It's a mad house. A MAD HOUSE!!!!!
Posted on 11/24/2004 7:30:01 PM PST by Exton1
Judge rules Islamic education OK in California classrooms
Dismisses suit opposing requirement students recite Quran, pray to Allah
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Posted: December 13, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
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© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
Requiring seventh-grade students to pretend they're Muslims, wear Islamic garb, memorize verses from the Quran, pray to Allah and even to play "jihad games" in California public schools has been legally upheld by a federal judge, who has dismissed a highly publicized lawsuit brought by several Christian students and their parents.
As WND reported in July of last year, the suit was filed by the Thomas More Law Center against the Byron Union School District and various school officials to stop the use of the "Islam simulation" materials and methods used in the Excelsior Elementary School in Byron, Calif.
In her 22-page ruling announced Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton said Excelsior is not indoctrinating students about Islam when it requires them to adopt Muslim names and pray to Allah as part of a history and geography class, but rather is just teaching them about the Muslim religion.
When WorldNetDaily first reported the story in January 2002 – shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks committed by 19 Islamist terrorists – major controversy ensued nationwide.
The World History and Geography class in question is part of a curriculum being taught to seventh-graders all over the state, and is included in the state's curriculum standards required by the state board of education. Although the standards outline what subjects should be taught and will be included in state assessment tests, they don't mandate how they're to be taught.
In the three-week course, Excelsior teacher Brooke Carlin had students assume Islamic names, recite prayers in class, memorize and recite verses from the Quran, and had them simulate Ramadan fasting by going without something for a day. The final test required students to critique Muslim culture.
The Islam simulations at Excelsior are outlined in the state-adopted textbook "Across the Centuries," published by Houghton Mifflin, which prompts students to imagine they are Islamic soldiers and Muslims on a Mecca pilgrimage. The lawsuit also alleges students were encouraged to use such phrases in their speech as "Allah Akbar," which is Arabic for "God is great," and were required to fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Nevertheless, the judge ruled the program was devoid of "any devotional or religious intent," and as therefore educational, not religious in nature.
'Double standard' decried
However, Richard Thompson, chief counsel for Thomas More, points to what he calls an obvious double standard.
"While public schools prohibit Christian students from reading the Bible, praying, displaying the Ten Commandments, and even mentioning the word 'God,' students in California are being indoctrinated into the religion of Islam," he told WND on filing the lawsuit. "Public schools would never tolerate teaching Christianity in this way. Just imagine the ACLU’s outcry if students were told that they had to pray the Lord's Prayer, memorize the Ten Commandments, use such phrases as 'Jesus is the Messiah,' and fast during Lent," he added.
According to Thompson, "Although it is constitutional for public schools to have an instructional program about comparative religion or teach about religion and utilize religious books such as the Bible in courses about our history and culture, the Byron Union School District crossed way over the constitutional line when it coerced impressionable 12-year-olds to engage in particular religious rituals and worship, simulated or not."
However, Byron Superintendent Peggy Green defended the program: "Dressing up in costume, role-playing and simulation games are all used to stimulate class discussion and are common teaching practices used in other subjects as well."
And Excelsior Principal Nancie Castro maintained, "At no point do we teach or endorse religion; we teach about religions' impact from a historical context. ... This is the state-approved curriculum, using state-adopted textbooks and has been part of the instructional program in California for over a decade."
Appealing to the 9th Circuit?
Yesterday, Thompson told WND that his legal team believed from the start that, regardless of who won the first round, this case would go to appeal – and that is exactly where he wants it to go. With some irony, Thompson points out that the appeal would go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
"This is the court that said, in the 'Under God' Pledge case, that the mere expression 'One nation under God' [recited in a public school] violates the Constitution," said Thompson. "It will be very interesting to see how they deal with this Byron School District case where students are basically required to become Muslims for three weeks!"
While the Thomas More Law Center is intent on appealing the case, it is awaiting word from the plaintiffs as to their intent.
bttt
If my child (if I had one) went to that school...well, after this he/she would no longer be going there...
Let's see.... Islam is okay but Jesus is not. Christmas carols can't be sung. You can't even recite the Declaration of Independece!
Well, are we going to sit and let this rot destroy our nation or will we stand up against it? I am SO SICK of having my values and culture DEVALUED by the socialist/communist/atheist sector of education, media and politics.
URGH!!!!!
"I'd pull my kid out of that school in a New York minute."
AMEN! Make that 1/2 a NY minute, that's about 10 seconds flat.
This must be appealed and the hegemony of the commie ridden public schools must be ended.
SUPPORT VOUCHERS! BREAK THE UNIONS! SAVE THE CHILDREN!
Does anyone know what the procedure is for impeaching Federal Judges and if it actually possible to do?
Puke City.
I read this halfway through thinking it is a farce that would end in a twist or payoff making us feel silly for spouting off before reading to the end. This is just incredible. Incredible.
Can someone please tell me why the US Congress can have a chaplain say a prayer every single day?
Then the pledge of allegiance is said with the dreaded phrase "under God".
And yet school children are not allowed to do so?
Instead they get to play-act the moslem religion?
What the hell is going on?
This is another example of idiots in charge. It just disgusts me how they can actually get away with this double standard. It's just a big pile of BS!
I understand the sentiment, zzen, but that's perhaps a bit excessive. (Consider that FR originates from California and so do many of us Freepers.)
This is a matter to which even most Dems viscerally object. Let's just give the matter LOTS of publicity as it travels up the courts.
Let's find out which liberal Democrat appointed Phyllis Hamilton, and repeat it loudly and often (especially around election time).
If enough voters can learn of this sad situation, it could be an immeasurable gift come midterm elections.
what kind of whack jobs are we still tolerating on the bench? /rhetorical question
Henry Bowman, where are you?
You took the words right out of my mouth!
With advanced apologies to our conservative women, whose honor would never place them in the grasp of lust for such a liberal post...
GET WOMEN OUT OF THE JUDICIARY!
They all go liberal once in there.
PS I am marrying a conservative girl in law school, and she knows the score. Liberal women are feminist pigs.
Well, yeah... but I just make pizza for a living; I'm not exactly in charge over here. :)
ping
I'll take a large with extra pepperoni! :)
No offense intended FRiend. Maybe we can just wall off that Bay area pit and let all the socialists starve to death.
"In her 22-page ruling announced Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton said Excelsior is not indoctrinating students about Islam when it requires them to adopt Muslim names and pray to Allah as part of a history and geography class, but rather is just teaching them about the Muslim religion."
Oh, God, please grant us judges with wisdom who will seek Your guidance and uphold justice and righteousness.
It's a mad house. A MAD HOUSE!!!!!
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