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Mother’s Eight-Year Odyssey Challenging Islamic Indoctrination in a New Jersey Middle School Reaches the U.S. Supreme Court
Thomas More Society ^ | November 25, 2025 | Staff

Posted on 11/25/2025 10:43:50 AM PST by Twotone

WASHINGTON — Libby Hilsenrath’s eight-year odyssey to protect her son from what she considered unconstitutional religious indoctrination has reached the final chapter. Last week, the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, filed a Reply Brief on her behalf — the final written plea to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse lower court decisions which affirmed Chatham Middle School teaching seventh grade students: “May God help us all find the true faith, Islam.”

Libby Hilsenrath, reflecting on the uncertainty of the High Court’s weighty decision, commented: “This is the path God has chosen for me, and whatever happens is in His hands. Regardless of the outcome, I will continue to fight for the education of our children because they are the future of our country.”

The Crucible of Conflict

Eight years ago, when Mrs. Hilsenrath first voiced her legitimate concerns as a parent that the school was subjecting her son to religious indoctrination, little did she know that she was about to face a crucible of conflict. Throughout those eight years, she has endured constant vicious public attacks by the school board and from her own community.

What started as her legal battle on behalf of her son has now become a battle of great consequence to public schools across the country as well as to the millions of parents and their children attending public schools.

The lower courts that heard Mrs. Hilsenrath’s case affirmed the middle school’s lessons under the new test announced in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District which instructed courts that they must refer to “historical practices and understandings” whenever considering a violation of the Establishment Clause.

Seventh grade students at Chatham Middle School were directed to watch a 5-minute Intro to Islam video, filled with purely Islamic religious beliefs presented as facts during a mandated class in World Cultures and Geography.

Students were also directed to take notes as they watched the video proclaim:

“Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the last & final Messenger of God. God gave him the Noble Quran.”

“What is the Noble Quran? Divine Revelation sent to Muhammad (S) last Prophet of Allah. A Perfect guide for Humanity.”

“The Noble Quran: Guidance, Mercy and Blessing for all Mankind.”

“The Noble Quran: Without any doubt and an eloquent guide from Allah.”

“The Beautiful Quran: Guidance for the wise & sensible.”

“Islam: A shining beacon against the darkness of repression, segregation, intolerance and racism…”

The video ends with a call to conversion: “May God help us all find the true faith, Islam.”

No similar proselytizing videos involving any other religion, such as Christianity and Judaism, were presented to the students.

The lower court decisions affirming the middle school’s lessons on Islam are inconsistent with previous Supreme Court opinions that gave parents and students broad protection from subtle coercive pressures in school settings under the Establishment Clause. The Kennedy opinion never overruled those cases.

The Reply Brief argued that the “Establishment Clause prevents schools from advancing religious views that may conflict with the private beliefs of the student and his or her family.” The Hilsenrath case presents important unanswered questions about the proper Establishment Clause test to apply in the public-school context after the Kennedy decision.

Lower courts have struggled to determine whether Kennedy articulated a new Establishment Clause test, what that test is, and what impact, if any, that test has on the long-standing Establishment Clause precedents which safeguard parents and their students against coercion in public schools.

Only the Supreme Court can resolve the lower courts’ confusion and confirm the heightened protection parents and students enjoy under the Establishment Clause in the public-school setting.

The recent case of Mahmoud v. Taylor decided after the Third Circuit’s ruling, confirms “the right of parents to direct the religious upbringing of their children.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: indoctrination; islam; islamification; islamization; moslem; schools; supremecourt
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1 posted on 11/25/2025 10:43:50 AM PST by Twotone
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To: Twotone

The moment Democrats saw those airliners crashing into the Twin Towers, they knew they had found their ideological soul mates.


2 posted on 11/25/2025 10:48:13 AM PST by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: Jeff Chandler

And now the HMFNIC is a Islamic Terrorist


3 posted on 11/25/2025 10:52:08 AM PST by al baby (I miss that ol windbag )
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To: Twotone

I would love to see an attempt to prove the existence of a 600A.D. Mecca, Medina, or Mohammed in court... never mind the Quran. That would be comical.

(Spoiler: those cities didn’t existence then, and the ‘prophet’ was made up in response to Christianity)


4 posted on 11/25/2025 10:57:44 AM PST by alancarp (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: Twotone

She’s lucky to be alive.


5 posted on 11/25/2025 10:58:32 AM PST by George from New England (escaped CT back in 2006)
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To: Twotone

Look at history, islam, moslems have more innocent blood on their collective hands then any other religion or group of people. They have killed billions.

Shall we ask the Indians, the Armenians, the Yazidis, the Greeks?

Islamic Invasion Of India: The Greatest Genocide In History https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2015/08/31/islamic-invasion-of-india-the-greatest-genocide-in-history/

Genocide of Yazidis by ISIL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_of_Yazidis_by_ISIL

The Biggest Holocaust in World History http://www.hinduwebsite.com/history/holocaust.asp

Armenian Genocide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Genocide

The long read Slaves of Isis: the long walk of the Yazidi women

When Isis rounded up Yazidi women and girls in Iraq to use as slaves, the captives drew on their collective memory of past oppressions – and a powerful will to survive. By Cathy Otten https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/25/slaves-of-isis-the-long-walk-of-the-yazidi-women

Greek genocide the Pontic genocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_genocide

Assyrian genocide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assyrian_genocide

The Jihad Against the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek Christians
http://www.seyfocenter.com/english/354/

The koran in its many versions (last count 19 or so) is and has been nothing more then a get out of jail free card for the followers of islam. It’s in the koran. A manual for criminal activity, a blue print for hate, death, murder, theft and conquest and oppression.

You all should know by now the moslems, they lie, they steal, they kill, they murder, they rape, they torture, they cannibalize, they can have sex with an animal (their favorite goat) but can’t eat it but it’s ok to sell it...It’s all in the islamic fatwas. Islamic law, (Sharia) or in the koran.

It’s been that way since it’s inception. I know there is a DEVIL because he whispers in every moslems ear.

I have been literately saying this for years and I will keep saying it.

Google knife attacks, (vehicle, truck, car attacks),* google bombings, google rape gangs, google hostages, google mass homicides, google fire bombing** and the overwhelming majority will have a moslem, or a palestinian involved as the perpetrator. We all know that islam is a death cult and criminal mafia like organization. ...do the searches and then you decide what a moslem is.


6 posted on 11/25/2025 11:15:48 AM PST by BFW
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To: BFW

Thank you for the links and other information. I wonder how many Christians the Mohammedans have killed? It’s been in the news lately.


7 posted on 11/25/2025 1:25:47 PM PST by deks (Deo duce, ferro comitante · God for guide, sword for companion)
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To: Twotone

I wonder where Annie Laurie Gaylor and the Freedom From Religion Foundation land on this. I could find nothing on their website and eight years seems to be a long enough time to weigh in on this religious proselytizing in a high school.


8 posted on 11/25/2025 2:53:30 PM PST by gnickgnack2 ( Oh, Trumpy days are here again....)
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To: BFW

Thanks for your excellent list.


9 posted on 11/25/2025 3:29:54 PM PST by magooey (The Mandate of Heaven resides in the hearts of men.)
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