Public Schools Embrace Islam (Mandatory Class in California)

BRENTWOOD, CA (ANS) -- As children return to school this week, following the Christmas break, 7th graders in a growing number of public schools, who are not permitted to wear a cross or speak the name of Jesus, will be required to attend an intensive three week course on Islam; a course in which students are mandated to learn the tenets of Islam, study the important figures of the faith, wear a robe, adopt a Muslim name and stage their own Jihad.

In Byron, California, parents were outraged when students came home with their handouts and were told what was being taught. Their complaints to the school principal not only were ignored, but officials of this public school, funded by tax dollars, essentially fluffed them off.

The public schools in California so stealthily slipped this course into the 7th grade curriculum that even another 7th grade teacher, Elizabeth Christina Lemings, was totally in the dark that this was being taught until her son, Joseph, who is a 7th grader in the same school where she teaches, brought home the handouts.

“We could never teach Christianity like this,” Lemings said to ANS during an on-site interview. “We can’t even mention the name of Jesus in the public schools, but over there…,” she pointed to the building next to hers, “they teach Islam as the true religion, and students are taught about Islam and how to pray to Allah.”

Lemings, in her second year of teaching in the Byron (Northern California) Union School District, has been a Christian since 1987. The government school system requires that she teach evolution in her science class with no reference to creationism or any contrasting viewpoint to Darwin’s theory. She quickly learned that God and Christianity are out (forbidden) but that Islam is in.

The textbook used for the Islamic course, Across The Centuries, is published by Houghton-Mifflin (Boston, Ma.). It is described as a Social Studies/History book and has been adopted by the California School System.

In it, Islam is presented broadly in a totally positive manner, whereas the restricted references to Christianity, is centered on The Reformation, Martin Luther and The Catholic Church. Everything Christian is shown in a negative light, with events such as the Inquisition, the Salem witch-hunts, etc. highlighted in bold, black type.

This is proper for a complete study of history. However, there is not one negative to be found about Islam in this one-sided account, such as the wars, massacres, cruelties against Christians and other non-Muslims that Islam has consistently perpetrated over the centuries.

Nor is any mention made of the way Muslims treat their own people, cutting off hands, feet and heads for even the slightest violations of the Islamic tenets of faith, or the shocking way they treat their women.

The ‘miraculous’ events leading up to the Koran, the ‘holy’ book of Islam, and other ‘revelations’ are presented as factual. Any reference of the miraculous regarding Christianity is always set next to a disclaimer stating that; “It was (is) believed by Christians (or an individual such as Martin Luther) that…..,”implying an absence of credibility about the stated event.

For example, the representation that Gabriel the archangel came to Muhammad (Note: not believed to have come to Muhammad) and dictated to him the Koran, a whole new revelation and idea that would surpass all other religions.

What needs to be explained by the Houghton-Mifflin historians, is why Gabriel (which translates, “Man of God”), the archangel of both Christians and Jews, who was a part of all of God’s plan, who interpreted for Daniel the vision of the ram and the he-goat, and comforted him after his prayer with the prophecy of the ‘seventy weeks’ and who heralded the good tidings by declaring the coming of the predicted Messiah, would at that point in time and history, call on Muhammad, one who did not believe in Jehovah God or Jesus as the Son of God, and ‘reveal’ to him the words of the pagan god Allah to lead his people with. How’s that again?

It would be most interesting to have the Houghton-Mifflin experts explain what possessed Gabriel to turn on the God of Abraham and Jesus Christ to lend assistance to what would become a murderous cult with no regard for life, the very antithesis of Christianity. There is a deplorable lack of information here.

And too, the Book of Revelation clearly states that no words should be added or taken away from that book. So this in itself poses a major contradiction and problem.

The faulty textbook, Across the Centuries, has more than its share of deceit. It is stated as fact that Islam, Judaism and Christianity share in common the belief in one god. This is a half- truth, which is the worst kind of lie. Christianity and Judaism worship one God, the God of Abraham. Islam worships one god named Allah. This hook is misleading on the part of Houghton-Mifflin. The publisher apparently is attempting to legitimize Islam.

If this were an authentic history, the textbook would explain that the god of Muhammad was man’s creation. Arabia was a pagan nation that worshiped over 300 gods. One of those was the moon god named, al-ilah. Legend has it that the moon god mated with the sun god and had two daughters, both of whom were worshiped as goddesses. When Muhammad claimed to have had his ‘vision’ and ‘revelation from Gabriel’ he chose al-ilah as the god to build his army around.

Muhammad shortened the name, al-ilah, to, Allah, and declared that he alone should be worshiped. He forbade the worship of the daughters. To this day, a crescent moon can be found at the front of every mosque, acknowledging that Allah was, and is the moon god. All of this is missing from the Houghton-Mifflin accounts.

It is also to be noted, even though not publicized, that Allah is also known as, The God of War. So why isn’t this important study of Islam included in the history books?

The handouts used in this course, obtained by ANS, are considerable. They include a history of Islam and the life of Muhammad its founder.

Muhammad is portrayed as an extremely moral man who wanted a society of purity. A vast body of historical accounts will refute this image. Historians will show that he had multiple wives, a sexual problem, and among his wives, he took a 10-year-old girl for his pleasure (some accounts list her age as 6).

And Islam promises its followers that those who become suicide bombers, killing themselves and others, will go directly to Allah’s paradise where they will be given 72 virgins for unbridled sexual pleasure for all of eternity.

There are many verses in the Koran that must be memorized in this Public School course and students are taught to pray, “in the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful” and to chant, “Praise to Allah, Lord of Creation.”

There are 25 Islamic terms that must be memorized, six Islamic (Arabic) phrases, 20 Islamic Proverbs to learn along with the Five Pillars of Faith and 10 key Islamic prophets and disciples to be studied.

“Can you imagine the barrage of lawsuits and problems we would have from the ACLU if Christianity were taught in the public schools, and if we tried to teach about the contributions of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Apostle Paul?” teacher Elizabeth Lemings lamented. “But when it comes to furthering the Islamic religion in the public schools, there is not one word from the ACLU, People For The American Way or anybody else. This is hypocrisy!”

Even more disturbing; students are to pretend that they are Muslims, wear Muslim clothing to school, stage their own Jihad via a dice game, and pick out a Muslim name (to replace their own) from a list of thirty.

ANS asked some of the students what they thought about this course. All of them felt that “it was fun,” while others described Islam as “a pretty culture.” This included a pastor’s son! Joseph Lemings, 12, said, “the Jihad was like playing a video game,” even though the true violent nature of Jihad was well concealed.

Lemings is disturbed by the “fun” description. She sees it as a tool, not only to engender sympathy and support for the Muslim cause, but for recruitment. “This is not just a class of history of examining culture,” she said. “This course is entirely too specific. It is more about indoctrination.”

Lemings, upon learning of the course on Islam, approached the principal of Intermediate-Excelsior School of Byron, Nancy Castro, requesting the right to teach Christianity in the manner that Islam is taught and for the same length of time.

Castro has not responded to her request. Lemings later received, roundabout, information that the only way she could do this would be to teach the Christianity class (as a Christian Club) after school hours where students would come of their own accord. Otherwise, she would violate the law of (selective) Separation of Church and State. Excuse me?

In an interview with Nancy Castro, the principal of the schools in Byron, she stated to ANS that the Islam course (hidden within “History of Cultures”) reflects California (educational) Standards that meet State requirements.

When asked about the intensity of the Islamic course, Castro stated that the course “is not religion, but Ancient Culture and History. And,” she pointed out, “the text is a State Adopted textbook. We do not endorse any religion, we just make students aware.”

She stated that the textbook is now in use throughout California. When asked if she would allow Christianity to be taught the same way that Islam is taught, Castro stammered before saying that Christianity is already taught in the History and Culture class, “which,” she said, “actually starts in the 6th grade.”

She said that this class started a year ago. The Christianity that is taught is brief, taught as a myth, and strictly negative. This is how it is portrayed in the textbook.

Lemings had stated to ANS that there were many, many parents who protested this course on Islam, especially after September 11th ( which, coincidently, is when the course began).. Nancy Castro contradicted this account.

Asked if there was any response from parents about this course, Castro answered, “Oh a couple of parents called to express concerns, three to be exact.”

Peggy Green, Superintendent of the Byron Union School District did not return calls by press time.

The Muslim’s intentions are clear and the public has been continually notified of that fact. In nearby Fremont, where the majority of the over 150,000 Muslims living in the Bay Area reside, Omar M. Ahmad, chairman of the board of the Council on American-Islamic relations said this at the Flamingo Palace banquet hall: “I urge Muslims not to shirk their duty of sharing the Islamic faith with those who are on the ‘wrong-side’.”

He said that Muslims should not assimilate into American society. “If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam…Islam isn’t in America to be equal to any other faith, but to become dominant. The Koran should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on earth,” he said.

These quotes were published in the” San Ramon Valley Herald” on July 4, 1998 (ironically on our Independence Day), 3 years, 2 months and 7 days before September 11, 2001. And like everything else, Americans and church leaders didn’t pay any attention to it.

In the same article, Ahmad stated: “Everything we need to know is in the Koran.” And bear in mind that the Koran clearly states that Muslims are obligated to kill Christians, Jews and all other infidels.

So why would the American Public School System and the politicians want to further the Islamic faith, push to have it become the One World Religion and nix Christianity?

Simple. Christians cannot be enslaved. Islam, an oppressive religion of control, cruelty and fear does enslave, which can keep people subdued. This is precisely what the future leaders of the One World Order want to achieve. And the misinformed, make nice, politically correct crowd seem eager to help them accomplish it.

But the greatest driving factor in all of this is money. There are the profiteers and politicians who stand to grow in unspeakable wealth and power by cooperating with the Arabs and finding favor by helping them and their pagan religion take control. They have no compunction in selling us out, and our freedom, to accomplish their goals. These greedy, self-serving investors stand salivating on both sides of the oil pump.

"Teaching them what the world is like" -- that's the job of parents. Kids don't need courses in comparative religions to have a well-rounded education. That course is usually a college elective, and even then, some kids aren't mature enough to handle it.

This really isn't about a well-rounded education -- it's about the deliberate promotion of a pseudo-religion that has as it aim the destruction of the secular government and the imposition of despotic Islamic rule. It's time to stop tolerating yourself to death, gfactor.

". . . don't think the aim is to teach religions so that students can go off and pick their own -- if anything forcing kids to do something may turn them off of it. But if religions are to be taught, and since they are such a part of human experience that they OUGHT to be taught, they should certainly teach them all. No the job of public education is not to give kids a multiple choice question in picking a religion, but it is to educate -- in a well rounded manner -- children in what the world is like. ergo, teach them all religions. i can see some who would follow an immersion approach. others just read textbooks. depends on the teacher/curriculum i guess."

Yes, children often feel compelled to do precisely the opposite of what is expected of them; all the more reason NOT to introduce them to multiple religions when they are adolescents. . .much less by public education requirments. . .and sorry, it is just not the job of public education to initiate religion for any reason, nor to concern itself with the 'whole' of human experience. . .

These stuents can get a better education with an introduction to Aristotle and Plato. . .religion needs to stay in the Churches of THEIR choice/their parents. . .and/or until they are of the age to make their own spiritual choices. . .and religion becomes their own education 'elective'.

I haven't seen it, but I heard this was on WorldNetDaily too.

I have no problem at all with them teaching short sessions about the major beleifs and figures of major religions, but to do ROLE PLAY?? Its about time that parents stuck up for these things. I bet the amount of parents opposed to these shananagins would outnumber the ones that didn't at least 3 to 1, depending on what area you live in.

Good point lucy1

When I went to hi school (long after the dinosaurs were gone BTW) no religion was studied. History, culture - yes, religion - no

After I joined the military I read the bible cover to cover, and the koran, worked thru parts of the torah and even some on the Eastern belief system.

Sun Tzu had it right - you must understand where folks are coming from if you wish to come out on top.

Hoo-ah

I''m not about to agree with the instruction involved but...

Not allowed to wear a cross or speak the name of Jesus? Sounds like either the school is overstepping its authority amongst the students -- because a number of court decisions have affirmed the rights of students to express their religious beliefs even in school -- or the person who wrote the article is making things up to inflame emotions.

Everything's okay with you, right?

certainly not. not everything is ok with the world either, and schools that teach about the world are going to teach about that too. If you want to hide certain things from kids, like the religious beliefs of the largest religion in the world (not that gives it any legitemacy, but gives it impact), then i would say you are the one with your head stuck somewher where the sun don't shine.

i think you're missing the point of what i mean by "teaching religions". its to introduce people to other beliefs -- beliefs which motivate people all over the world. plato or aristotle will help them understand western society, but then they should also learn about the other few billion people in the world. its all part of an education -- knowing the world around you.

Get a grip. Schools exist and are charged with teaching English, math, science, history and geography as fundamental subjects. The arts are offered as electives.

Never mind that the public schools have failed miserably with their charge, but even you should realize that religion is only allowed to be taught in private schools where the parents approve of the cirriculum.

You need to pull your head out of where the sun don't shine!

". . .its all part of an education -- knowing the world around you."

. . .world is a big place and a lifetime isn't long enough to 'know it'. . .that said, seventh graders do not need to know the religions of the world - as older students, fine. . . just not mandatory. . .

. . .appreciate your viewpoint ie the cultivation of 'religious tolerance' and understanding. . . just disagree with your premises and your conclusions.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.