Terror suspect helped Islamic curriculum
California controversy stagnant after revelation of terror suspect’s help with Islamic curriculum project
Former President Bill Clinton’s legacy includes the dubious “religious expression in public school guidelines” to pave the way for California to mandate Islam inclusion in classroom curriculums.
After controversy in recent years over how that mandate has been applied, more new textbooks contain increasing Pro-Islam material that now borders on “dawa” or an invitation to convert.
These books have been introduced in more than one-third of the Californian school systems.
Efforts to turn back this mandate have had little impact since United States District Judge Phyllis Hamilton’s decision on behalf of the Northern California district.
The U.S. Supreme Court in October 2006 declined to hear the case involving the indoctrination of public school children into Islam.
Hamilton had ruled years before in favor of California’s public school curriculum inclusion of a student guide for Islamic instruction.
The guide read, "From the beginning you and your classmates will become Muslims," choosing a Muslim name, dressing as Arabs, reciting lines from Muslim prayers like, "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful."
Although the course is still mandated, some headway is noted in the Californian Department of Education allowance to teachers exercising their own discretion on how it is to be taught.
Also, further doubt was cast on Clinton’s guidelines after it was revealed that a man arrested as a terror suspect helped write them.
Abdurahman Alamoudi was arrested for allegedly trying to transport $340,000 from a group tied to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He reputedly had connections to Osama bin Laden as well.
Alamoudi was president of the American Muslim Council, a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, and he worked with Clinton and the ACLU on development of these guidelines in 1995.
Alamoudi, who served jail time, also founded the American Muslim Foundation and the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council.
He got into trouble over the money because transfers such as these were banned under economic sanctions imposed in 1986 when Libya was tied to terrorist bombings in Vienna and Rome.
During the time period when Alamoudi helped with the presidential guidelines, Muslim beliefs started appearing in Houghton Mifflin textbooks, used in some of the Islamic courses.
The guidelines note, "Students generally do not have a federal right to be excused from lessons that may be inconsistent with their religious beliefs or practices."
Judge Hamilton referred to this when ruling that Muslim teaching could continue since it is merely “cultural education.”
Edward White III, of the Thomas More Law Center, handled the California lawsuit.
He said, "Would it have been 'cultural education' if students were in simulated baptisms…or taking the name of St. John, [or] with banners saying 'Praise be to Jesus Christ' on classroom walls?"
Special to PRB News by Debra Ferrell