America's Schools Become Battleground For Islamic Influence

For a country that is said to be predominantly Christian and built on Judeo-Christian foundations, it is ironic indeed that the United States is today largely predisposed to fighting Christianity while bending over backward to accommodate other faiths, secular/atheistic/humanistic views and virtually everything that is anti-Christ in nature.

In an article recently published by Breitbart.com, James Zumwalt pointed out significant aspects of some of these contradictions. It seems that Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ have become some of the major targets for those eager to eliminate all references to the Christian faith in America while exalting any other alternatives.

Zumwalt provides examples of how America has become "a nation so intimidated by political correctness" and how that weakness especially plays out in America's schools.

In one instance, after the ACLU took legal action, Zumwalt reports that Concord Community schools in Indiana were prohibited by court order from including any historical account of Christ's birth during its annual Christmas program. This was on the basis that the program conveys a message of endorsement of religion, or that a particular religious belief is favored or preferred.

Meanwhile Blaine, Minnesota school officials instructed students to sing a song in their Christmas program saluting the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. The words "Allahu Akbar" are included in the songwords attesting to the greatness of Allah. Yet, Ramadan is a Muslim holiday occurring many months earlier with no connection in timing to Christmas. 

On the other hand, Christians living in certain other Muslim countries run risks attempting to celebrate Christmas. In Brunei, for example, one who celebrates Christmas "excessively and openly" today could well end up serving a five-year jail sentence.

 

Other intimidation of students has been even more overt. School officials at Riverbeds High School in Virginia instructed students, as part of an assignment on learning calligraphy, to write the "shahada", Islam's statement of faith. 

In Massachusetts, schools have been guilty of undertaking field trips to mega-mosques where students are subjected to Islamic propaganda. Male students visiting the mosques reportedly had to prostrate themselves before Allah alongside Muslim male worshippers."

In a Chicago, Illinois high school, an event dubbed "Walk a Mile in Her Hijab Day was held ostensibly to give non-Muslim girls a 'better understanding' of the Muslim faith. Former Iranian Muslim and Sharia expert Daniel Akbari says the Hijab is a clear symbol of Islamic law and in no way does wearing it promote humanity. What it does represent, he says, is "support for a hard-line ideology that leads to sharia, honor violence, and honor killings."

Zumwalt concludes: "But most disturbing is that educators and political correctness advocates fail to grasp the hypocrisy of eradicating Christian values in our schools while promoting those of Islam".

Both Christians and former Muslims are now asking how it can be argued that the state is not promoting a religion when it allows all this. They also question the selective and deafening silence of the ACLU when Islam is fully accommodated.  Meanwhile, the ACLU has aggressively and persistently resisted even the most basic expressions of the Christian faith anywhere in Christian America.

Matthew Vadum for Frontpagemag.com in October reported the case of High Mount School in Swansea, Illinois, which has reportedly been teaching impressionable young students that Islam bears no responsibility for the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States. 

In the face of a reaction of outrage from the schools parents, High Mount school superintendent Mark Halwachs stated in an interview with the Belleville News-Democrat: "We have to present, with 9/11 or anything, it wasnt a religion that did that. It was bad men that did that. I think you have to take moments like that and use them as teachable moments...You have to look at the age group and your students, and to me you can talk about different things in the world and teach about tolerance."

Parents have also reportedly complained about the teachings of Islamic doctrine to levels not necessary for non-Muslims or students who have not directly opted in for such training with parental approval. 

It seems that some mitigating measures are underway at least in some states. Vadum refers to a proposed Tennessee law that would forbid public schools in the state from teaching the principles of Islam and all religions until the 10th grade. The bill was introduced by Republican Sheila Butt, the Majority Floor Leader in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Butt is championing the legislation, according to a news report, after parents complained about "what they perceive as an inappropriate focus on Islam in history and social studies courses in taxpayer-funded middle schools." She expressed concern that students "are not able to discern a lot of times whether it's indoctrination or whether they're learning about what a religion teaches."

Similarly, school texts designed to push the Islamic perspectives on history, geography and politics have found their way into America's school curricula. Five years back, CBN.coms Erick Stakelbeck rhetorically asked: "& did you know that Muslims discovered America? Or that Jerusalem is an Arab city? That's just some of the "history" that students in America's K-12 classrooms have been taught in recent years - with the help of taxpayer money". 

In some cases, heavy funding from the Saudi government, under the guise of 'educational support', is used as a means to infiltrate the American educational system.

Sandra Stotsky, commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Education from 1999 until 2003, wrote a book about her experience developing standards and professional development for history teachers called The Stealth Curriculum.

Said Stotsky:  "We heard from a number of groups who were outraged because they didn't want what they called a 'Euro-centric' version of history...They literally wanted an Islamo-centric version of history. This means you look at the world from the perspective of Islam and you dont talk about any negative aspects of Islam."

Someone once said that if you stand for nothing, you fall for everything  an apt description of the loss of Americas spiritual foundations and all that once made her great. Its all coming to the fore in America's schools and the battle is just beginning.