The "Circus" Is Back In Session...
Yes, the Ninth "Circus" Court is back in session, and yesterday it heard a case that a lot of people should be paying attention to. People should also be aware that if this is taught to their kids, they might want to have a few words with the principal and the school board.
A case brought by parents and children challenging a California school district for its practice of teaching 12-year-old students to "become Muslims" will be heard in U.S. appeals court today.
The lawsuit was filed by the The Thomas More Law Center against the Byron Union School District and various school officials to stop the "Islam simulation" materials and methods used in the Excelsior Elementary School in Byron, Calif.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, widely considered the nation's most liberal, will hear oral arguments in the case.
The Thomas More Law Center says that for three weeks, "impressionable 12-year-old students" were, among other things, placed into Islamic city groups; took Islamic names; wore identification tags that displayed their new Islamic name and the star and crescent moon; handed materials that instructed them to 'Remember Allah always so that you may prosper'; completed the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, including fasting; and memorized and recited the 'Bismillah' or 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,' which students also wrote on banners hung on the classroom walls.
Students also played "jihad games" during the course, which was part of the school's world history and geography program.
In December 2003, a federal district court judge in San Francisco determined the school district did not violate the Constitution.
In her 22-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton determined Excelsior was not indoctrinating students about Islam when it required them to adopt Muslim names and pray to Allah, but rather was just teaching them about the Muslim religion.
But Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the Law Center, insists the school did cross a constitutional line into indoctrination.
"The public school placed students into the position of being trainees in Islam, which is impermissible in a public school," he said.
Thomas More's chief counsel, Richard Thompson, believes there's a double standard at work in this case.
"If the students had done similar activities in a class on Christianity, a constitutional violation would surely have been found," he said. "If the public school's practice is upheld on appeal, all public schools should begin teaching classes on Christianity in the same manner as the Islam class was taught in this case."
When WorldNetDaily first reported the story in January of 2002 – shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks committed by 19 Islamist terrorists – major controversy ensued nationwide.
The course was part of a curriculum taught to seventh-graders all over the state, included in the state's curriculum standards required by the state board of education. Although the standards outline what subjects should be taught and included in state assessment tests, they didn't mandate how they're to be taught.
At the end of the three-week course, Excelsior teacher Brooke Carlin presenting a final test requiring students to critique Muslim culture.
The Islam simulations at Excelsior are outlined in the state-adopted textbook "Across the Centuries," published by Houghton Mifflin, which prompts students to imagine they are Islamic soldiers and Muslims on a Mecca pilgrimage.
The lawsuit also alleges students were encouraged to use such phrases in their speech as "Allah Akbar," which is Arabic for "God is great," and were required to fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Nevertheless, Judge Hamilton ruled the program was devoid of "any devotional or religious intent" and was, therefore, educational, not religious in nature.
Now, some people might get the impression that I'm against Muslims, or learning about them. I'm not, but I prefer that the learning occur later in life, and not use a strategy that does mirror indoctrination. And my question is why is Islam being focused on so heavily, and yet no other religion is? Do the kids become Catholic or Mormon for three weeks? Do they listen to the fire and brimstone Southern Baptist sermons?
This is a result of political correctness run amuck. We're to feel for the people who want to kill us. I know that the entire religion doesn't believe that, but it sure looks like it, and sounds like it. With each attack that is perpetuated against us, against innocent men, women, and children, the silence from the Islamic community is positively deafening. And were I a parent that had a son or daughter going through this, I'd yank my kid out of that school so fast, the teacher's head would spin.
This sort of "role-playing" is unacceptable. I've heard of a couple teachers in Arizona trying to pull this, and the parents quickly quelled that idea. Again, this isn't based on prejudice, but if a school can't teach any Judeo-Christian religion, then they shouldn't be allowed to teach about Islam. Mr. Thomason, chief counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, is correct--there is definitely a double-standard at work in this case. And as for the idiotic Judge Hamilton, I'm sure she'd find plenty of problems if this were Catholicism being taught rather than Islam.
She claimed that the program was devoid of any religious intent, yet that is exactly what they're being taught. The kids are being taught all abot the religion, including how to fast, how to pray, they're being taught the Five Pillars, etc. This equates to basically being trainees in the Islamic faith. The goal of this program is obviously to make us more tolerant of Islam. And I will grant that a few people need to quit indicting the entire religion, but they have their gripes and their right to air those gripes.
I want the Left to quit meddling in the education of our children. Kids don't need to be taught about Islam, or Mother Earth, or any of that PC BS. They need to be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic so that they can perform in society, and be productive members of society. The schools have been deviating from traditional teaching methods for the past several years. It's time that changed.
But for this case, yes the school is violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. A lot of people might be scratching their heads on this one, but let me make a quick explanation of this. First, schools get their money from the federal government, and that money is for their budgets. That goes for supplies, teacher's salaries, and curriculum. As this is a three-week program, much emphasis is being placed on it, and on nothing else concerning religion. It, therefore, looks to me like they are promoting the religion, rather than just it's history. They are doing this by making the children take Muslim names, and participate in Muslim rites and rituals. The judges may not believe it to be indoctrination, but it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. The school should be ordered to end this program at once.
So, let's keep pur fingers crossed that the Ninth "Circus" Court doesn't screw this one up.
Publius II
Yes, the Ninth "Circus" Court is back in session, and yesterday it heard a case that a lot of people should be paying attention to. People should also be aware that if this is taught to their kids, they might want to have a few words with the principal and the school board.
A case brought by parents and children challenging a California school district for its practice of teaching 12-year-old students to "become Muslims" will be heard in U.S. appeals court today.
The lawsuit was filed by the The Thomas More Law Center against the Byron Union School District and various school officials to stop the "Islam simulation" materials and methods used in the Excelsior Elementary School in Byron, Calif.
The United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, widely considered the nation's most liberal, will hear oral arguments in the case.
The Thomas More Law Center says that for three weeks, "impressionable 12-year-old students" were, among other things, placed into Islamic city groups; took Islamic names; wore identification tags that displayed their new Islamic name and the star and crescent moon; handed materials that instructed them to 'Remember Allah always so that you may prosper'; completed the Islamic Five Pillars of Faith, including fasting; and memorized and recited the 'Bismillah' or 'In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate,' which students also wrote on banners hung on the classroom walls.
Students also played "jihad games" during the course, which was part of the school's world history and geography program.
In December 2003, a federal district court judge in San Francisco determined the school district did not violate the Constitution.
In her 22-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton determined Excelsior was not indoctrinating students about Islam when it required them to adopt Muslim names and pray to Allah, but rather was just teaching them about the Muslim religion.
But Edward L. White III, trial counsel with the Law Center, insists the school did cross a constitutional line into indoctrination.
"The public school placed students into the position of being trainees in Islam, which is impermissible in a public school," he said.
Thomas More's chief counsel, Richard Thompson, believes there's a double standard at work in this case.
"If the students had done similar activities in a class on Christianity, a constitutional violation would surely have been found," he said. "If the public school's practice is upheld on appeal, all public schools should begin teaching classes on Christianity in the same manner as the Islam class was taught in this case."
When WorldNetDaily first reported the story in January of 2002 – shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks committed by 19 Islamist terrorists – major controversy ensued nationwide.
The course was part of a curriculum taught to seventh-graders all over the state, included in the state's curriculum standards required by the state board of education. Although the standards outline what subjects should be taught and included in state assessment tests, they didn't mandate how they're to be taught.
At the end of the three-week course, Excelsior teacher Brooke Carlin presenting a final test requiring students to critique Muslim culture.
The Islam simulations at Excelsior are outlined in the state-adopted textbook "Across the Centuries," published by Houghton Mifflin, which prompts students to imagine they are Islamic soldiers and Muslims on a Mecca pilgrimage.
The lawsuit also alleges students were encouraged to use such phrases in their speech as "Allah Akbar," which is Arabic for "God is great," and were required to fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
Nevertheless, Judge Hamilton ruled the program was devoid of "any devotional or religious intent" and was, therefore, educational, not religious in nature.
Now, some people might get the impression that I'm against Muslims, or learning about them. I'm not, but I prefer that the learning occur later in life, and not use a strategy that does mirror indoctrination. And my question is why is Islam being focused on so heavily, and yet no other religion is? Do the kids become Catholic or Mormon for three weeks? Do they listen to the fire and brimstone Southern Baptist sermons?
This is a result of political correctness run amuck. We're to feel for the people who want to kill us. I know that the entire religion doesn't believe that, but it sure looks like it, and sounds like it. With each attack that is perpetuated against us, against innocent men, women, and children, the silence from the Islamic community is positively deafening. And were I a parent that had a son or daughter going through this, I'd yank my kid out of that school so fast, the teacher's head would spin.
This sort of "role-playing" is unacceptable. I've heard of a couple teachers in Arizona trying to pull this, and the parents quickly quelled that idea. Again, this isn't based on prejudice, but if a school can't teach any Judeo-Christian religion, then they shouldn't be allowed to teach about Islam. Mr. Thomason, chief counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, is correct--there is definitely a double-standard at work in this case. And as for the idiotic Judge Hamilton, I'm sure she'd find plenty of problems if this were Catholicism being taught rather than Islam.
She claimed that the program was devoid of any religious intent, yet that is exactly what they're being taught. The kids are being taught all abot the religion, including how to fast, how to pray, they're being taught the Five Pillars, etc. This equates to basically being trainees in the Islamic faith. The goal of this program is obviously to make us more tolerant of Islam. And I will grant that a few people need to quit indicting the entire religion, but they have their gripes and their right to air those gripes.
I want the Left to quit meddling in the education of our children. Kids don't need to be taught about Islam, or Mother Earth, or any of that PC BS. They need to be taught reading, writing, and arithmetic so that they can perform in society, and be productive members of society. The schools have been deviating from traditional teaching methods for the past several years. It's time that changed.
But for this case, yes the school is violating the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. A lot of people might be scratching their heads on this one, but let me make a quick explanation of this. First, schools get their money from the federal government, and that money is for their budgets. That goes for supplies, teacher's salaries, and curriculum. As this is a three-week program, much emphasis is being placed on it, and on nothing else concerning religion. It, therefore, looks to me like they are promoting the religion, rather than just it's history. They are doing this by making the children take Muslim names, and participate in Muslim rites and rituals. The judges may not believe it to be indoctrination, but it is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. The school should be ordered to end this program at once.
So, let's keep pur fingers crossed that the Ninth "Circus" Court doesn't screw this one up.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:52 AM
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