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Posted with permission by Rev. Austin Miles
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FEDERAL LAWSUIT FILED AGAINST BYRON SCHOOL
Thomas More Law Center Demands Removal of Islam Course
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
By Reverend Austin Miles
Special to ASSIST News Service
BRENTWOOD, CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- The Byron Excelsior Public School has been
the focus of world-wide attention since it was discovered that an
intensive Islamic indoctrination course was being pushed upon 7th grade
students there. ASSIST News Service was the first to break the story. The
three week course that began shortly after the 9-11 attack on America by
Islamic terrorists outraged parents all over the U.S. and the public at
large.
A federal lawsuit was filed in San Francisco on Monday, June 24th by the
Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann
Arbor, Michigan, representing parents and four children demanding that the
Byron Union School District and various school officials, stop the use of
"Islam Simulation" materials in the Byron Excelsior Public School in
Byron, California.
According to the lawsuit, 7th grade students across California were forced
to pretend they were Muslims for three weeks, praying in the name of Allah
the Compassionate the Merciful, chanting Praise to Allah, picking a Muslim
name from a list to replace their own name and to stage their own Jihad
via a dice game.
At issue is a three-week segment of the seventh grade "World History"
class using the textbook, "Across the Centuries," published by
Houghton-Mifflin and supplemented by Islam simulation materials. Students
were told that "you and your classmates will become Muslims."
To receive extra points toward their overall grade, students were
encouraged to dress as Muslims and to use such phrases in their speech as,
"Allah Akbar," which is Arabic for, "God is great."
Students were required to memorize Muslim prayers, fulfill the Five
Pillars of Faith and fast during lunch period to simulate fasting during
the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
While portraying Islam in a positive light, "Across the Centuries" used by
schools throughout the nation, portrays Christians as intolerant
persecutors of Jews and non-Christians.
Houghton-Mifflin and the publishers of the simulation materials
acknowledge that they were influenced by various Muslim organizations
including the Council for Islamic Education. According to their website,
the CEO of Houghton-Mifflin is from Iran.
It is ironic that in the same week in which the federal lawsuit was filed
to stop the instructional worship of Allah in the public schools, the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco (6/26/02) held the words, "Under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional.
The troubled Byron School has had nothing but turmoil since the ANS story
broke about the required Islamic teaching in their school, resulting in
the removal of Principal Nancie Castro along with other key staffers, and
the resignation of Peggy Green, Superintendent of the Byron Union School
District.
Richard Thompson, Chief Counsel for the Thomas More Law Center, commented,
"Parents with children in this (Islam) course were totally caught off
guard and had no idea what their children were being taught. The Byron
Union School District crossed way over the constitutional line when it
coerced impressionable twelve year olds to engage in particular religious
rituals and worship, simulated or not."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Rev.
Austin Miles is an interdenominational chaplain and a college instructor.
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Read the
Court ruling by Judge Phyllis Hamilton [a Clinton appointee]
authorizing public schools to REQUIRE students to get on their hands and
knees and pray to Allah by memory along with any other practices of
faith "in demonstration." This ruling was upheld by the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court refused to hear it,
thus allowing it as setting precedent, a tool used to uphold the
decision in other states.
In my opinion, this reduces our
children to slaves, for slaves have the right not to believe as they are
forced to take the position and pray to foreign gods. - Jen Shroder
11/27/2010
