Posted on 08/03/2004 5:12:26 PM PDT by wagglebee
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A school that caters to children of Saudi diplomats is teaching first-graders that Judaism and Christianity are false religions, according to a Muslim group concerned that such teachings breed hatred.
Free Muslim Coalition Against Terrorism is calling on Islamic Saudi Academy to remove the textbook used to teach first-graders. The teachers' edition of the textbook outlines several points of emphasis, including the statement, "All religions other than Islam are false religions."
The coalition's director, Kamal Nawash, a Muslim, said it would be acceptable to teach that Islam is the only correct religion. But to explicitly tell first-graders that Jews and Christians practice a false religion could breed extremism, he said.
The school "must be sure to instruct students to have the utmost respect for other religions," Nawash said.
Nawash's criticism follows a report last month by a nonprofit group called Saudi Institute, also denouncing the school's curriculum. The institute advocates extensive reforms in Saudi Arabia.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for Council on American Islamic Relations, said he did not believe it was a good idea to explicitly criticize other religions to young children.
"Followers of most major faiths believe they have the correct religious teachings, but an affirmative belief in the truth of one's own faith should not lead to the disparagement of all others," Hooper said.
Still, Hooper said, if only a small portion of a lesson plan needed to be changed, it "hardly justifies sweeping charges of extremism."
The school, which teaches more than 1,000 pupils at campuses in Alexandria and Fairfax, did not return calls seeking comment. The school's Web site says the academy "promotes respect and mutual understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims, Arabs and Americans while keeping within the Muslim faith."
Nail al-Jubeir, a spokesman for the Saudi Embassy in Washington, also did not return calls. He told The Washington Times that critics of the textbook "are making a big thing out of nothing." The Saudi government provides money to the school.
The school's teachings have come under scrutiny since the Sept. 11 attacks. Federal court documents in a case against an academy graduate indicate that pupils' discussions after the attacks took an anti-American bent, and some pupils considered the attacks "payback" for what they saw as American mistreatment of the Muslim world.
Actually, just telling the little Islamofascists that murdering everyone who disagrees with them is wrong would be enough.
The enemy within.
Insecurity and fear and self doubt drives the brainwashing of young Muslims.
How can anybody teach Islam with out teaching what the Koran and the prophet promote?
We teach our kids that Islam is a false religion. They have the right to teach their kids their own beliefs! Geez, that is what our country is all about. We have no right to dictate to these people what is taught in their own schools.
Read what I wrote earlier (post #1), I think it is enough to teach them that killing of non-Muslims is wrong.
Well, I know Christians who say sh!t like that. Big deal. The real question is, given Islam's bloody primitive, savage history, why are we not skinning these muther's alive?
Keep that in mind when one of these kids gives you a C-4 enema...
I went to this school for grades 3-5, and they never taught us anything about Islam. Of course, back then, it was called Fairfax Christian Academy. The principal (Thorburn) later sold the school to the Saudis after they offered lots of money. Unfortunately, the Thorburns couldn't find another place to build their school: most of the other towns wouldn't let them build a new campus, even though they could have bought land. The school I went to was on Popes Head Road in Fairfax.
That's true insofar you consider this flavor of Mohammadenism pretty much benign. Which, IMO, it is not.
But I am glad that Hitler never decided to prosleytise America by declaring NazionalSocialisme a religion, which, undoubtedly, some of the more occult initiation and indoctrination practices of the SS could be compared with.
A religion that preaches your eventual demise transgresses any protections the host society offers since it has crossedover into a state of hostile ideology, rather than what it professes to be.
We have no right to dictate to these people what is taught in their own schools.
Keep that in mind when one of these kids gives you a C-4 enema...
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As much as it pisses me off, I have to say that I can't in good faith tell them how to teach their classes on the subject of religion. Every time a student is harassed for praying or talking about God, or a the 10 Commandments are removed from a building or public Christmas displays are banned even on church property, my right to practice my religion without government involvement is infringed. I can't in good faith advocate censoring the Constitutionally protected rights of others unless I am willing to make a moral concession that it is acceptable when done to my own religion.
Don't get me wrong, I want to nuke Iran and I think Islam is a fundamentally evil religion, I just can't take a hypocritical stand regardless of how angry I am.
Actually, Islam is a false religion according to Christianity, and I would hope that Christian schools are still free in this country to teach that. The issue is whether a religion is promoting and practicing violence against another faith.
bttt
Still, it's islamic violence that's particularly hard to tolerate for me.
I agree, I also realize that it is highly unlikely that the school would have textbooks promoting jihad, but it may be taught.
So, "Islam is the only true religion" is OK, but "All religions besides Islam are false" is not?"
Gonna have to vote with the First Amendment on this one. Point me to a passage in that textbook that says that infidels ought to be killed, and then we'll talk. Heaven knows that kind of thing is taught in Wahaabi schools.
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