School district considers banning traditions seen as offensive to Muslims

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | September 28, 2007 | ANGELA CAPUTO

[Izzy Dunne]

So long, Halloween parade. Farewell, Santa's gift shop.

The holiday traditions are facing elimination in some Oak Lawn schools this year after complaints that the activities are offensive, particularly to Muslim students.

Final decisions on which of the festivities will be axed will fall to the principals at each of Ridgeland School District 122's five schools, Supt. Tom Smyth said.

Parents expect that the announcement is going to add to the tension that has been building since officials agreed earlier this month to change the lunch menu to exclude items containing pork to accommodate Muslim students. News that Jell-O was struck from the menu caused such a stir that officials have agreed to bring it back. Gelatin is often made with tissue or bones of pigs or other animals.

That controversy now appears to have been been dwarfed by the holiday debate, which became so acrimonious Wednesday that police were called to Columbus Manor School to intervene in a shouting match among parents.

"It's difficult when you change the school's culture," said Columbus Manor Principal Sandy Robertson.

Elizabeth Zahdan, a mother of three District 122 students, says she took her concerns to the school board this month, not because she wanted to do away with the traditions, but rather to make them more inclusive. "I only wanted them modified to represent everyone," she said.

Nixing them isn't the response she was looking for. "Now the kids are not being educated about other people," she said.

There's just not time in the six-hour school day to celebrate every holiday, said Smyth, who sent the message to principals that they need to "tone down" the activities that he sees as eating too much into instructional time. "We have to think about our purpose," Smyth said. "Are we about teaching reading, writing and math or for parties or fund-raising during the day?"

Robertson is hoping to strike compromises that will keep traditions alive and be culturally acceptable to all students -- nearly half of whom are of Arab descent at Columbus Manor, she says. Fewer than a third of students districtwide are of Arab descent, according to Smyth.

Following the example of Lieb Elementary School, Columbus Manor School will exchange the annual Halloween parade for a fall festival next month. The holiday gift bazaars at both schools also will remain, but they'll likely be moved to the PTA-sponsored after-school winter festival. And Santa's annual visit probably will be on a Saturday.

[DesScorp]

Oh, that does it. I’ve had it with these people. If you don’t like halloween or Christmas, GO BACK TO YOUR OWN F*CKING COUNTRY.

Bastards. To hell with them all.

[Lijahsbubbe]

There wasn’t an opening for the eyes but a screen.

That's just crazy. How can that be allowed here?

[Nowhere Man]

Oh, Good Lord!!!! Sometimes I think Western Civlization is too stupid to survive. We need to put a stop to this crap. First Christmas vacation is now “winter break,” then Easter Vacation is now “spring break,” now we have this. If the muzzies don’t want to assimilate in our society or at least participate in it, then it’s time to put them on the next boat outta here. Good grief, Charlie Brown!!

[Sue Perkick]

I was really disgusted by it. If that’s the life they want they need to take it back where it came from.

[khnyny]

You have got to be kidding me. Is this a Scrappleface article? Please tell me it’s Scrappleface.

[MondoQueen]

“...change the school’s culture”.

Note that the statement sounds final, as if it is already a Muslim culture in Oak Lawn. Remember “white flight”? Looks like we have to do it again, or send the children to private schools.

[Izzy Dunne]

Please tell me it’s Scrappleface.

Sorry, not Scrappleface, not the Onion, not April Fool's day.

Welcome to the real world.

[annelizly]

and what about when a muslim offends me?

[Grizzled Bear]

Death to the Great Jiggly Satan!

---

Pamela Anderson?

[VOA]

"I only wanted them modified to represent everyone," she said.

Translation:
"I checked to see if I was dealing with a Neville Chamberlain
or a Winston Churchill before starting an incremental plan to
convert the place into a publically-funded Madrassa."

[khnyny]

Where the heck is Oak Lawn and why are these lameass parents tolerating this crap?

[VOA]

You have got to be kidding me.

Sadly, no.
Chicago is behind the time.
It's been at least a year since we had some threads about Muslims
in the Twin Cities area exercising their "crank's veto" at a
charter school.
So that their kids wouldn't be offended by seeing artistic representation
of humans.
Oh, and since the Muslims call the shots, NOBODY in the art
class gets to draw/paint humans.


A National Geographic documentary told how an Afghani art curator
saved quiet a bit of the national art collection by using watercolors
to cover over any humans in the paintings...so The Taliban wouldn't
destroy them.
So now, we effectively have THE FREAKIN' TALIBAN calling some of
the shots in a Twins City public charter school.
IN-FREAKIN'-CREDIBLE!

[khnyny]

I guess the Renaissance passed these people by...

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Send these mooslims with their God-less Koran and veils back to the Middle East. Let ‘em eat cake (made with lard, of course).

[ragingNOTcajun]

"Elizabeth Zahdan, a mother of three District 122 students, says she took her concerns to the school board this month, not because she wanted to do away with the traditions, but rather to make them more inclusive. "I only wanted them modified to represent everyone," she said. Nixing them isn't the response she was looking for. "Now the kids are not being educated about other people," she said." And the Super does what in response to what I see as a perfectly reasonable request- and one which may have been made with the express purpose of having Zhadan's kids learn about and learn respect for others? ("Now the kids are not being educated about other people"). He wets his pants and ignorantly confuses a normal woman with a wahabbi fanatic. Which, by the way, likely annoys said woman who probably doesn't appreciate being lumped together with the cream of the crap of Islam.

[VOA]

I guess the Renaissance passed these people by...

Well, the "iconoclasts" of the early years of The Reformation
in Europe did go a bit wild destroying works of arts in what had
been Catholic cathedrals/churchs in Northern Europe.

But they did grow out of it fairly quickly, IIRC.

The reason the bad-boy Muslims are so dangerous is that they
do read their Seventh Century scripture.
And they do take that Seventh Century game-plan seriously.

[I still care]

On another post on FR someone posted a schedule, equating a certain percentage of muslims in the population with the amount of disruption in the community. For instance, when 5% of the population is muslim, they start agitating for destruction of certain traditions, at 100% of population Christian churches are banned, etc.

It seems to have been taken from a book. I should have copied it at the time, but I forgot, now I can’t find it. Does anyone remember it?

[khnyny]

But they did grow out of it fairly quickly, IIRC.

Not quickly enough, in my estimation, but ok.

The reason the bad-boy Muslims are so dangerous is that they do read their Seventh Century scripture. And they do take that Seventh Century game-plan seriously.

Right, that's true, but let's look at it this way - Christ's message of love, personal and social responsibility, redemption and forgiveness are just as, if not more than, relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago.

[One_American]

Where the heck is Oak Lawn and why are these lameass parents tolerating this crap?

It's a suburb that borders the Chicago city limits on the southwest side. I grew up and lived there most of my life. It was a good middle class town that had a population of about 65,000 when I left there about 8 years ago. I can't believe this is happening.

[khnyny]

I think that all of us had better start believing, or the United States as we’ve known it, at some point, will be finished. I, for one, don’t think that would be a good thing for the US or the world at large.