CAIR Whines About Bible Class, School Apologizes

The Hamas supporting Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), has once again complained about an issue that supposedly "offended" Muslims. Once again non-Muslims have caved, but this is just a sign of times to come in Michigan.

Hat tip to The Religion of Peace.

OCT. 2, 2009
Permission slips for Bible class called mistake in Roseville school
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

After complaints raised by a Muslim group, Roseville Community Schools said Thursday the district erred in allowing permission slips to be distributed to elementary school students that would allow them to attend Bible classes in a Baptist church.

And it will now review district policies on permission slips for religious classes.

"We shouldn't have made the slips available," said Michael LaFeve, assistant superintendent for the district.

Two weeks ago, students at Huron Park Elementary School in Roseville received permission slips to participate in Bible classes at Temple Baptist Church, also in the city. The classes were to be conducted once a month by RBM Ministries of Kalamazoo.

The parents of a Muslim student expressed concerns that the permission slips appeared to advertise a specific church, said Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Walid wrote a letter Thursday to the school's principal and the district superintendent, alleging the district was favoring one religion and denomination.

Bob Goodenough, executive director of RBM Ministries, said that state law allows for children to be excused from class for religious services.

"I don't believe there's any violation. ... There's no discrimination." he said.

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Muslims Press for School Holidays in New York City

Although NY Muslims where already told in the past that their "holy days" will not be added to the school calender, they continue to push.

Muslims Press for School Holidays in New York City
As Mayor Courts Ethnic Vote, Groups Seek Same Accommodation of Religious Observances That Christians and Jews Receive

By SUZANNE SATALINE
NEW YORK -- Muslims groups here are pressing city officials to close public schools on two of the faith's holiest days, just as schools do for major Jewish and Christian holidays. But the groups have yet to persuade the man in charge of New York City schools, Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Muslim groups have asked the city to cancel classes on Eid Ul-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid Ul-Adha, which marks the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

New York is one of many public-school systems now struggling with appropriate ways to recognize religious holidays for a diverse population. An estimated 100,000 Muslim children are enrolled in New York City schools, about 10% of the enrollment.

The matter has taken on a political aspect as Mr. Bloomberg, seeking a third term as mayor, has steadily courted the endorsement of a slew of ethnic groups. One city councilman said Muslims might withhold their votes if the mayor doesn't heed their wishes. Candidates are running in a primary Tuesday for the right to face Mr. Bloomberg, an independent, in the November election.

"This city is supposedly the most diverse city in the world. The city's laws and rules have to reflect that," said Councilman Robert Jackson, a Muslim from the borough of Manhattan. "I am hoping that pressure from the Muslim community will help Mayor Bloomberg decide, in the best interest of himself politically, to incorporate these two holidays."

The mayor often says children need to be in school more, not less, and that establishing more holidays would encourage every religious group to demand that their holy days be recognized. Children are required to attend school for at least 180 days a year in New York.

Other states have found a workable approach. Dearborn, Mich., where nearly half of the 18,000 students are Muslim, is believed to be the first city to close school on Muslim holy days, a spokesman said. Several cities in New Jersey now close school on the holy days.

After Muslims asked for school closings in Hillsborough County, Fla., the school board in 2007 approved a secular calendar that doesn't commemorate any religious holidays for the 189,000 students. Schools remain open on Good Friday, a Christian holiday, even though many students are absent, said Linda Cobbe, a spokeswoman. "There are so many religions we don't want to single out one or two," she said.

Mr. Bloomberg is still considering the Muslims' proposal. "He has charged a number of people with thinking about this," said Fatima Shama, the mayor's newly appointed immigrant-affairs commissioner, who is Muslim.

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NYC Muslims Push to add Holidays to School Year

Although Mayor Bloomberg has stated that Islamic holidays will not be added to the NYC school calender, Muslims have not given up. Will the mayor cave in and reverse course?

NYC Muslims push to add holidays to school year

NEW YORK (AP) — The stress of catching up on school work and having to ask for permission to miss classes for holidays is routine for Muslim students in New York City.

That's because the nation's largest school district hasn't sanctioned official Muslim holidays. A handful of school districts in New Jersey and Michigan have recognized them, while efforts in Baltimore and Connecticut failed recently.

New York City Muslim activists were heartened this week by a City Council resolution supporting the observance of Eid al-Fitr (ayd ahl-FIH'-tur) and Eid al-Adha (eed al-AHD'-hah).

This week, Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke out against approving the holidays, saying it would open the door to other religious groups asking for days off. He later said he would take a closer look.

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NY:Bloomberg: Schools Can't Observe Muslim Holidays

Recently the politically correct City Council's Education Committee passed a resolution for the Department of Education to add two Muslim holidays to the school calender. Thankfully NYC Mayor Bloomberg has shot it down. Islam allows lying, rape, and what we would consider murder. It should not be honored.

Hat tip to Jihad Watch.

Bloomberg: Schools Can't Observe Muslim Holidays

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York's City Council has passed a nonbinding resolution asking the Education Department to observe two important Muslim holidays. But Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the city is so diverse schools can't observe every holiday.

The city has the nation's largest school system. A 2008 study by Columbia University's Teachers College estimates at least 10 percent of its 1.1 million students are Muslim.

The resolution was passed Tuesday. It asks the Bloomberg administration to observe the holidays in schools and for the state to require it by amending education law.

The holidays are Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha. Eid al-Adha celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim -- known as Abraham to Christians and Jews -- to sacrifice his son. It is the most important Islamic holiday.

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OZ:Islamic Schools not Helping With Assimilation

This is the second report this week telling us how Islamic schools in the West are keeping Muslims from assimilating. Although those that do not want to assimilate never will. The first report was from the UK and this one is from Australia. Another disturbing similarity between the two countries are the higher than usual unemployment rates in the Muslim communities. The result of this is that Islamic ghettos are forming across the West.

Islamic Education Not Helping Muslim Australians Get Jobs


By Neville D'Cruz MELBOURNE, Feb 25 (Bernama) -- Islamic schools in Australia may be compounding the difficulties Muslim Australianface in getting jobs, the Sydney Daily Telegraph said, quoting Professor Riaz Hassan, from the Flinders University in Adelaide.

When families send their children to Islamic schools they may be excluding them from the usual job networks found between public school and other private school communities, the newspaper said.

Several Islamic schools in Australia have students from Malaysia.

As unemployment is twice the rate for 19 to 24-year-old Muslim Australians compared with non-Muslim Australians, this makes it less likely they will find a job, according to Professor Hassan.

And the more marginalised young Muslim Australians become, the professor argues, the more likely they are to be vulnerable to radical religious views or otherwise reject mainstream Australian aspirations.

Professor Hassan raised his concerns when the Daily Telegraph education writer Maralyn Parker recently interviewed him about a paper he presented at last year's National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies Australia conference on the 2006 census data.

When he crunched the numbers from the census he came up with some unexpected figures, Parker said.

Muslim Australians are more likely to be university educated than non-Muslim Australians. Twenty one per cent of Muslim Australians have degrees compared with 15 per cent of non-Muslim Australians -- a statistic that challenges the stereotypical view of Muslim Australians.

But the bad news is that higher achievement in education does not translate into jobs, Parker said.

In the 19 to 24-year-old bracket the unemployment rate of Muslim Australians is 18 per cent, compared with 9 per cent of non-Muslims.

And it just gets worse from there. The older Muslim Australians become the more likely they are to be unemployed than non-Muslims. By age 65 it is four times more likely.

In all other socio-economic comparisons, Muslim Australians fare badly. They are less likely to own their own homes and more likely to live in rented premises.

The most shocking statistic is that 40 per cent of Muslim Australian children live in poverty -- about twice the rate for non-Muslim Australian children, Parker said.

"This is a huge problem. When poverty and unemployment become endemic within a community it can lead to complete alienation from a society. We have seen the results of such alienation in riots in France and in Britain," the report says.

In the 2006 census there were 340,391 Muslims in Australia. About 38 per cent were born in Australia, followed by Lebanon (9 per cent), Turkey (7 per cent) and Afghanistan (5 per cent). Only 1.7 per cent of the overall Australian population is Muslim, but a staggering 40 per cent of Muslim Australians are under the age of 20, compared with about 27 per cent of the non-Muslim population.

Parker said the first two Islamic schools in Australia were established in 1983. Today there are 30 Islamic schools across the nation, 13 in NSW, with controversial plans to build more. Islamic schools had proliferated along with other faith-based schools under the Howard government's generous funding arrangements.

So far the Rudd Government has not tightened regulations about establishing new schools and has not indicated it has plans to do so.

However, Professor Hassan's concerns make it even more imperative for Muslim parents to consider carefully their choice of school, and for governments to examine future plans for new schools. -- BERNAMA

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UK:Islamic Segregation OK

A headteacher in the UK has been forced to resign after she tried to do away with faith based segregation in school assemblies. The headteacher was actually labeled a "racist" because she want children of all faiths to be in the assembly together. The world is officially upside down now.



Headteacher forced to resign after being branded racist for trying to axe separate assemblies for Muslims
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
09th February 2009

A primary school headteacher has resigned after Muslim parents protested over plans to scrap separate faith assemblies for their children.

Soon after taking over at the school Julia Robinson told staff she wanted to hold assemblies for all pupils, which would encompass all faiths.

The practise is common in most schools and after taking advice from the local authority, Ms Robinson set up a working party to look at alternatives.

But their work was stopped after a number of parents at Meersbrook Bank Primary Community in Sheffield complained about the plans.

Mrs Robinson was accused of being racist and following the complaints she was away from her post for most of last year.

She was due to make a phased return to her duties this term. But again there were protests from some parents when they heard she would be coming back.

Mrs Robinson resigned from her job and the school's chair of governors Sarah Browton also quit in support.

A member of staff who asked not to be named said: 'The headteacher inherited the separate assemblies when she started the job and she took careful advice from the authority on what to do about them.

'But when she tried to stop them, feeling they did nothing to promote inclusiveness, she was accused of being a racist.

'She wanted to hold assemblies for all the pupils, which would include all faiths. That is what happens in most schools but some parents wanted things to stay as they were.

'Mrs Robinson was under a lot of pressure and wasn't at school for some time. The plan was for her to come back but again some of the parents put a stop to that.

'Many of us here just feel this is all very wrong. Everyone was told that we had to heal and we had to move on.

'There's now an interim head in place and that situation could drag on for some time to come.

The feeling is that Julia was doing the right thing and went through all the right routes as to what she was trying to do.

'The aim was for inclusion there's no other school we know that has separate assemblies like these.

'The buzzword from the authority at the moment is all about community cohesion but there is little cohesion at this school. The staff are very upset at what has happened.'

A Sheffield Council spokeswoman said: 'We can confirm that the headteacher of Meersbrook Bank Primary School has tendered her resignation for her post which has been accepted.

'Parents have been made aware of the matter and temporary arrangements are in place until a new headteacher is appointed.'

Acting chair of governors Rob Stephens added: 'We would like to thank her for her work at the school, and wish her well for the future.

'Mrs Pamela Smith has been appointed as the lead teacher.'

After taking over at Meersbrook Mrs Robinson outlined her plans for the future for the 115 year old school on its website.

On it she said : 'We have launched the new school year by reviewing and rewriting our school vision and aims. We pride ourselves on the diversity of our community and our family feel.'

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Taliban Threatens to Blow up Girls' Schools

In the past few years the Afghanistan Taliban have closed down hundreds of schools, burned down over 140 more and have killed over 40 teachers and students. The reason being that the schools had the the nerve to educate girls. This atrocious behavior is not enough though. Now the Taliban in Swat Pakistan has threatened to blow up all girls' schools and attack the students if they are not closed by January 15Th. The Taliban says that the schools go against Islam.

Hat tip to The Munz

Taliban says if girls' schools don't close, it will bomb them, attack students
By Zahid Hussain in Islamabad
The AustralianDecember 27, 2008


THE Taliban has ordered the closure of all girls' schools in the war-ravaged Swat district of Pakistan and warned parents and teachers of dire consequences if the ban is flouted.

In an announcement made in mosques and broadcast on radio, the militant group set a deadline of January 15 for its order to be obeyed or it would blow up school buildings and attack schoolgirls. It also told women not to set foot outside their homes without being fully covered.

"Female education is against Islamic teachings and spreads vulgarity in society," Shah Dauran, leader of a group that has established control over a large part of Swat district in the North West Frontier Province, declared this week.

Teachers said that they had little choice but to comply. The Taliban have destroyed more than 125 girls' schools in the area in the past year, The Weekend Australian reports.

Swat, once a relatively liberal area and a popular tourist destination, has in the past few years become a heartland for Pakistan's Islamic militancy, which fashions itself on the conservative Taliban movement in Afghanistan.

Islamic militants led by the radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah have been fighting government forces since Pakistan launched a massive operation in the district late last year.

More than 200 government soldiers have been killed but the militants are still well entrenched in the area.

Mullah Fazlullah - also known as Mullah Radio for his sermons broadcast through his illegal FM radio stations - has long been exhorting people to stop sending their daughters to schools, which "inculcate Western values". Hundreds of girls and women teachers have quit schools as a result.

The militants have also prohibited immunisation for children against polio - claiming that the UN-sponsored vaccination drive is aimed at causing sexual impotence - causing a sharp rise in cases of the disease.

Since the start of the government offensive, girls' schools have been targeted increasingly by Islamic fundamentalists. The district has 842 boys' and 490 girls' state schools for 300,000 children aged three to nine; only 163,645 boys and 67,606 girls are actually enrolled at state and private establishments, according to official figures.

According to the local authorities, 50 per cent of girls have stopped attending school because of the militants' threats. Hazir Gul, a teacher, said the inability of the authorities to provide protection against attacks had emboldened the Islamists, who burned schools "whenever they want".

Attacks on girls' schools are not confined to the Swat district. In the past two years a further 100 schools have been burnt down in Waziristan and other tribal areas, leaving tens of thousands of children between the ages of five and 15 without education.

In many areas, hardliners have established sharia, or Islamic law, and introduced public executions for those who break it.

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UK:Anti-Christmas Muslim Promoted to School Inspector

The politically correct of the UK have out done themselves today. They have taken an anti-Christmas Muslim teacher and promoted him to a government school inspector. In the past as a group of non-Muslims and Muslim children were signing Christmas songs, Israr Khan's Ofsted stood up and screamed at the crying children "Who is your God? Why are you saying Jesus and Jesus Christ? God is not your God - it is Allah." He now has the power to pass or fail entire schools. Will he fail them if they do not give Koran classes?

For another UK cleric against Christmas

Hat tip to The Religion of Peace

Muslim teacher in carol concert tirade is made Ofsted inspector
By WAYNE FRANCIS
Last updated at 22:00 30 September 2006

Israr Khan

A hardline Muslim teacher who caused a furore by denouncing pupils for celebrating Christmas has been made a Government schools inspector.

Israr Khan's Ofsted appointment was described by a former colleague as 'absolutely astonishing'.

Mr Khan, now headmaster of an Islamic school, launched into his tirade during a concert rehearsal at Washwood Heath Secondary School in Birmingham in 1996 after the choir including around 40 Muslim youngsters, had sung a number of popular Christmas songs, including carols.

He leapt from his seat, yelling: "Who is your God? Why are you saying Jesus and Jesus Christ? God is not your God - it is Allah."

As children in the audience began booing and clapping, a number of choir members - both white and Asian - walked out, some in tears.

Mr Khan, a maths teacher, was asked to work from home pending an investigation but there was no disciplinary action.

It has been claimed that Washwood Heath school was then a 'hotbed of Islamic fundamentalism'. Rashid Rauf - the airline terror bomb suspect whose extradition is currently being sought from Pakistan - was a pupil there at that time.

Mr Khan left Washwood Heath a year later to found the independent Islamic Hamd House Preparatory School in Small Heath, Birmingham, where he is headmaster.

Earlier this year, he was appointed as a governor of Anderton Park Primary School, in Sparkbrook, Birmingham.

A former Washwood Heath colleague laughed openly when told of Mr Khan's role as an Ofsted inspector where he has the responsibility for passing or failing schools.

He said: "Given the man's history, it's absolutely astonishing. It's just the cheek of the man that he's been able to reach that position. He always was an extremely clever man.

"He gave me many insights into the Islamic cause and their hatred of the US and the Western World. He had a big support base among some of the Muslim parents.

"But there were some very influential, radical elements at Washwood Heath at that time and Israr Khan was very close to all that."

Earlier this year, Anderton Park, where 99.5 per cent of the pupils are Asian, received a dismal Ofsted report which branded its teaching and its achievements as inadequate.

One Muslim father, who asked to be known only as Mohammed, said: "As a governor, Mr Khan will be able to exert a great deal of influence over the school and its policies.

"By his previous actions, he seems to represent what I would call a hardcore attitude to Islam."

Mr Khan declined to comment about his appointment, waving questions away at his large home in Moseley, Birmingham.

An Ofsted spokesman said: "Israr Khan was appointed as an additional inspector via a highly competitive recruitment and selection process. He has undergone all the relevant security checks."

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