Christian group considers lawsuit over (Qur'an) requirement

Nick Maheras ^ | 08-10-02 | Nick Maheras

[xvb]

Christian group considers lawsuit over requirement

By Nick Maheras, STAFF WRITER July 10, 2002

Legal action may be the next step by a Christian advocacy group opposed to a mandatory University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reading assignment.

The Family Policy Network, a nonprofit agency, objects to the university requiring all incoming freshmen and transfer students to read "Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations" and attend an Aug. 19 discussion on the book. Terry Moffitt, chairman of the agency's board, said the assignment's mandatory nature lies at the heart of the issue.

"If they had offered this as an elective and given an alternative to the course, we wouldn't have had a controversy," Moffitt said.

"Forcing students to read and discuss the Quran is wrong, especially since there is no such requirement for studying any other religion."

Moffitt's group has sent a letter to the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina asking it to help overturn the assignment.

Seth Jaffe, staff attorney for the ACLU, said the organization is reserving action as the case unfolds.

"It depends on how the instructors teach the book," he said. "The stated purpose is to promote cultural understanding of a less-understood religion.

"There's nothing that prohibits a state university from mandating that students read about another religion. They cannot promote it."

Jaffe admitted the ACLU has received complaints about the reading requirement.

"We wouldn't consider representing anyone until we got a complaint based on how it's taught," Jaffe said.

"We are keeping an eye on it. Anytime a state university mandates reading (about) a religion, it's a concern."

Jaffe said U.S. Supreme Court rulings go against governments promoting a certain religion.

Moffitt says UNC's decision does promote Islam.

"As a state university, UNC should never be allowed to demonstrate this kind of prejudice toward or against any particular religion," he said.

Moffitt rejected the ACLU's position as disingenuous.

"We feel the ACLU is being hypocritical because if it was 35 chapters from the Bible, they'd be all over it," he said.

Until the university moves to make the book and discussion sessions voluntary, Moffitt said his agency has begun pursuing legal action of its own.

"We have been contacted by five different legal organizations who are willing to represent students who will bring suits against this university free of charge," he said.

"We have been asking students to come forward on shows we have been on, and we've gotten a very good response."

Moffitt said the disgruntled UNC students worry about potential reprisals by the university or its professors.

[Nachum]

Next, the Scientologists want an L. Ron Hubbard Sci fi book as required reading too.

[Ronzo]

"We feel the ACLU is being hypocritical because if it was 35 chapters from the Bible, they'd be all over it," he said.

That about summs it up.

ACLU = Anti-Christian Liberties Union

Shoot, the ACLU would be filing lawsuits like crazy if UNC were requiring the freshman to read and discuss Pope Paul IV's Humanae Vitae.

Though now that I think about it, that would be the perfect document for incoming freshman to be indoctrinated in, even for the protestants, atheists and muslims...

[marron]

There is nothing wrong with including the Koran on a required reading list.

Of course, you cannot be considered educated without having read the Bible. It should head the list at any institution that is serious about imparting Western Civilization.

[timestax]

bump

[Drew68]

In a way this is good. The more people that read the Koran, the more people that are exposed to what an barbaric, uncivilized abomination this piss-poor excuse for a religion actually is.

[Michael2001]

Exactly

[Michael2001]

In a way this is good. The more people that read the Koran, the more people that are exposed to what an barbaric, uncivilized abomination this piss-poor excuse for a religion actually is.

Unfortunately they're not reading the Koran itself, they're reading some leftists sugar coated interpretation of the Koran.

[I still care]

That is the point being argued. They are NOT reading the Koran, unadulterated. The book required is an expurgerated version - where all the Suras that are hard on the infidel, and basically anything that shows Muslim law to be sort of nasty - have been taken out. They are only reading the "nice" stuff - and the group claims that is indoctrination, not education.

[john in missouri]

Seth Jaffe, staff attorney for the ACLU, said the organization is reserving action as the case unfolds.

"Reserving action????" Man, if it had to do with the Bible, they'd be all over it.