Posted by Tina
Decades of pressure from progressive and atheist radicals have removed any reference or symbol of Christianity from our schools. That would include symbols associated with a national holiday (Christmas) that are not religious, like Santa or a Christmas tree. So you can imagine the surprise and outrage some parents felt when a Virginia school teacher had her world geography students write a Muslim statement of faith as a calligraphy exercise:
Augusta County Public Schools in Virginia are closed Friday, after parents objected to a ninth grade geography assignment that required students to copy the Shahada, an Islamic statement of faith that says, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”
The school received so many angry phone calls and electronic messages they chose to cancel all activities and close the school. No specific threats were made but the Sheriff advised the closure out of an abundance of caution. The schools response to parents is a bit condescending:
As we have emphasized, no lesson was designed to promote a religious viewpoint or change any student’s religious belief. Although students will continue to learn about world religions as required by the state Board of Education and the Commonwealth’s Standards of Learning, a different, non-religious sample of Arabic calligraphy will be used in the future.
No intent to promote a religion? Are you kidding me? The kids wrote, “”There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah..” Where is the ACLU? Where is the outrage from the media? Both would be screaming about separation of church and state if the kids were asked to write:
ב אָנֹכִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עֲבָדִים: לֹא-יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים, עַל-פָּנָי.
(I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.)
The left wonders why so many Americans are fed up and angry. They do not see the hypocrisy or the double standards. They do not realize that the leftist need to manage and shape every aspect of our lives is intrusive, insulting, overbearing, and unconscionable. Parents should be able to feel comfortable sending their children to public schools and public schools should be emphasizing our unity as Americans rather than being concerned about inclusiveness.
I think we need to know what motivated the teacher to choose that phrase over all other options…do you?
You really have to wonder about the mental workings of some of our school principals and teachers when stuff like this pops up.
Kudos to the parents for putting their feet down!
Horrible assignment. Crosses the line without question. I don’t know if promotion of religion was the intent, but it was definitely the effect.
Religion has no place in our public schools at all, any religion
If Christians Want a religious War Rent An Arena and sell tickets.
So without even commenting on the situation…giving an opinion …… Explain to me why something thought to be a problem by the highest authority was so life threatening one would c!ose schools? Were they afraid there was eminent danger? Were people going to die? Was that the only way to solve perceived problem?
Christians or Muslims? Lol
Who’s more afraid?
“If Christians Want a religious War ”
Dewey that has to be one of the most ignorant things you’ve ever said. There is no evidence that Christians “want a religious war.”
“Explain to me why something thought to be a problem by the highest authority was so life threatening one would c!ose schools?”
Don’t be an idiot. Of course the school received angry messages and calls. Let me remind you the sheriff said there was “no specific threat.”
You might ask what is provoking such high levels of anger in the parents but that would lead to a subject you obviously wish to avoid.
Christians have been extremely tolerant and inclusive over many, many decades. Our Christian founders, in point of fact, chose to create a secular government with provisions that prevent it from interfering with religious faith and expression. We have lived side by side for several centuries without religious wars.
Any group will come to the end of their patience when pushed too far. Having the children in those schools write a statement of faith to a particular religion is a very big deal. It is particularly offensive now when people are being blown to bits to advance a religious form of tyranny and when it has been observed that covert radical Islamists operate in just this way to undermine our principles and impose their own.
Your focus is misplaced and unreasonable.
Re Tina to Dewey (aka LOL Boy) : “Don’t be an idiot ”
An impossible request.