Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
Given the current situation in the U.S., the teacher in this case showed very poor judgment. He/She should have enough sense to realize just how sensitive people are right now in the U.S. regarding anything that’s associated with Islam. Since the teacher is teaching 9th graders, he/she should have realized that some parents may hold very strong negative opinions and would react strongly to this. This isn’t a college or graduate level course where students were given a choice! And of all the other things the teacher could have chosen, I find it shocking that Shahada was what the teacher thought would be most appropriate.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
I don't see how the Christian parents getting upset over the class lesson is any different than Muslim and other religious parents getting upset over and protesting about the sex ed curriculum being introduced in Ontario. The parent in Ontario virtually shut down schools because of their protests because they did not want their children to learn or be indoctrinated with sex ed (including LGBTQ) lessons.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
I don't see how the Christian parents getting upset over the class lesson is any different than Muslim and other religious parents getting upset over and protesting about the sex ed curriculum being introduced in Ontario. The parent in Ontario virtually shut down schools because of their protests because they did not want their children to learn or be indoctrinated with sex ed (including LGBTQ) lessons.
Seriously? You don't see a difference?
- One is curriculum the other is a homework assignment. Parents should and do, in some places, have a say in the curriculum. Class assignments are up to the teacher.
- People who were opposed to the curriculum change knew what the curriculum was and understood it and then opposed it. In the homework case, parents thought they were converting the kids to Islam, which was definitely not the case.
- The teacher that assigned the homework , apologized and the principal explained and even went as far as withdrawing that homework from future assignments. And still they had to close the schools. As far as I know, in Ontario, they stuck to their guns.
On the topic, they should have picked a different sentence for caligraphy. Like Suleiman the Great's signature or something.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
It's about intention and perception: the intention of the educators and the perception about the intention of educators and the impact on the learners (parents and teachers).
You're suggesting the religious parents were entitled to boycott schools (they pulled their kids out of the schools, resulting in teacher firings because of lack of class size) was justifiable because their perception of the curriculum being inappropriate was justified. A lot of the non-Muslim parents fully supported the curriculum and thought it was needed given the society we live in.
On the other hand, the religious parents felt like their kids were being told to be gay or become sexually active. Were they right in their beliefs? Are the religious parents zealot whackjobs, or are they entitled to protest for their beliefs?
And in the case of the highschool - the parents protested against their perception of the class lesson.
Personally, I don't think either educator example has malintent - sadly they were trying to extend awareness of different ideas factual teachings that while not comfortable for some, isn't wrong.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
"People who were opposed to the curriculum change knew what the curriculum was and understood it and then opposed it."
No they didnt. They believed the propaganda of a Christian family values site. A 224 page curriculum with less than a few paragraphs on sex ed became all.about sex ed.
The religious parents also were opposed to LGBT issues being taught.
I did read the curriculum. It was age appropriate. But the religious nut jobs threw the baby out with the bath water - without probably taking the time to read the curriculum in its entirety.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
to be fair, this is a bit weird - the teacher could have picked something less sensitive to copy than the shahada. like "hello, world" in arabic. how would muslims react if their kids came home with homework that involved writing "jesus is the only way" or something.
I agree.
Plus the particular calligraphy they are copying appears remarkably similar to what ISIS posts on their flags.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
there should be no religion in public schools whether christian, muslim, jew. If they wanted to have some arabic calligraphy thing going for students, they should have told them to write habibi
Exactly, or hookah or how about just showing them examples and not writing anything at all ?
Yeah we learned about history of Christian culture. Teachers never mentioned Moses or Aaron when discussing ancient Egypt, and we discussed the political effects of the Roman Church but were not asked to write out Christian prayers.
Discussing the history of the Islamic empire is fine but getting into religious details is unnecessary.
Re: Ignorant Parents Shut Down Entire School District
The fact to be noted here is that the mother didn't get upset on the fact that it was the "Shahada" that her kid was assigned to write. It wasn't also the fact that the Shahda means "La ilaha illala muhammadur rasolullah". Which means "There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger". She didn't care for any of that. Do you seriously expect a middle class middle aged white woman to know what the Shahada actually means? She's just bent because her kid was asked to write something them "isi folks be writing". It wouldn't matter even if the kid was asked to write "Super Bowl this Sunday" in arabic. She still would have thrown a hissy fit about it.
P.S and all of you "White apologists" learn to grow a pair. If it were something written in hebrew and the woman raised a doubt about it the ADL would have eaten her alive. Bunch a wusses.
