Court Upholds Public Schools Teaching Islam; Pro-Family Firm Will Appeal
by Jim Brown
December 22, 2003
(AgapePress) - A federal judge has upheld the constitutionality of an intensive three-week course in California public schools that teaches students how to follow Islam.U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton has ruled that Excelsior Elementary School in Byron, California, is not acting unconstitutionally when it requires students to choose a Muslim name, read from the Quran, pray to Allah, and simulate worship activities related to the Five Pillars of Islam.
The Thomas More Law Center sued the school on behalf of several Christian students and their parents. Thomas More's Chief Counsel Richard Thompson says he was astounded by the ruling.
"Where the mere mention of God when it relates to the Christian faith has been held unconstitutional," Thompson says, "this federal judge has ruled that there is no violation of the Constitution when it comes to teaching the Islamic faith in the simulation mode that they're in, because it is 'entertaining and effective.'
The chief counsel is appealing the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the very court that held that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it contains the phrase "one nation under God."
Thompson believes that it is very much a violation of the U.S. Constitution for public schools to coerce students to engage in religious rituals. He explains how the students in Byron were compelled to follow the tenets and teachings of Islam in order to satisfy the requirements of the assignment and make a good grade.
"Basically they are told, true or false, 'the Quran is God's third revelation that was revealed to the Prophet Mohammad,' and the children are supposed to say that that's a fact," Thompson says. "Or that Holy Quran is God's word as revealed to Prophet Mohammad through the Archangel Gabriel -- the students are told to say that that is a fact. If they say that is a fact they get points, and they win this game."
The pro-family attorney notes that the American Civil Liberties Union, a group well known for its opposition to religious expression in public schools, has been noticeably silent on the case.
