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.