Posted on 11/18/2005 9:23:45 AM PST by Jay777
SAN FRANCISCO - Christian students and parents cannot sue a school district where some seventh-graders pretended to be Muslims for three weeks during a course in world history, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the role-playing game was not a religious exercise that violated anybody’s constitutional rights.
The decision was issued one day after the U.S. House of Representatives chastised the 9th Circuit for ruling earlier this month that parents can’t sue public schools for providing information about sex. That decision “deplorably infringed on parental rights,” said the House resolution. Thursday’s decision came down in an unpublished memorandum, indicating the judges considered it routine.
They reviewed the method used by one teacher in Byron, Contra Costa County, four years ago to teach the unit on Muslim history, culture and religion that is part of the state’s seventh-grade history curriculum.
Brooke Carlin encouraged her students to play at being Muslims - adopt Muslim names, recite a line from a prayer and give up candy or television to simulate fasting, for example. Students were permitted to opt out. On the final exam they were asked to critique elements of Muslim culture.
Jonas and Tiffany Eklund sued, along with their children. San Francisco U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton dismissed the suit two years ago, saying Carlin was merely teaching and not indoctrinating. Hamilton found that the students did not engage in actual religious exercises.
The 9th Circuit upheld her decision in a five-sentence ruling, saying only that the activities weren’t “overt religious exercises” that would raise concerns under the First Amendment prohibition of “establishment of religion.”
Senior Circuit Judge Dorothy Nelson of Pasadena and Circuit Judges Johnnie Rawlinson of Las Vegas and Carlos Bea of San Francisco signed the decision.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
...Brooke Carlin encouraged her students to play at being Muslims...
Torching cars, murdering your neighbors, raping their pets, eating their children and strangling one's own daughters?
That kind of thing?
Opps... beat me to it.
From the same Court that would rule Bible lessons in schools to be unconstitutional. If that is, this certainly should be as well.
How long before a student would be expelled if in his role playing a muslim he chained up a female classmate, beat her for showing to much skin, and the beheaded a non-muslim?
I love the Homeland Holiday Advisory graphic on your site. That's a great idea!
God does not live in California either. Just illegals and liberal wackos.
now those judges are lifetime appointments; so you would have to impeach them to remove them; you couldn't just "fire" them...
"9th Circuit Court of Appeals Opinions Jurisdictions..."
Which is why wife and I moved to Indiana. The insanity that has plagued Kaleefornia does not stop it the state border.
Yes, I am afraid so.
Any law says you can't cut their pay?
Actually, the free pre-school measure will impact individuals making more than $400K a year and couples who make more than $800K per year. The result is people in this income bracket will pay ELEVEN PERCENT in State income tax. Of course this will pass because the vast majority of people are NOT in this income bracket and it won't affect them. This is so completely and totally WRONG!
Time to present the Christmas story in CA schools.
Bookmarked the stoptheaclu site to remember to register to comment there. I hope other FReepers will do the same to show support for a worthy project.
Probably made them in shop class.
Still sending your kids to gov't schools?
You're stuck on stupid!
ENOUGH!
It would have been pretty funny if some parent had their child play a muslim terrorist! Wear a bomb belt, etc. The teacher/school would have freaked out!
Expelled? What for exercising his first ammendment rights to practice his religion?
Discussing the Bible with other students in your dorm room if you're an RA at college = unconstitutional. Having school children dress up, pray, and fast in accordance with Islamic religious practices = A-OK!
Where's Rod Serling narrating this episode of the Twilight Zone?
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