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Muslim Presentation at Friendswood School Draws Fire
Associated Press ^ | May 31, 2008

Posted on 05/31/2008 6:32:36 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY

FRIENDSWOOD — Parents of some junior high students are upset they weren't notified about a school presentation on Islamic culture, an omission that violated school district policy.

The parents' letter-writing campaign stems from a May 22 presentation at Friendswood Junior High, where two Muslim women gave a 30-minute presentation about Islamic life as part of a yearlong study of respect, tolerance and culture, The Galveston County Daily News reported Saturday.

The guest speakers discussed Muslim culture, including topics such as food, religion, dress, beliefs and famous Muslims.

School district spokeswoman Karolyn Gephart said principal Robin Lowe had "best intentions," but Gephart acknowledged not informing parents beforehand was a mistake.

District policy states parents are to be informed about the purpose and content of presentations so that they can keep their children out if they think the material might be offensive or inappropriate.

Still, Gephart said, "If you pulled a book about Islam from the library, you would find the same stuff in the book. There was no proselytizing."

Kim Leago, whose son is in the eighth grade, said she's still upset he was exposed to the "inappropriate" presentation.

"We can't say 'One nation under God' in school, so I definitely don't think (the presentation) was the right choice," she said.

(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: diversityeducation; islam; muslimwomen; socialstudies
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To: Free ThinkerNY

The woman, Gephart is nothing short of a pig. She deserves to be fired and I hope they do so.


21 posted on 05/31/2008 9:27:01 PM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote.)
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To: Virginia Ridgerunner

The more coverage this gets the better for our American children. Radical extreme Islam needs to be eradicated evrywhere it pops up its diseased ugly and deadly head. I Googled this story Friday morning and got literally dozens of top hits. The story needs all the exposure it can get.


22 posted on 05/31/2008 9:30:47 PM PDT by Ron H. (A lesser evil candidate is still an evil candidate even if it's a Republicrat!)
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To: chesley
it's easier to to indoctrinate and then say "were sorry and made a mistake", than it is to ask for permission to indoctrinate, Amricans won't do squat about it except complaine about it..
23 posted on 05/31/2008 9:34:56 PM PDT by Beamreach (what is truth, Jesus Christ is truth and from truth flows right and wrong)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Famous Muslims

The 19 “martyrs” who attacked the WTC


24 posted on 05/31/2008 9:45:30 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: OpusatFR

two women from the Houston division of the Council on American-Islamic Relations instructed students that Adam, Noah and Jesus are prophets, announced “there is one god, his name is Allah,” taught the five pillars of Islam, told students how to pray five times a day, and
_____________________________________

So is there a big fat lawsuit ???

I would hope...


25 posted on 05/31/2008 9:46:58 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: Beamreach
Americans won't do squat about it except complaine about it..
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You are so right. Americans will only complain and do nothing.

What needs to happen is:

1) Remove your own child.
2) Encourage others to remove theirs.
3) Vote together to elect officials who will CLOSE the government schools DOWN!

26 posted on 05/31/2008 10:03:12 PM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: OpusatFR

I bet these same kids aren’t taught who founded their city - the Quakers!

Friendswood city history.

Fig orchards, satsuma orange orchards, and rice fields once flourished where Friendswood homes now stand. The last vestiges of them and the homes that the Quakers constructed are nearly gone, but the legacy left by those founders and early settlers remains. That legacy is the heritage of a way of life that did more to shape the character of the community than any brick and mortar buildings ever could.

In the spring of 1895 a Quaker named Frank Jacob Brown, who had been an adventuresome buffalo hunter, and a Quaker named Thomas Hadley Lewis, who was a college educated man, felt directed to this area of the Gulf Coast to establish a community dedicated to God. Starting Quaker colonies was a common practice of the religious sect called Quakers or Friends, as they were part of the westward movement across the nation in the middle to late 1800s. (The terms Quaker and Friends are synonymous and used interchangeably.)

When Brown and Lewis came upon this area in Northern Galveston County, they found 1,538 acres of prairie, well drained by Clear Creek, Coward’s Creek, Mary’s Creek, and Chigger Creek, and beautifully framed with the dense woods along the creeks. Feeling this surely was their “Promised Land,” they negotiated with the owner, Galveston banker J. C. League, for a deed of trust, and on July 15, 1895 they recorded the name of the colony at the Court House in Galveston. They named it Friendswood.

Word of the colony spread among Quakers in the northern and midwest states, and soon more than a dozen families joined them. Friendswood developed as a farming community marked by hard work, simple, clean living, and a deep respect for God, the family, and education.

After the colony survived the Galveston Storm of 1900 with no loss of life, they used their sawmill to convert the swaths of trees felled by the storm into lumber for the construction of a two story building they called the Academy. It served them as church, school, and community meeting place until it was replaced by the present stone church building in 1949. The Academy (high school) operated by the Quakers offered a classical curriculum through 1928, and attracted students, in its earliest years, from surrounding towns that had no high school.

From 1895 to 1915, most of the newcomers were Quakers who came to be a part of the Quaker colony.

Education is an important part of every successful community. Friendswood lies within two premier school districts—Clear Creek ISD and Friendswood ISD. Both are rated among the best in Texas.


27 posted on 05/31/2008 11:38:22 PM PDT by anymouse
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Famous Muslims?

Obviously a misquote. Infamous fits the bill.
28 posted on 05/31/2008 11:47:29 PM PDT by BIGLOOK
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To: weegee
You have a problem with this story staying active on FR?

No, not at all. I was just trying to point folks to the original discussions, especially to the specific thread where the additional details about the principal's outright insurbordination and ties to the Muslim community came out.

29 posted on 06/01/2008 3:56:48 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
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To: 4integrity

Actually, a US Marine just did : O


30 posted on 06/01/2008 4:01:51 AM PDT by freema (Proud Marine Niece, Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, Cousin, Mom and FRiend)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
'"We can't say 'One nation under God' in school,'

We say the pledge every day, including the new one for the Texas flag.

31 posted on 06/01/2008 4:06:22 AM PDT by mathluv
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To: anymouse

Thanks, anymouse. I was about to post that Friendswood was founded by Quakers! My husband went to Friendswood High School in the ‘60’s. Even though the town was small, there were many devoted Quakers.

My, how times have changed! There was a prominent Lowe family in town and this principal more than likely is related. This story proves the left has control and power over the village idiots running our public schools.


32 posted on 06/01/2008 6:59:55 AM PDT by right wing (The Drive-By Media Are Terrorists Too)
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To: freema

“Actually, a US Marine just did : O”

Whoo Hoo!! You go, Marine!
God bless our military, their families and our great country!


33 posted on 06/01/2008 8:21:45 AM PDT by 4integrity
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To: 4integrity

Yeah, well, guess what he got for following Ann Coulter’s suggestion? Suspended. He got freaken suspended. Marine’s aren’t suspended! But the court martial calendar is full.


34 posted on 06/01/2008 9:23:01 AM PDT by freema (Proud Marine Niece, Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, Cousin, Mom and FRiend)
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To: freema

: )
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2023101/posts?page=77#77


35 posted on 06/01/2008 9:25:59 AM PDT by freema (Proud Marine Niece, Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, Cousin, Mom and FRiend)
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To: freema

OMG.....if we can write in support of the Marine, let us know.


36 posted on 06/01/2008 9:46:43 AM PDT by 4integrity
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To: Free ThinkerNY
...School district spokeswoman Karolyn Gephart said principal Robin Lowe had "best intentions," but Gephart acknowledged not informing parents beforehand was a mistake.

In the spirit of " Z-E-R-O T-O-L-E-R-A-N-C-E " This person should be immediately and irrevocably FIRED, P-E-R-I-O-D ! In my book 'religious indoctrination' of this order IS tantamount to violence the same as would be a perceived dangerous weapon. I EXPECT nothing less for this case as would be for bringing a weapon to the classroom.....

37 posted on 06/01/2008 9:53:43 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: 4integrity

Feel free to write that principal and tell her I hope to read she’s in court soon. Nary a thing to be done for the Marine. He was wrong.

So was the principal.

Zero tolerance.


38 posted on 06/01/2008 11:24:17 AM PDT by freema (Proud Marine Niece, Daughter, Wife, Friend, Sister, Cousin, Mom and FRiend)
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To: Free ThinkerNY
Here is a pic of the FJH School principal if anyone is interested.


 Principal Robin Lowe

It came from a cached copy of the original FJH School page which was quickly edited to remove all school employee pictures. I pasted the link on my blog to the cached linked page.

39 posted on 06/02/2008 11:47:34 AM PDT by Ron H. (A lesser evil candidate is still an evil candidate even if it's a Republicrat!)
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