Islamic Schools - What ARE They Teaching?

There were two articles in today's newspapers today, both about Islamic grade schools.  First, the local news, about an Islamic school in Shrewsbury, MA, the first accredited Islamic school in New England (two more are in the pipeline). 

"It's located on 2.8 leafy acres in Shrewsbury, complete with a basketball court, small playground, and the traditional classes that can be found in any public school. But Al-Hamra Academy in Shrewsbury, a private school housed in a simple two-story brick building under an American flag, also teaches Arabic, Islamic studies, and the Koran. There are prayers during the school day."

"Now, the academy has become the first Islamic school in New England to win accreditation, a milestone for the region's Muslim community....There are only 10 Islamic schools in New England, and Al-Hamra was the first to seek accreditation, a voluntary evaluation process, Bennett said....The school, founded in 1994, has 152 students, male and female, preschool through eighth grade."

I have some concerns about Al-Hamra, which featured Ingrid Mattson of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) at its April 2007 fundraiser.  The ISNA is on the list of unindicted co-conspirators in the federal government's case against the Holy Land Foundation in Dallas, TX.  Ms. Mattson spoke at Harvard University in March 2007, where she warned Jews to be wary of Christian fundamentalists:

"Right-wing Christians are very risky allies for American Jews," Mattson said, "because they [the Christians] are really anti-Semitic. They do not like Jews."

Is this indicative of the prevailing attitude at Al-Hamra? 

The Links page at Al-Hamra's website shows the usual ties to the MAS-run Islamic Society of Boston, and the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell and the Islamic Society of Greater Worcester.  There are links to Sound Vision, Al Jazeera and Saudi One TV, which promote a fundamentalist Islam.  Al-Hamra links to Islam Q and A, where one can read the fatwas declaring that under shariah law, women doctors cannot treat male patients, that Muslim women should not wear their hair or dress in a way that imitates the kaafirs (non-Muslims), and that it is only permissible for "scholars and knowledgable people" to go to churches and interfaith discusssions, and then only to call the people there to Islam.  Think about that the next time you attend an interfaith discussion with ISB or MAS.  Ordinary Muslims who aren't "scholars" might get confused and be influenced by the church.

Don't miss the winning entry in the 8th grade Al-Hamra Religion fair, a Powerpoint presentation about the "History of Islam in America".  "Muslims have played a titanic role in the development of this country."  (Interesting word choice, titanic.) The presentation is slide after slide of fabricated history, full of unsubstantiated claims that Muslims were here before Columbus, North African Muslims brought Islam to Native Americans, and Christopher Columbus saw  a mosque in Cuba.  This is largely based on Saga America, a book by Barry Fells, a Harvard marine biologist, whose "history" has never been accepted by serious scholars and historians.  No one - aside from Fells and some deluded Islamists- believes this stuff, because there is no documentation, relics or substantiation of these claims.  One of the local proponents of this cult archeology is Salih Yucel, who currently serves as a Muslim Chaplain at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston and North Shore Medical Center.  Deafening Silence provides a thorough debunking of the Islamists's misappropriation of Native American culture here.  Deafening Silence also skewers the Barry Fells make-believe.

The PowerPoint further goes on to explain that many African slaves became Muslims in order to "confront" the European slave traders.  Righhhht.  No mention of the far larger Arabic slave trade which enslaved millions more Africans than the Atlantic slave trade did, except to say that "Muslims were also more open to be captured for the slave trade because they moved around Africa a lot for the purpose of spreading Islam."  Righhhhht.  Who is feeding this stuff to 8th graders?   More fantastic claims:

"Muslims developed the art of "autobiography" and and their stories, letters, and personal quotations became the primary sources for people today learning about slave experience on ships. The growing collection of Arabic documents that were once buried in libraries and archives provides the solid evidence of African Muslims in the Americas."

Really? Where are these Arabic documents?  Buried in which libraries?  More details, please. The PowerPoint contrasts the illiterate European Masters with the literacy of the noble Muslim slaves, and exposes the great deceit by American colonists:

"Later the American colonists conjured the idea that they would trick people by saying that the Muslims were Arabs, since everyone knew how smart and clean the Arabs were, so it wouldn't arouse any suspicion."

Tricky American colonists!

This nonsense won a prize at a Religion fair?  I'm ever so slightly consoled that it didn't win a prize at the History Fair.  Did Bill Bennett, director of the commission on independent schools at the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, read this winning entry? 

Somewhat ironically, the second article on Islamic schools I read today was this one, in the Washington Post:

"An independent government agency that monitors worldwide religious freedom will suggest today that the State Department shut down the 23-year-old Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia on the grounds it is fomenting hate and religious extremism."

"The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which advises Congress, the State Department and the president on religious-freedom issues, has issued a 30-page document saying the Saudi Embassy, which operates the 933-student academy, is violating U.S. law. It will explain its findings at 10 a.m. today in Room 538 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building."

"....At issue are textbooks the USCIRF says contain "highly intolerant and discriminatory language, particularly against Jews, Christians and Shi'a Muslims." Its findings are based on a three-year study of Arabic-language textbooks, some of them from the Saudi Academy, by the Center for Religious Freedom in the District."

Hmmm, kind of makes you wonder what sort of Arabic textbooks they use at Al-Hamra, dunnit?

Comments

[Fran]

Great work on your part, but where's evidence of "great work" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts - or the Boston Globe? The Globe does a puff piece replete with a charming picture for a "feel good" effect. Still spreading the delusions of the New York Times' crumbling empire.

[elizmr]

The Boston Globe has clearly been intimidated and will not write anything negative about any Muslim enterprise for fear of a law suit.

[Louis]

I just sent the offending powerpoint prsentation to the Ohio Dept. of Education, with some very pointed questions - ie: do we monitor islamic schools for such preposterous historical innaccuracies. I suggest everyone else do the same.

[Justin]

I am a history teacher at the public schools where inaccuracies are common place in the curriculum. I came across this website and it is really part of a sad trend of intolerance and persuasion through fear. You should all be ashamed of yourselves - you are about as un-American as it gets. I suggest you all get a hobby and stop bothering people just because you are afraid of something different from your own ignorant lives.

[miss kelly]

Justin, would you teach in your history class what is presented in that PowerPoint presentation about the history of Muslims in the U.S.?

[Lynne]

I have read through the slide show and I do find it troubling. Not because a 14-year-old has latched onto some wild ideas- this is why comic books sell- but because supervising adults gave this exhibition a prize. It's all well and good to claim that Muslims have contributed to the US- they certainly have- but when supervising adults reward dodgy scholarship and overblown claims I get worried.

[Mary]

I think you Miss kelly should be ashamed of yourself! Instead of spreading tolerance and acceptance of other cultures and beliefs, you are only spreading hatred!I am American and I am Jewish, and neither my country nor my religion stand for the kind of lies that you are spreading! Seriously, what are you trying to accomplish is what I would like to ask you?! What happened to those schools in the US that did not want to teach the Big Bang, but instead the creationist theory? Most scientist would also argue that to be ridiculous! I want to know one thing miss Kelly: WHY are you doing this?

[miss kelly]

Mary, I'm not sure what you consider to be lies. Please let me know specifically what you consider to be a lie. I don't report or write lies. If something is untrue, please point it out and I will gladly retract it.

I'm doing this because a) there is an undercurrent of Islamic radicalism at a number of Muslim institutions in the Boston area, and b) few people are paying attention to it. The signs are there, the Saudi Wahabi mentality is there, the Saudi funding is there, but most people aren't paying much attention. I'm trying to bring this stuff out in the open, make it part of the public record that, for instance, Al-Hamra uses Islam Q&A - with its discriminatory, regressive fatwas - as a resouce.

We're not in Kentucky and we're not in Saudi Arabia, we're in Massachusetts. We don't teach creationism, and we shouldn't teach that Muslims converted Native Americans before Columbus came. Especially not to impressionable middle schoolers. As another person wrote to me:"It is a betrayal of everything that is meant by the word 'educate'." These students are not being taught scholarly research, they're being taught archeological fraud. They're learning that "everyone knows Arab Muslims are smart and clean," so what does that make non-Arab Muslims and non-Muslims? One might say it's educational malpractice to teach the things that apparently Al-Hamra is teaching. It's a disservice to the children who are apparently being inculcated in an atmosphere of Arab Muslim supremacy. Not good for them or us.

Would you want your children to be taught fraudulent history?

[Dennis_Mahon]

And, of course, "Mary" and "Justin" never respond with to the questions put to them.

[Bostonian]

This sounds like a great school. finally, i think i will be sending my kids there. I will send your post to a lot of people i know who will be interested in such a great school.

[Bob]

Miss Kelly,

I think you are really a scared little Catholic afraid to look inward at all of the "skeletons" in your own religions closet. Why are you such a hater that the Muslims and for that mater Chinese, Vikings and God only knows who else beat your Catholic cohort Columbus to America. Why are you so afraid of ideas that challenge what you have been taught? The Muslims may or may not have been here first, that is a topic for historians to discuss. However, you should be open enough to take a look at different ideas to see what the real truth is in this world. Unfortunately, history is recorded by the victors, so we may never know what really happened in the past. I also was wondering why you are so against Al-Hamra Academy? You seem to think you are an expert because of the links on the website or because one of it's speakers said something you do not like or agree with. Miss Kelly, if you are truly a Catholic trying to re-find her way, shouldn't you be trying to spread love and brotherhood instead of hate and oppression? You are no better than the Islamofacists you claim to be against. You are PART OF THE PROBLEM!!!!

[miss kelly]

Bob, in order to make a claim that some historical event happened, there needs to be evidence, documentation, and relics with known provenance. There are standards for historical research. The claims made in the winning PowerPoint presentation about the history of Muslims in America don't meet those standards. It's not a good thing that young children are learning junk history.

The Catholic Church has done many bad things in the past, as well as many great things. This is not a surprise to anyone. The Church has openly criticized many aspects of its own past, and has apologized for same. I'd like you to name another major religon which has apologized for the excesses of its past.

I'm not against Al-Hamra per se. I support religious schools and I fully understand that many parents want their children taught in a school with strong moral teachings. But I think Al-Hamra deserves some scrutiny. Quite a few Islamic schools in the U.S. use textbooks, especially for their Arabic language classes, with "intolerant and discriminatory language." Does this one?

[Bob]

Miss Kelly,

I hear where you are coming from. Quite a few Islamic schools in the U.S. may be using textbooks that have "intolerant and discriminatory language." But in all fairness, that does not mean that "ALL" Islamic schools use these types of books. I do agree with you that intolerance and discrimination is not something that I want to be taught to my children or your children no matter what your religion or moral belief is based upon. I will do some research into this matter and let you all know what I have found out.

[miss kelly]

That would be great, thanks!

[Cengiz]

Hello all. Im an alumni from Al-hamra Academy. are you all readers surprised?
well...im not surprised that you are scrutinizing upon the project. i personally know the students who made this project.
but i want to adress one thing here. you act like al-hamra is a school that should be put under microscope and observed like a scary aids virus.
let me tell you..i guess you forgot they were acredited recently?
al-hamra uses mcgraw hill textbooks AND PRENTICE HALL! LAST TIME I CHECKED THOSE WERE FROM NORMAL AMERICAN COMPANIES CORRECT?
next topic all worry about is arabic and religion class. well for arabic class the school didnt have enough money to provide them. so..i guess for those people believing we get books from al-qaida...i guess uwere wrong. we were taught by our teacher like a teacher would teach her class the language of french.
im glad that there are some people here who are defending the school. i dont care which ethnicity you are...but the good person of wtv religion..when they see something wrong they dont stand and watch. and im glad there are people here speaking against the woman who wrote bad of al-hamra.
fradulent history btw? fradulent? my history teacher personally received her books from the shrewsbury library. it wasnt fiction. i read it myself on her desk. it was by a professor. but jeez..i dont have photographic memory so how can i recount a name that would mean nothing to me so many years ago?
as i said before..im glad there are people here who know what is wrong.
this woman who is againt al-hamra and is afraid of change..well...allah help her in this life and inshallah she will find her happyness. for all who were postive thank you. i think it should be noted that as muslims we dont just say we will go to heaven and non muslims will not. its all about how the person acts and are doing rightful things.and as long as you dont assosciate partners with god then hopefully we can go to jannah. i dont want to bring up the trinity but thats not right in my belief.
i thank you for ur time and please feel fre to write. i provided my e-mail.

thank you and salam. btw 17 at the moment.