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Duke Chronicle – March 6, 2007
Anti-Islam talk at North Carolina
high school prompts ACLU action
Naureen Khan
As part of an ongoing investigation, a Christian evangelist's appearance at a Duke University-area high school has now sparked reaction from the American Civil Liberties Union.
During his Feb. 15 appearance at Enloe High School, Kamil Solomon denounced Islam and distributed pamphlets titled "Do Not Marry A Muslim Man, Part I" and "Jesus Not Muhammad, Part I" to teacher Robert Escamilla's social studies classes.
Escamilla, suspended with pay last week, awaits an internal review of the matter by the Wake County, N.C., Public School System.
The case attracted the attention of the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation when the father of an Enloe student filed a complaint against the high school.
The ACLU said it believes the incident is a violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which forbids any government action that advances any one set of religious beliefs over another.
In a Feb. 22 letter to Enloe principal Beth Cochran, Azadeh Shahshahani, Muslim/Middle Eastern community outreach coordinator for the ACLU-NCLF, outlined the constitutional basis for the complaint.
"I am writing to ask that you provide us with a written assurance that such speakers engaging in unconstitutional conduct will never be invited again to Enloe High School," Shahshahani wrote.
In a brief response the next day, Adelphos Burns, superintendent of the WCPSS, wrote "appropriate actions" would be taken following a review of the incident.
"We are deeply disappointed by the manner in which the school has thus far handled these serious allegations," said Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ACLU-NCLF, in a Feb. 27 press release. "In the face of overwhelming evidence that proselytizing took place in this public school, school officials have insisted on miscasting this as a free speech issue." . . .
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim advocacy group that received complaints following Solomon's appearance, said it was not satisfied with the school district's response, especially after allegations that proselytization has occurred at Enloe before.
"Now we're hearing this wasn't an isolated incident and that this teacher has been involved in controversies before," said Ibrahim Hooper, communications director of CAIR. "This kind of hate-filled bigotry demands a strong response."…..
http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2007/03/06/News/AntiIslam.Talk.Prompts.Aclu.Wake.School.Action-2759708.shtml
News and Observer – March 1, 2007
Islam, free speech and Enloe
Learning from an anti-Muslim presentation at a public high school
Anna Bigelow
RALEIGH, North Carolina - The uproar about Kamil Solomon's appearance at Enloe High School, where he gave a speech and distributed literature hostile to Islam, may be a good thing.
Although as a professor teaching Islam I am certainly not happy to hear of the kinds of materials the students were given, time was when such a talk would have been acceptable, even unremarkable. So I hope that the outcry indicates two things.
First, I hope it indicates a rising knowledge among non-Muslims in the region that, like all other faiths, Islam has a variety of adherents, most of whom reject fanaticism, terrorism and hate.
Indeed, many parents and students spoke up against the talk's content.
Second, the reaction from the local and national Muslim communities was swift, offering concrete responses and a clear denunciation both of the speaker and the kind of extremist Muslims that Solomon had described. This coordinated and direct action by individuals and groups such as the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) may represent an increasing efficacy in countering negative stereotypes about Islam. . .
Too often Muslim voices denouncing terrorism are not heard outside of Muslim circles. Sometimes this is a problem of language, sometimes a question of access. It is not because such denunciations have not been made -- they were either not heard or ignored. Indeed, while CAIR is accused by some of being an apologist for terrorism, its role in organizing and publicizing a legal ruling or fatwa against terrorism endorsed by well over 300 national organizations, mosques and clerics is rarely heralded.
That fatwa against terrorism came out in July 2005, yet many non-Muslims still seem unaware of its existence.
The fact that in the Enloe case the voices of local and national Muslims were heard may indicate increased skill in negotiating the system and, I hope, that the system is learning to hear and represent their voices. Muslim groups and individuals were widely quoted in the news media and publicly offered their services (as have I) to the school to provide programming that will help give the students the materials they need to make sound judgments of their own.
I hope that Enloe will avail itself of these opportunities, and that other schools will use this unfortunate event as a chance to develop students' capacities for critical thinking about the issues that are essential to the growth of responsible, informed citizens.
(Anna Bigelow is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at N.C. State University.)
http://www.newsobserver.com/559/story/548217.html
WRAL – March 1, 2007
NC: Enloe teacher suspended with
pay after speaker controversy
Raleigh - A social studies teacher at Enloe High School has been suspended with pay after an invited speaker criticized Islam.
Officials said Robert Escamilla invited Kamil Solomon to talk with students on Feb. 16. Students said Solomon handed out two pamphlets to students, entitled, "Jesus Not Muhammad Part 1," and "Do Not Marry a Muslim Part 1."
Some students and parents have complained to school-system officials. Attorneys with the Wake County School Board are interviewing students, faculty, and school administrators about the incident.
In a letter sent to faculty and staff by Enloe principal Beth Cochran, she wrote about the use of guest speakers at the school:
"Guest speakers can provide a wonderful enrichment opportunity for our students by bringing unique personal experiences and various points of view that can significantly enhance our students' education. When we invite speakers into our classrooms, however, there is an expectation that the presentation is not only aligned with the standard course of study, but is also relevant to the class unit and appropriate in tone and topic for high school students in a public school setting." ….
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/1219261/
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