Posted on 11/19/2005 8:57:21 PM PST by freespirited
A Contra Costa County school was educating seventh-graders about Islam, not indoctrinating them, in role-playing sessions in which students used Muslim names and recited language from prayers, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit by two Christian students and their parents, who accused the Byron Union School District of unconstitutionally endorsing a religious practice.
"The Islam program activities were not overt religious exercises that raise Establishment Clause concerns,'' the three-judge panel said, referring to the First Amendment ban on government sanctioning a religion.
During the history course at Excelsior School in the fall of 2001, the teacher, using an instructional guide, told the students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks to help them learn what Muslims believe.
She encouraged them to use Muslim names, recited prayers in class and made them give up something for a day, such as television or candy, to simulate fasting during Ramadan. The final exam asked students for a critique of elements of Muslim culture.
The brevity of Thursday's ruling "underscores the fact that what the district and its teachers did was entirely within the mainstream of educational practice,'' said Linda Lye, attorney for the Byron schools.
Edward White of the Thomas More Center, the attorney in the case for the two children and their parents, said he will ask the full appeals court for a rehearing. He said the panel failed to address his argument that the district violated parents' rights.
"What happened in this classroom was clearly an endorsement of religion and indoctrination of children in the Islamic religion, which would never have stood if it were a class on Christianity or Judaism,'' White said.
E-mail Bob Egelko at begelko@sfchronicle.com.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
If this was Christian, would it have stood?
Oh my God,the 9th circuit again.
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One of three Judges on the panel, she is a Clinton appointee, 2000
My opinion? Not a chance.
Also little chance if it had been let's pretend we are Jewish for three weeks.
Inconsistent ruling with this court's past decisions.
If reciting the pledge of allegiance with the words, "under God" is unconstitutional, then forcing children to recite religious prayers as part of a lesson in a religion is also unconstitutional.
One can learn a lot about Islam without having to recite prayers, or pretend to be Muslim. In fact, all other religions taught by this teacher were probably done so using a more secular method of merely covering the history, basic beliefs, tenets, and teachings, and demographics - just as religions of the world have been taught all over the country for decades. Why is this teacher allowed to deviate when teaching about Christianity using actual rituals and prayers is considered illegal?
Correction re my post #4, Judge Hamilton is the US District Judge that ruled in favor of the school district in the case leading up to this appleal case, she is not on the 9th Circuit panel that ruled today but was appointed by Clinton in 2000..
Except Islam, of course.
+
Easy enough to get it reversed. Require they do the same for Christianity...
Apparently saying, "under God" is part of a religious exercise. Saying "in the name of Allah" and "Allah is great" is not a religious exercise.
Reciting the shahada, Muslim proclamation of faith, ("There is no *** but Allah, and Mohammed is his *****") is the method of conversion to Islam. Whoever says this automatically become a Muslim.
Apologists for Islam explain the conversion is not valid if the person was tricked into saying the shahada but that it is up to a sharia court to decide if the person is an apostate who deserves the death penalty.
Yep, let them all dress up as jihadists, just don't let them sing any Christmas carols.
This is why is best to keep your kids out of the public schools and put them in private schools. Parents have more say and their money speaks very loud. Can't imange role playing that religion to children who are so impressionable. The people should get another lawyer and hope to get another judge on duty. Private school's are the only way to go.
Why not ask the teachers to teach a unit on Christianity, and have the students dress up as the disciples for three weeks?
....told the students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks
Fortunately 7th graders don't have the cash to donate to terrorist orgs...
Well to be fair, it is the Religion of Peace.
How does "recited language from prayers" any different from prayer? Isn't that what a prayer is, reciting the language of the prayer? How would this fly if the students were taught to "recite the language from" the Rosary or the Shema? Are there any Islamic prayers that don't demand submission to and recognition of the Islamic diety?
It was just a matter of time before allah stuck his camel nose under the tent of public schools. After all, long gone are the Ten Commandments to repel this demon.
I wanna know when they strapped on the shrapnel-laden explosive vests and blew themselves up...
Now THAT'd get the administrators in a quandry--"tolerance" of other cultures (snicker) vs. "zero-tolerance" for weapons.
It aint Slim W, but this'll gitr done!
Kill A Commie For Mommie
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