Chatham moms complain that teaching about Islam at school is “proselytizing"

Has anyone been following this? Two moms in Chatham don't like what their kids are learning about Islam in the middle school. They were on Tucker Carlson, and the Thomas More Law Center is representing them.

http://insider.foxnews.com/201...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

https://patch.com/new-jersey/c...

Yes, it's been posted on Facebook for a few days now. I find it an embarrassment.

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

Didn't Chatham vote for Trump?

It's been going on for a while. A woman complained at a Chatham BOE meeting about the 7th grade social studies curriculum which has lessons on a number of religions and in the Islam unit students learn the Islamic 5 pillars of faith. But Hindu deities and the schools of Buddhism among other religions are also covered.

In any reasonable assessment it is proper education and not in any way pushing a religion.

I know of a school district where a class was were given a presentation about Hanukkah by some of the Class Mothers which the children really enjoyed. It was something many had heard of but did not know the backstory. Some parents approached the teacher about having a similar presentation about Christmas but were told that it would be offensive. Keeping everyone happy is indeed a quickly moving target.

truth said:

It was something many had heard of but did not know the backstory.

I wouldn't call it 'offensive' but a Christmas presentation would not fulfill your quote above. In the USA, even those who are not Christian know the backstory of Christmas, the morality story around Christmas, and the traditions of Christmas -- unless one lives under a rock without a television.

librarylady said:

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

I thought you were making a bad joke, but then I read the article. I'm at a loss for words.

From the huffpo article:

“They were defamed as ‘bigots’ and ‘Islamophobes’, ‘hateful’,
‘ignorant’, ‘xenophobes’, ‘intolerant’, ‘racist’, ‘closed minded’, ‘sad
and ignorant’ in social media, and the list goes on,” the statement
reads.

Yeah, So? Are any of those words inaccurate?

ETA: the big one they missed was "un-self-aware".

librarylady said:

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

I have to agree with you on this one DB.

woohoo!

Gilgul said:

I have to agree with you on this one DB.

From the Huffington Post article:

The Thomas More Law Center claims that Chatham’s curriculum gave students a “sugarcoated, false depiction of Islam.”

“They had not been informed of the kidnappings, beheadings, slave-trading, massacres, and persecution of non-Muslims, nor of the repression of women — all done in the name of Islam and the Koran,” the center said in its statement.

I guess they forgot about all the same things done in the name of Christianity.

Irish Republican Army?

Klan?

Louis C.K. has a new bit wherein he claims ironically that Christianity "has won." "What year is it?" he asks, citing the fact that we keep track by JC's birth. We even work backwards (BC, or BCE).

Once sat in a faculty meeting where some staff actually argued that homework can be assigned on Jewish holidays (as opposed to Christian, which is "official"). I simply had to explode with "The whole western world runs on a Christian calendar!"

BTW, it was a town next to Chatham.

Yes yahooyahoo, the 7th grade World History curriculum (which I am very familiar with since my daughter was in 7th grade last year) does not get into the horrors committed during the Crusades or the Inquisition the time period of both are covered. So it is not like Islam is whitewashed and other religions not.

But for me dealing with that period as a Jew it was much much much better for the Jews in Islamic Spain than in Christian Spain.

Gilgul said:



But for me dealing with that period as a Jew it was much much much better for the Jews in Islamic Spain than in Christian Spain.

If anything that is an understatement.

yahooyahoo said:

From the Huffington Post article:

The Thomas More Law Center claims that Chatham’s curriculum gave students a “sugarcoated, false depiction of Islam.”

I wonder whether they teach a "sugarcoated" version of American History or whether they explore slavery and the genocide of Native Americans.

librarylady said:

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

Did they have more than 10 items?

librarylady said:

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

Did they have more than 10 items?

She made it clear that she had only 10 items but still got the hairy eyeball. GASP!!!

Did she count to ten with Arabic numerals (10) or Roman ones (X)?

LOST said:

Did she count to ten with Arabic numerals (10) or Roman ones (X)?

yahooyahoo said:

librarylady said:

And now they're complaining that they are being harassed at the local supermarket while waiting on the 10 items or less line getting nasty looks. Oy vey

Did they have more than 10 items?

She made it clear that she had only 10 items but still got the hairy eyeball. GASP!!!

Are we sure though? Some people count multiple of the same item as one (like three apples, etc) whereas others insist that each item should be counted separately. I want to see her receipt before I'll accept that she only had ten items. Express line abuse is a scourge that needs to be stopped.

LOST said:

Gilgul said:

I wonder whether they teach a "sugarcoated" version of American History or whether they explore slavery and the genocide of Native Americans.

My students, juniors and seniors, read Confessions of Nat Turner, Uncle Tom's Cabin and Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. That was in the '70's in New Providence.

Did they manage to convert any of the kids?

terp said:

Did they manage to convert any of the kids?

When I did my undergrad at Kean, there was a course in comparative religions. We were asked to visit a clergy or site of a religious belief and report our experiences and reaction. One of the students visited the local Mormon temple and announced to the class that she had decided to join.

Wow, trippy!

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

terp said:

Did they manage to convert any of the kids?

When I did my undergrad at Kean, there was a course in comparative religions. We were asked to visit a clergy or site of a religious belief and report our experiences and reaction. One of the students visited the local Mormon temple and announced to the class that she had decided to join.

I converted to Zoroastrianism after a high school class trip to an Indian restaurant.

In a moment of unrelated seriousness, I would love to find a comparative religion class for kids. My 10 year old asks questions, and probably half of my answers are weak at best. I'm not religious, but I'd like him to understand the difference between religions and what they believe.

I'm not interested in recruiters.

Scientology - I'm close to going clear.

Used to teach Auto. of Malcolm X and presented both mainstream Islam and N of I. Can't imagine that would go smoothly these days.

FilmCarp: not recruiting here but Beacon Unitarian Universalist in Summit offers a real comparative religions class for all 7th graders. It's called Neighboring Faiths. They learn about the core beliefs and practices of a variety of religions and visit different worship/practice sites, including an ashram. a mosque, a Hindu temple, a Jewish temple. etc, and several varieties of Christian churches. It's a good experience and there are lots of opportunities for conversation before and after the visits.

@nakaille That's fantastic. What a great thing to do.

And what a great age to offer it to.