Free speech is a cherished practice in our country despite the constant attacks on the First Amendment that are going on in America right now (Patriot Act, etc). If someone told me to not to marry another person because of their religion, I would promptly tell them to get out of my face. I believe that I am intelligent enough to make the decision on my own and base it on the person, not their faith.
When a faculty member invites someone that purports to represent Christian morals and denounce the Islamic culture to a class of 9th graders that is a serious problem. Passing handouts titled "Jesus not Muhammad" and "Do Not Marry A Muslim Man" is a slap in the face to parents that entrust their schools to teach a secular curriculum without offending people of faith, no matter what faith that may be.
From of all places, Fox News:
The father of a North Carolina ninth grader who was given "anti-Muslim" literature in class says the material handed out is not an issue of free speech, but of slander and defamation.
"First of all, it slanders, things like, Mohammed is a 'criminal,' is 'demon possessed' ... that just made my blood boil," said Triaq Butte, whose daughter, Saira, participated in a ninth grade orientation seminar at Enloe High School in Wake County, N.C., where the material was distributed.
Butte is a non-practicing Muslim; he said his wife is Christian and his children are taught to accept and respect all religions.
"So for a person like me to feel like that — I've never been to a mosque — to feel like that … for me to feel such hideous attacks, they were not just pointing out failures or weaknesses in Islam or Muslims, they were just attacking."
This is definitely an attack. The pamphlets were incredibly misleading and deliberate in their attempt to shun Islam and those that adhere to the faith. This is another example of the hateful rhetoric that comes from certain sections of the religious right to impose their idea of a Christian nation on all of us.
So who and what is Kamil Ministries?
Kamil International Ministries Organization is dedicated to teaching the truth about Islam. We love Muslims but we believe that Islam is not a Divine faith, Muhammad was not a prophet from God and the Koran is not the Word of God. Our mission is to raise an awareness of the danger of Islam among Christians and equip them to share Jesus with Muslims. We will be glad to impart historical and factual information about Islam.
Their brand of 'truthiness' does nothing but foster hate and divisiveness between Christianity and Islam. The emotional appeal in the pamphlets are nothing short of disgraceful.
From the FoxNews link above:
It warns women not to be lured into marrying a Muslim, even for his "dark good looks, education, financial means, and the interest he shows in you."
"You may be excited that you found the 'tall, dark, and handsome man' you have been looking for. His sweet words and attention may blind you regarding the power, importance, and influence of his culture and Islamic faith," the pamphlet says. "Because in the United States, we have freedom of religion, he may agree that you can remain a Christian and you may think there will be no problem with such a marriage. But do not be fooled and become a victim of his religion, Islam, which has very oppressive rules regarding women's status and rights. Such marriages will never be out of trouble."
This shit is being distributed in a public school in Raleigh, NC. The principal simply stated that they respect free speech and the diversity of opinion. The school invited Kamil Solomon to speak on the topic of religion without any opposing views available. Students brought the material to their parents which provoked considerable outrage and ultimately out into the press.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations came out against the school's actions:
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the school system will have created a "discriminatory, hostile learning environment," violating federal civil rights law, if it does not investigate the incident and apologize to students.
The complaint stems from a guest appearance last week in several classes by Kamil Solomon, a Raleigh-based Christian evangelist, who urged students to shun Muslims.
"When you bring in somebody to distribute hate-filled literature without an opportunity for rebuttal, you have a disturbing situation," said Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the national council, known as CAIR. "These students are obliged to be in the classroom and listen to this speaker who is presented as an authority figure by the teacher."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the school system will have created a "discriminatory, hostile learning environment," violating federal civil rights law, if it does not investigate the incident and apologize to students.
Debating religion is always a tricky matter. What Enloe High School did was not a debate. It was a one-sided attack on Islam that had no business being inside a public school. Apologies are definitely in order here.
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