CA School District Forces 7th Graders to 'become Muslims' for Three Weeks --
Federal Lawsuit Filed Wed, Jun 26, 2002
thomasmore.org
(ANN ARBOR, MI) – According to a federal lawsuit filed in San Francisco on Monday, 7th grade Christian students across California were forced to pretend they were Muslims for three weeks, praying in the name of Allah the Compassionate the Merciful, chanting Praise to Allah, picking a Muslim name from a list to replace their own name and to stage their own Jihad via a dice game.
The Thomas More Law Center, a national, public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, representing parents and four children, filed the lawsuit against the Byron Union School District and various school officials to stop the use of the “Islam Simulation” materials in the Byron/Excelsior Public School in Byron, California.
At issue is a three-week segment of the seventh grade “World History” class using the textbook “Across the Centuries” published by Houghton Mifflin and supplemented by Islam simulation materials. Students were told that “you and your classmates will become Muslims.” To receive points toward their overall grade, students were encouraged to dress as Muslims and to use such phrases in their speech as “Allah Akbar,” which is Arabic for “God is great”. Students were required to memorize Muslim prayers, fulfill the Five Pillars of Faith and fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
While portraying Islam in a positive light, “Across the Centuries” used by schools throughout the nation, ” portrays Christians as intolerant persecutors of Jews and non-Christians. Houghton Mifflin and the publishers of the Simulation materials acknowledge they were influenced by various Muslim organizations.
Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “parents with children in this course were totally caught off guard and had no idea what their children were being taught.”
Said Thompson, “This is unbelievable. While public schools prohibit Christian students from reading the Bible, praying, displaying the Ten Commandments, and even mentioning the word “God”, students in California are being indoctrinated into the religion of Islam. Public schools would never tolerate teaching Christianity in this way. Just imagine the ACLU’s outcry if students were told that they had to pray the Lords Prayer, memorize the Ten Commandments, use such phrases as ‘Jesus is the Messiah,’ and fast during Lent.”
According to Thompson, “Although it is constitutional for public schools to have an instructional program about comparative religion or teach about religion and utilize religious books such as the Bible in courses about our history and culture, the Byron Union School District crossed way over the constitutional line when it coerced impressionable twelve year olds to engage in particular religious rituals and worship, simulated or not.”
The Thomas More Law Center defends the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life through litigation, education, and related activities. The Law Center provides its services at no charge, and depends on individual donations, foundations, and corporations for financial support. The IRS recognizes the Law Center as a 501(c)(3) organization and donations are tax deductible. You may contact the Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit its website at www.thomasmore.org. |
