California mom refuses to allow son to do homework on "islam" sends teacher refusal note...
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You never took literature and analyzed the religious references in various texts? Did you read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne? If so how did you understand it without understanding why religion and in particular Christianity was a central theme of the text.
Did you read The Canterbury Tales, The Divine Comedy, Don Quixote, Lord of the Flies, Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Heart of Darkness, David Copperfield, etc., etc., etc.
The fact is that Christian and Biblical references are everywhere in Western literature.
Islam is a very touchy subject in western society, we turn the news on and you can't get away from the middle east. The mom as a Christian, I believe was offended because she is a christian and they are teaching her kid about islam. So she probably is wondering why her son is coming home with islam homework and not christianinty homework instead? If they teach islam , why not Christianity ? Thats why there should be no RELIGION taught in school period. I understand the fundamentals of it regarding the world as a whole, but it should be saved for someone that wants to take a class in college about it .
I frankly thing the whole sending the kids home with the islam prayer barcode scan was too far? Are they sending kids home with scriptures form the bible?? I think not... So they should not send kids home with islam prayers...
They wanted the kids to hear the Call to Prayer. That's not an Islamic prayer, just the call to come and pray that is common in the Islamic world. It's like listening to the Church Bells in some cities in the US.
The difficulty in determining what the Koran has to say about virgins and such is establishing what the Koran says, period. Translators vary widely in their rendering of the spare and often opaque text.
There are things in the Hadith that makes heaven a very sensual place from a male pov, but that is not a pillar of Islam.
I am American. Teaching ABOUT religion is far different that teaching the DOGMA of the religion. The teacher crossed the line. Although I have not looked at the book you refer to, I seriously doubt that there is ANY Christian Dogma just as I doubt there is Buddist, Hindu, or myriad other religions' dogma.
The parent is correct and the teacher is wrong.
El Nox
First, do not mistake me as an apologist for Islam - I am quite the opposite having seen the havoc caused by the radical elements of it. And of how it has affected the country of my birth. I am fully aware of its dogma. When I first heard the piece about the mom I understood her viewpoint. However, if you look at the link in the first post in this thread you will see a copy of the book's index. It has Christianity also, and is not focused on Islam. There are many times when I feel that Islam is forced on us, or there has been attempts to do so. While at the same time Christianity is being chipped away at. In this instance, I do not think it is the case.
And why did you bold my statement "I am European" and then state you are American? What are you trying to say? I said where I am from to share how the culture was when I was growing up. And how folks wanted to learn about other countries/cultures. And how I don't see that much here. There isn't the pub culture here that there was over there that allowed for the sort of dialog I mentioned. It wasn't a put down, but just an observation. And in my mind, made me think of the mom's knee jerk response. She could have used this as an opportunity to talk with the school about her concerns. Essentially she attacked the teacher without knowing how much control said teacher has over the curriculum.
I used to work with several in an office environment. Some were smart, some were not; some were devout, more were not; some were in to fashion, others didn't care. Most of them had kids, but not all. They didn't drink at the after-hours social events, although many still attended. In other words, they weren't too different than anybody else. One of them became a very close friend. When I think that some people think she could be a terrorist just because of her religion, it's laughable.
I'm not going to deny the existence of radical Islam, but at the same time, they don't represent all Muslims, not by a long shot.
If you lived in any Muslim country and you published a cartoon that dared to mock Mohammed, what do you think would happen to you?
In 1987 in a central Pennsylvania public high school, my social studies class was World Civilization, and we learned about every religion from Christianity to Islam to Shinto. Nobody complained about being indoctrinated . . . we considered that we were getting an education.
When did the populace of this country become so aggrieved?
I encourage everyone to read the Koran, and it's not because I'm an advocate.
I really take issue with the fundie belief that ignorance is good. It's not.
I have a copy of the Koran and the Bible, and have read them for historical purposes. My parents taught me to take pleasure in reading and learning about other cultures
I don't remember any religious stuff being taught in school. I remember pledging allegiance to the flag every morning. I never heard one word about god other than "one nation under god".
Well then you went to a school that under-served you, that's too bad.
First, do not mistake me as an apologist for Islam - I am quite the opposite having seen the havoc caused by the radical elements of it. And of how it has affected the country of my birth. I am fully aware of its dogma. When I first heard the piece about the mom I understood her viewpoint. However, if you look at the link in the first post in this thread you will see a copy of the book's index. It has Christianity also, and is not focused on Islam. There are many times when I feel that Islam is forced on us, or there has been attempts to do so. While at the same time Christianity is being chipped away at. In this instance, I do not think it is the case.
And why did you bold my statement "I am European" and then state you are American? What are you trying to say? I said where I am from to share how the culture was when I was growing up. And how folks wanted to learn about other countries/cultures. And how I don't see that much here. There isn't the pub culture here that there was over there that allowed for the sort of dialog I mentioned. It wasn't a put down, but just an observation. And in my mind, made me think of the mom's knee jerk response. She could have used this as an opportunity to talk with the school about her concerns. Essentially she attacked the teacher without knowing how much control said teacher has over the curriculum.
The answer is quite simple ... YOU started your post with that. Yes it does give an insight as to where your position comes from. In terms of FULL DISCLOSURE ... you get an A. However, the same applies to me and where my position comes from. I have had multiple trips to Europe (enjoyed them all) and have had intercourse on multiple subjects in different countries. Yes indeed there is a 'European perspective' quite unlike ours. I will say this about your "pub culture" ... it is great and in no way compares to our 'beer joint' mobs. But in my effort at FULL DISCLOSURE ... reading your opening sentence did not put me in a, shall we say, in a positive mood to read the rest of your post.
I like Stonehenge the best. I was there when you could still touch the stones.
El Nox
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