vision2020
RE: 7th Graders Islam Studies Spark Hate Mail, Lawsuits
Greetings Visionaires -
Being a product of elementary, junior high school, and senior high school
public education in California (the Los Angeles City School District) and
knowing of several others (nieces and nephews) who are currently receiving
their education in the same school systems as I have, I can solemnly claim
that I am unaware of ANY public school in California whose curriculum
requres attendance in those courses previous described on this list.
If there were the slightest hint of truth to these rumors, they would have
been investigated (and reported upon) by CNN, the Associated Press, United
Press International, or any one of a number of reliable news sources.
If anybody on this list can provide me a link to a reliable source reporting
on this story, I will gladly read it with more trust and confidence than I
currently place in the World Net Daily.
Just letting off some steam,
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
-----Original Message-----
From: John Harrell [mailto:johnbharrell@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 4:08 PM
To: John Nagy; vision2020
Subject: Re: 7th Graders Islam Studies Spark Hate Mail, Lawsuits
Thank you John,
So I would like to ask why should my money be forcebly taken from me
to indoctrinate your children into other religions and cultures in the
world?
How about lets forcebly take your money from you to indoctrinate and
immerse my children into a complete and total Christian worldview? Would
that be acceptable?
Living In His Great And Glorious Kingdom,
John Harrell
--- John Nagy <wallys@turbonet.com> wrote:
> After stripping away the hysterical and ludicrous it looks like a noble
> attempt is being made by the public schools to help children better
> understand that there are other religions and cultures in the world.
> That is one reason why my children attend public schools.
> Sincerely,
> John A. Nagy
> Moscow
>
> John Harrell wrote:
>
> > Visioneers;
> >
> > I dont know how many people on Vision2020 have seen this
> > yet, but I thought it worthwhile enough to show what is
> > being done in some government schools. Read the details
> > of what is being required by the 7th graders - it will
> > astound and amaze you.
> >
> > John Harrell
> >
> > ----------------------
> >
> > BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
> >
> > Islam studies spark hate mail, lawsuits
> >
> > Parents: 'Biased' state-adopted textbook
> > distorts world history in favor of Muslims
> >
> > By Diana Lynne
> > ) 2002 WorldNetDaily.com
> > http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=26074
> >
> > Word of public-school students pretending to be
> > Muslims, wearing robes, simulating jihads and
> > memorizing verses from the Koran in a seventh-grade
> > California classroom touched off a firestorm of
> > debate, but WorldNetDaily has learned these
> > classroom exercises are neither isolated to one school
> > district nor are they anything new.
> >
> > Parents of seventh-graders across the state report
> > similar experiences, and one tells WND she battled
> > with her school district over the Islam teachings in
> > 1994.
> >
> > As WorldNetDaily reported last week, an article by
> > Assist News Service described student activities at
> > Excelsior School in Byron, Calif., where "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 30."
> >
> > ANS quoted an "outraged" teacher at Excelsior and
> > parent of a seventh-grader: "We can't even mention
> > the name of Jesus in the public schools, but ... they
> > teach Islam as the true religion, and students are
> > taught about Islam and how to pray to Allah."
> >
> > The story sparked outrage and prompted a flood of
> > 500 calls, WorldNetDaily was told, to the Byron
> > Union School District the following morning. Principal
> > Nancie Castro also reports receiving about 200 hate
> > e-mails. The story quickly became grist for talk shows
> > from 560 KSFO radio to the Fox News Channel's
> > "Hannity & Colmes" program. And in response to the
> > story posted on WorldNetDaily, the international
> > public-interest law firm The American Center for Law
> > and Justice is demanding Excelsior School permit
> > students to opt out of the course, contending it "is a
> > violation of the First Amendment free speech and free
> > exercise rights of students and violates the right of
> > parents to direct the education and upbringing of
> > their children."
> >
> > In its letter to the Byron Union School District, ACLJ
> > states, "We want to make sure this district knows that
> > it crossed the line. We also want to make sure that
> > other school districts don't fall into the same trap and
> > require students to attend courses that violate their
> > own religious beliefs."
> >
> > Dealing with 'hysteria'
> >
> > The raging controversy has parents blaming schools,
> > schools blaming the state, and one lawsuit blaming
> > the course textbook adopted by the state. Castro also
> > blames the media. In a letter sent to parents, she
> > claims the school has been "victimized by a classic case
> > of misinformation that has led to hysteria among
> > people outside of our community." Included in the
> > "misinformation" in the ANS report, according to
> > Castro, is that it was not mandatory for students to
> > take names of Arabs of the Middle Ages or to wear
> > Muslim clothing, and they did not wear the robes to
> > school but only during the class "simulation."
> >
> > As for the simulated jihad Castro explained, "There
> > was a dice game where, depending on the role, they
> > had to do various things like answer a quiz bowl
> > question or read a trivia fact. One roll had them roll
> > for the highest number and called it a jihad." In a
> > response to a query from Prophezine News, Castro
> > explained, "Dressing up in costume, role-playing and
> > simulation games are all used to stimulate class
> > discussion and are common teaching practices used in
> > other subjects as well."
> >
> > When asked whether students were to memorize
> > Islamic terms, phrases, proverbs and the Five Pillars
> > of Faith of the Islam religion, as reported by ANS,
> > Castro replied, "There are vocabulary words to be
> > learned as in every unit. They did not have to
> > memorize proverbs or prayers. They learned some
> > phrases such as peace be with you, but nothing
> > religious or praying to Allah."
> >
> > As for lessons from the Koran, Castro said, "There are
> > some verses in the text that are read, just like there
> > are Bible verses in the text in the section on
> > Christianity." WorldNetDaily has learned, however,
> > that students were offered extra credit if they
> > memorized verses from the Koran. Sources also
> > report that no Bible verses were learned, and
> > Christianity overall was "barely touched on."
> >
> > It is this perceived slighting of Christianity and
> > Judaism contrasted with the virtual promotion of
> > Islam in public schools that parents are taking issue
> > with all across the state, from Byron in Northern
> > California south to San Diego. But WND has
> > discovered that the issue is not new.
> >
> > Valerie Moore says her daughter "was indoctrinated
> > in the Islamic religion for over four months while in
> > the seventh grade" in 1994. Moore expressed shock in
> > arriving at Joseph Kerr Junior High School in Elk
> > Grove, Calif., one day and being greeted by a "huge
> > banner on the front grounds of the school that read
> > 'There is one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his
> > prophet.'" Moore also recounts witnessing "children
> > dressed in Muslim attire, chanting from the Koran
> > and praying while marching around the cabala."
> > Moore recalls the banner being up all day.
> >
> > "What if we put up a sign that says 'Jesus is Lord' for
> > 30 minutes? Oh, no. You can't do that separation of
> > church and state," Moore laments. "They aren't just
> > teaching them about Islam; they have them practicing
> > it. They have them kneeling down and praying to
> > Allah. I have a problem with that. That's more like
> > inculcation." Moore says when she complained to the
> > school officials she was ridiculed and yelled at.
> >
> > In her letter to parents, Castro maintained, "At no
> > point do we teach or endorse religion; we teach about
> > religions' impact from a historical context. ... students
> > learn about Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism
> > and other major religions as they apply to the
> > understanding of history and the development of
> > major Western and non-Western civilizations. This is
> > the state-approved curriculum, using state-adopted
> > textbooks and has been part of the instructional
> > program in California for over a decade."
> >
> > California standards
> >
> > Content standards adopted in 1998 by the California
> > State Board of Education explicitly state the content
> > students need to acquire at each grade level from
> > kindergarten to grade 12. The standards lay out the
> > following for seventh grade World History and
> > Geography:
> >
> > 7.2 Students analyze the geographic, political,
> > economic, religious, and social structures of the
> > civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages.
> >
> > 1.Identify the physical features and describe the
> > climate of the Arabian peninsula, its
> > relationship to surrounding bodies of land and
> > water, and nomadic and sedentary ways of life.
> >
> > 2.Trace the origins of Islam and the life and
> > teachings of Mohammad, including Islamic
> > teachings on the connection with Judaism and
> > Christianity.
> >
> > 3.Explain the significance of the Koran and the
> > Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic
> > beliefs, practice, and law, and their influence in
> > Muslims' daily life.
> >
> > 4.Discuss the expansion of Muslim rule through
> > military conquests and treaties, emphasizing
> > the cultural blending within Muslim civilization
> > and the spread and acceptance of Islam and the
> > Arabic language.
> >
> > 5.Describe the growth of cities and the
>
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