhammad's belief in one God, or monotheism, and his role as the last messenger in a long line of prophets sent by God. The God he believed in--Allah--is the same God of other monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity. Allah, the Arabic word for God, is the word used in the Qur'an.
How did Muslim beliefs of revelations CONFIRM Muhammad to be the last messenger? And Allah is NOT the God I worship, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob never told me to torture, terrorize, or cut off fingers, hands and heads of those who disbelieve in him (Quran, 8:12-17) or so many other Quran quotes.
Spreading the Word
Muhammad began to preach, first to members of his family, then to the leaders of his tribe and others. When members of some prominent families accepted Islam, the Meccan leaders became hostile. Failing to convince Muhammad and his followers to give up their beliefs, the Quraysh leaders refused to trade with them, causing the Muslims great suffering. Finally, when Arabs from outside Mecca became attracted to the message during the pilgrimage, the Quraysh leaders plotted to kill Muhammad.
End of page 59. There is a large picture of a beautiful ornate Mosque. Watch these words closely at the caption. Notice the statement states as fact that Muhammad ascended into heaven, what is "believed to be" is the place from where he supposedly ascended...
This monumental building, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, was completed by the Muslims in 691. The rock is believed to be the place from which Muhammad ascended into heaven.
These are every word written on pages 58 and 59 of my sons textbook, "Across the Centuries." Now let's look at how a description of Jesus is given, the "Christian" turn...
A Message of Ancient Days
Page 315 begins with:
Lesson 3
Religious Developments
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him, and departed leaving him half dead." So begins the parable of the good Samaritan. Parables are stories that teach moral lessons. In the first century A.D., a popular Jewish teacher named Jesus told this parable to answer the question, "Who is my neighbor?"
(This is all true. But notice they limit the stories of Jesus to what a mere man could do. This is what Islam believes Jesus is limited to.)
According to this parable, told in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, a priest came upon the beaten man, who was a Jew, but did not stop to help him. Instead, he passed by on the other side of the road. So did an assistant to a priest, also called a Levite. Finally, a Samaritan came upon the man.
End of text. There is a picture of Jesus surrounded by people and the captions reads:
The teacher called Jesus is shown spreading his message in this Italian painting from the A.D. 1400s.
"The teacher called Jesus." Small print. 19 times Jesus is referred to as teacher. Muhammad had headers, MUHAMMAD AND ISLAM, THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET.
Side column:
...... ..T H I N K I N G.... ..
... ....F O C U S.. ....
How are Judaism and Christianity related?
Key Terms
parable Diaspora disciple Resurrection Christianity rabbi synagogue
This unit is flooded with parables and sidenotes devoid of anything extraordinary about Jesus. My point is, 99% of what is written of Jesus is limited to "teachings" and comments about artwork of Him. Islam believes that Jesus is a mere teacher. They agree Jesus was resurrected, but only a common resurrection, believed for all Muslims who have achieved the favor of Allah.
After the "Good Samaritan" parable, there is this:
Jesus taught people to respect and love other people, no matter who they were. He stressed that the Kingdom of God was at hand and that people needed to come into a right relationship with God. In time, his ideas would grow into a new religion.
Notice "In time, his ideas would grow into a new religion." What an understatement of what Christians believe. According to this, any teacher could have started Christianity.
The Teachings of Jesus
By the time Jesus started teaching, the Jewish community had changed a great deal. Jews had been settling in small groups all over the... ( Diaspora is discussed, the location of Jews...) The Jews who returned to Judah after their exile began to disagree among themselves about how they should practice their religion. One major group, the Sadducees (SAJ uh sees), were in favor of following the traditional rituals in the temple. The other major group, called the Pharisees (FAIR ih sees), called on Jews to strictly follow the laws of the Torah in their daily lives, too.
Other, more radical groups existed as well. One was made up of the followers of Jesus. They believed that Jesus was the messiah promised in the Bible.
Yes, Jesus was radical because He rebuked the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their false witness of God. Yet according to this account, Jesus remained in the Jewish teachings and was followed by "a radical group," minimizing the impact and purpose of Jesus.
The Life of Jesus
(If this is supposed to be what Christians believe, why can't we have "The Life of the Savior" as Islam has "The Life of the Prophet"?) Watch this, not one word of the virgin birth, one would think by this account that Mary would have a child by Joseph...
The story of the life of Jesus is told in the New Testament of the Bible. According to the New Testament, an angel appeared to a woman named Mary in the city of Nazareth about 2,000 years ago. The angel told her that she would have a child. The angel told Mary to name the child Jesus.
Islam believes this much.
Mary and her husband Joseph were Jews, and when Jesus was born they raised him as a Jew. Jesus learned the laws and customs of Judaism and studied the Torah. As he grew older, Jesus became a religious teacher.
Oh so he did it by studying...oh, okay...
He based his teachings on traditional Jewish beliefs. For example, he stressed that people should obey the Ten Commandments and the teachings of the prophets. According to the New Testament, he told his followers, "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil (sic) them." (Matthew 5:17)
According to the New Testament account, Jesus called for a new covenant. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus told people that they should act with kindness and love toward others, even their enemies. This teaching is best understood in the light of Jesus' preaching about the coming of God's kingdom.
I think it would be best understood if they said, "Christian's believe Jesus is the new covenant, that He died for our sins, that He paid the price for sin and forgave those who killed Him. But they omit all that.
Jesus taught that the day of judgment by God was nearing. He said God would forgive all people who sincerely turned to God. (Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me." He stressed that the attitudes and beliefs in a person's heart were more important than actions alone. In this way, Jesus emphasized the aspects of the Torah that stressed the importance of love, such as "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18)
Not all Jews liked everything Jesus was saying. Jewish leaders were upset because Jesus' followers called him the messiah. These leaders did not accept the claim that Jesus was the messiah. The Greek word for Messiah comes from Christos which is the Greek word for Christ.
(nothing to write here but have to write something, copyright problems, sorry)
As Jesus gained followers among the Jewish population, opposition from religious leaders grew. The leaders of the Roman empire were also against Jesus. In 63 B.C., Rome had conquered Judah, which then became known as Judea (jooDEEuh). The Roman leaders thought that Jesus was stirring up the Jewish community. They feared he might lead a revolt against Roman rule.
The Roman leaders did not fear Jesus. Pilate did everything he could to wash his hands of it, even demonstrating so. What historians, experts, scholars were these?
The Death of Jesus
Finally, in about A.D. 33, Jesus' opponents acted. (Finally? Were we tired of Him?) Jesus and his followers, called disciples, came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover. According to the New Testament, people gathered and cheered Jesus as he entered the city. Nevertheless, he was arrested just after he ate the traditional Passover meal.
Not one word about Jesus telling His disciples He would be killed, of His preparations. That would be more than a teacher as Islam claims.
According to the New Testament, his opponents took Jesus before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. They said Jesus claimed to be king of the Jews. They charged him with treason against Rome. The Romans did not permit any kings within their empire. All people were expected to obey only the Roman emperor. Pilate ordered that Jesus be put to death. He was crucified--nailed to the cross to die--by Roman guards, according to Roman custom.
The New Testament says that the body of Jesus was placed in a tomb of solid rock. A large stone was rolled in front of the tomb to seal it. Three days later, however, a woman returned to the tomb. The stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty.
(What, no angels? Where is Mary? No compelling descriptions of the reappearance of Jesus? Aisha said much of Muhammad and an angel...)
The disciples of Jesus believed that Jesus rose from the dead. This event is called the Resurrection. It convinced the disciples that Jesus was the messiah. They spread the gospel, or "good news," about Jesus and his teachings. (do they mean the good news that Jesus died for our sins? can't they admit Christians believe that?) They also wrote the New Testament. The religion based on the teachings of Jesus, called Christianity, became the largest religion in the world. You will read about how Christianity spread in Chapter 15.
What about our belief, according to the New Testament, that Jesus rose from the dead? That He walked among us for 40 days and then rose into heaven seen by many? Muhammad's version of ascension was written up twice in the Islam section, once with a photo of the Mosque he supposedly ascended from. What about ANYTHING about Jesus that would take more than a popular teacher?
Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Islam does not. The Quran states: 9:30. The Jews call Ůzair [Ezra] a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth! 4:171 Say not "Three (Trinity)" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son.
As stated before, there is 10x the text supporting the idea that Muhammad is the Prophet with FEWER disclaimers such as "Muslim's believe..." (see graph) 10 times more than dedicated text than what Christians believe about Jesus. These are the small allowances that give Jesus more credit than being a "popular teacher."
1. Found in another section, "Christianity and the Fall of Rome," pg 459, there is a picture of a stone fish and cross and the caption reads, "The fish was one of the earliest Christian symbols. The Greek word for fish contains the first initials of the words, Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior." This is the closest the textbook comes to admitting that Christians might believe He was the Savior, Son of God. Is this balanced? 19 times Jesus is described as a teacher. How many songs do Christians sing about Jesus the teacher?
2. There is a picture of Jesus with the caption, "According to the New Testament, Jesus healed the sick and performed other miracles to demonstrate the power of God." Muslims believe that Jesus healed people by permission of Allah. (see below)
3. The story of Paul of Damascus seeing a vision of Jesus is given. This small concession is surrounded both before and after with disclaimers of "According to the New Testament" and "Christians believe." These concessions make up what constitutes 1/10th of what is devoted to Muhammad as the Prophet, and these concessions are heavily surrounded with "Christians believe."
Muslims believe that Jesus could heal people. In the Quran, Allah is quoted supposedly giving instruction to Jesus in Surah 5:110: "O Jesus son of Marium!" (Islam believes that the sister of Moses is the same Mary...dates and stories are all mixed up) ... you healed the blind and the leprous by my [Allah's] permission;..." All miracles performed by Jesus are claimed to be by permission of Allah. Muslims believe Jesus could perform miracles "to demonstrate the power of Allah." Very similar to the textbook and noted in the tiniest font.
To see documentation of the parallels of Islam's beliefs lining up with what is in the textbook, while omitting what Christian's believe that doesn't line up with Islam, click here.
For those who do not know, Mohammad first went to the Jews as a prophet, writing of peace; was rejected. Mohammad then went to the Christians claiming to be a prophet and wrote peace; was rejected. Mohammad went back to his own people and was rejected until he (for a short time) said Allah allowed them to worship Allah's daughters. Mohammad then began to mastermind or lead slaughters of unbelievers in 60 massacres, and the Quran changed dramatically to hate, that is why there are so many contradictions. That is also why there are so many familiar phrases and precepts between the religions. Mohammad appeared on the scene over 600 years after Jesus was resurrected, he tried to claim to be a prophet, though illiterate, he knew the scriptures of the Bible well. But "Allah" is certainly NOT the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The characters are exactly opposite! In fact the Hebrew phonetic word Allah (aw-law) means to lament, mourn and curse. (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance #421, 422, 423)
This has been a word for word sample comparison of the Islam and Christian sections.
Other items found in the Christian section:
* Blame of Christians for the fall of Rome;
* Quotes that Christians should be convicted (death) for their “hatred against mankind” without explanation or opposing view;
* That Christians fed to the lions in Rome were mostly an exaggeration of Christian writers;
* That Jesus was predominantly described as “a popular teacher with ideas”;
* That Old Testament prophets could not tell the future [false prophets] and explained disasters, allowing Jews to retain their faith in God;
* That salvation is earned by “believing as Christians believe,” good works and tithing (what a compromised version of the Gospel!);
* That Jews mistreated Christians more than Nero;
* Secular explanations for the origin of Hebrews;
* Atheist versions of Biblical stories; and more!
To see details and page numbers of the above, click here
Our Founding Fathers fought bravely for our religious freedom. California recently tried to pass a bill that would give CPS the right to take our children if they were homeschooled and did not attend public school. In public schools, they demand our children know other gods.
God is a jealous God. He said we are to be a people set apart for Him. I have the right to believe that. God said not to inquire about other people and how they serve their gods. Yet California is ever closer to forcing our children to do just that under threat of taking them away from us. California has proven to be a leader in such issues for the nation. Where is religious freedom?
I tell you the truth, if we don't turn around as a nation...time will run out very suddenly for those that do not know God. God will not suffer the children continue to be asked to assume the position of the Muslim and pray to Allah. The faith of our children is under attack. How long will we abandon them alone on the cross of public school? How long will we allow them to be spiritually crippled by the thought police? America, turn around. America, live.
BACK TO BLESSEDCAUSE HOME
This group is trying to keep Islam out of the school systems.
It's www.blessedcause.org
Posted by: susan_b at October 12, 2004 5:07 AM
Kepha1 : Thank you for clarifying.. I though maybe kj had got to you!
I have to remember not to read the comments while I am still pissed off...
Kinda ironic that all the Moslem apologists that comment here say we just don’t understand Islam, yet they connect all of American societies ills with our Judeo-Christian heritage.
In Iraq if they arrest someone with alcohol and pornography they say look a “Christian”.
I didn’t know ages could read? Guess what The Moslems really know what planet of the ape’s is like! We (the ape’s) rule their world! We own Iraq!
They can not seem to grasp that we tolerate people who believe otherwise, this Country was founded by people who believed otherwise!
Even peace loving Moslems want shari'ah law and think its better than what we have....
Why would any Moslem have a clue what real freedom is??
Islam doesn’t allow freedom!
No Islam, Know Peace
Posted by: Bar at October 12, 2004 11:44 AM
Susan, thanks for the links and the very interesting posts. We all need to be watchful for this in our local schools. We also need to be "squeeky wheels" and royal pains in the a$$ to those who try to get away with this.
Posted by: Carolyn2 at October 12, 2004 11:51 AM
That anti-aclu
The American Center for Law And Justice!
These brave souls fight for our rights!
Federal Judge Clears the Way for Connecticut Family to Hold Prayer Meetings at Home
The American Center for Law and Justice Hails the Court’s Decision to Strike Down City “Cease and Desist” Order
http://www.demossnewspond.com/aclj/releases/2003%20Releases/cthomeprayer100303.htm
Posted by: Bar at October 12, 2004 12:41 PM
(Note: The Comments section is provided in the interests of free speech only. It is mostly unmoderated, but comments that are off-topic, offensive, slanderous, or otherwise annoying stand a chance of being deleted. The fact that any comment remains on the site IN NO WAY constitutes an endorsement by Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch, or by Robert Spencer or any other Jihad Watch or Dhimmi Watch writer, of any view expressed, fact alleged, or link provided in that comment.)