BY LINDA BENTLEY | OCTOBER 17, 2012
Allah in the classroom
Part of the ‘grand jihad’ calls students ‘fertile grounds where the seeds of Islam can be sowed inside the hearts of non-Muslim students’
PHOENIX – If Islam is a religion, why is it being taught as “history” in elementary school textbooks?
If Islam is not a religion, but an entire way of governing every aspect of Muslim life, then why is it being defended under the auspices of the First Amendment?
After learning what her sixth grader was being taught in his history class, a dumfounded parent, who asked not to be identified, made an appointment to speak to the school principal.
At issue was her son’s history book, “The World Past and Present,” updated in 1991 by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc.
As a Christian, the parent was deeply offended by the way Islam was held up in a manner that detailed not only its founding but the Five Pillars of Islam, its customs, prayer schedule, the month of Ramadan, how every Muslim should make a holy visit to Mecca at least once during one’s lifetime to “show a devotion to Allah and express Muslim unity.”
The book goes on to detail Islamic rules for daily life, such as forbidding the eating of pork, drinking alcohol and gambling, and notes how men make important decisions as the head of their families and how women must generally keep themselves separate from men and cover their faces with veils when away from home.
It discusses the Koran, praying to Allah five times a day while facing Mecca and how male worshipers are expected to gather in mosques at noon every Friday, the holy day of the week, for sermon and prayer.
It goes on to state how the Koran has been an important influence on the laws and government of Muslim countries.
Other than lumping the Hebrews, referred to as ancestors of the Jewish people, and the Persians together, Judaism being based on the Ten Commandments and the Old Testament, there is no mention of kosher laws, Sabbath, prayer, customs, etc.
And, considering it is a history lesson, there is no mention of pre-Islamic Arabia.
The textbook goes on about Islamic civilization and how it has “thrived” in the Middle East since the seventh century, claiming “outstanding achievements in art and science.”
It states, “The most beautiful examples of Muslim art are in its mosques” and “Mosques dazzle the eye with their wealth of color and detail.”
It credits Muslims with advancing the sciences by studying the skies, charting the movements of planets and stars and developing an instrument to help sailors navigate.
It also states the study of medicine was a contribution of Islamic culture.
Knowing what she knows about Islam, such as Muhammad being a pedophile and other aspects of Islam that are not so palatable, the parent expressed concern there was excessive material favoring Islam, some of which was not necessarily accurate, while it diminished Judaism and Christianity.
It was then that the charter school principal told her their conversation was over and asked her to leave his office.
When she said she wasn’t finished with the conversation, he told her if she didn’t leave immediately he would have her arrested for trespassing and picked up the phone.
The parent said the charter school is otherwise well-regarded and she believes her son is getting a good education.
However, it is only on rare occasions students are permitted to take their textbooks home from school so their parents can actually see what they’re being taught.
While most schools allow parents to review textbooks proposed for adoption, most do not, or when they do it’s often after the adoption has taken place.
The parent sought assistance from the American Center for Law and Justice but was told “public schools may teach students about various religions, including what the basic teachings of various faiths are, in an objective manner. They cannot, however, require students to participate in religious devotional practices (for example, requiring students to pray or to take communion).”
Meanwhile, the Council on Islamic Education has been busy implementing the Muslim Brotherhood’s plans expressed in 1991 as part of the “grand jihad” by rewriting our school textbook content and curriculum standards, noting students are “fertile grounds where the seeds of Islam can be sowed inside the hearts of non-Muslim students.”
