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School's Islamic-indoctrination curriculum survives 
Supreme Court rejects appeal by evangelical Christian students, parents

Appeal on school's lesson in Muslim culture is rejected

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by evangelical Christian students and their parents who said a Contra Costa County school district engaged in unconstitutional religious indoctrination when it taught students about Islam by having them recite language from prayers.

The court, without comment, left intact a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last November in favor of the Byron Union School District in eastern Contra Costa.

The suit challenged the content of a seventh-grade history course at Excelsior Middle School in Byron in the fall of 2001. The teacher, using an instructional guide, told students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks to help them learn what Muslims believe.

She encouraged them to use Muslim names, recited prayers in class, had them memorize and recite a passage from the Quran and made them give up something for a day, such as television or candy, to simulate fasting during the month of Ramadan. The final exam asked students for a critique of elements of Muslim culture.

The students and parents who sued argued that the class activities had crossed the line from education into an official endorsement of a religious practice. A federal judge and the appeals court disagreed, saying the class had an instructional purpose and the students had engaged in no actual religious exercises.

Linda Lye, a lawyer for the school district, said the same instructional material remains available for classes, though it is not required.

"I'm delighted that the Byron Union School District can put this case finally behind it and get on with educating children and exposing them to the world's great cultures and religions in an appropriate way,'' Lye said.

Edward White of the Thomas More Law Center, an attorney who represented the plaintiffs, said the Supreme Court's rejection surprised him. The case "presents significant issues of national importance with regard to public school education and religious indoctrination of children,'' he said.

The case is Eklund vs. Byron Union School District, 05-1539.

More proof the "Separation of Church and State" garbage only pertains to Christianity. After all we wouldn't want to offend muslims, just Christians.

Amen

if it was for instructional purpose and reportedly did not engage in any actual religious exercises what do you call pretending to be a Muslim?!  Do they not realize that a Muslim is a religious name and not an ethnic group or anything like that.  It is purely religious.  And unless they will also allow this teacher to turn around and have a 3 week period in the life of a Jew.  Another 3 weeks in the life of a Christian.  3 weeks in the life of a Hindu, as well as a Buddhist...I do not see how it is truly fair nor not an endorsement.

I also wonder if the teach had a portion of the class act as militant Muslims and had them strap paper towel dowels on their chest and run into the cafateria and yell BOOOOM!!!!!

I wonder if the verses in the Quran they read were the ones in which it stated that all Christians and Jews were infidels and worthy of only death?

(I know that was in bad taste and I am praying for a calmer tongue as we speak).  Believe me if there are any Muslims reading this board or ever touching this board I am sincerely praying for your faith and that God will guide you into the correct path.