can’t fix the typo in the title…
School district receives hate mail because students in a world geography had a lesson on written Arabic. Imagine what they will do when they learn these kids have been indoctrinated with Arabic numerals since they were toddlers.
Technically, it’s Hindi-Arabic numerals. But I see your point. Do people even understand that simple tools and construction, agricultural revolution, and many other things have started from Arabic culture?
Yeah I’m not sure you want to try and stretch Sumerian/Babylonian and Persian accomplishments out to Arabic culture. There’s lots already there without reaching back into antiquity.
It’s certainly an over-reaction, but the teacher could have picked something other than the Islamic statement of faith for the students to copy. Should have, in fact.
+1
Nothing to get up in arms about either way.
I was forced to say the pledge of allegiance and affirm the existence of a deity as a child. It shouldn’t be compulsory, but it didn’t scar me for life.
Their heads will surely explode later when the kids have to learn Al-Jebra.
Good news: under Sharia law a feller can have him four wives
Bad news: cain’t none of them be his sister
Bad news: got to take your shoes off before you go into the mosque
Good news: does that mean we all git shoes now?
I can kinda see why they might be upset. Of all the countless millions of things the teacher could have had his students write he chose “There is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet?” That’s a claim that devout Christian parents (not to mention students) would find theologically objectionable. And to me, the fact that the statement wasn’t translated makes it worse because there might have been some kids in the class who, if they did know what it meant, might not have wanted to do the activity.
Choosing that particular thing to write sounds almost like the teacher was trolling.
Hey!! No Star Wars spoilers, please!!!
Yeah-- Wouldn’t there be some outrage here if a teacher required students to write The Lord’s Prayer?
To clarify a little bit, it appears that this assignment was part of the class study on world religions, the assignment in question came out of a standard textbook and while it doesn’t have an English translation it does state quite clearly that it is the “Islamic statement of faith”.
Here’s a CNN story, including a picture of the actual assignment.
So to sum up:
-Class specifically includes study of world religions.
-Class uses a standard textbook on the subject.
-Teacher picks an assignment from that same textbook.
-Assignment does say what the phrase is about.
Yes, obviously a case of a rogue teacher stealthily indoctrinating innocent students into an Evil Religion completely outside of the material that they should have been learning.
Let’s ban textbooks. Not all textbooks, I love some textbooks. But for now, until we figure out what’s going on with textbooks we should ban all of them.
Ah, that’s different. If it was actually part of a world religions course and if the students knew what they were writing and had no objections then it’s fair enough. Given all that, the reaction of the parents is pretty silly. Thanks for the info.
Having students write out the profession of faith of a religion is not an appropriate exercise for a world religions course. The “moron hillbillies” were right to object.
Please tell me your whoosing us, because I’d hate to think somebody needs to be hit with a clue stick that hard.
Oh please do, I’m sure your clue stick will knock me over. You don’t teach Christianity by making students recite the Hail Mary, and you don’t teach Islam by making students copy out the Shahada.
Exactly.
You’re a fuckturd.
Yeah, my initial read on this was to assume there was some sort of xenophobia based overreaction. But, it’s bullshit to make a classroom of children in a public school write a religious affirmation of any kind as an assignment. I’m pro hillbilly here.
Let’s force the kids write “Christ is Lord” and see how the enlightened sophisticates on this board react.
If the assignment is to write out what each religion believes, then why not?