FRIENDSWOOD -- Parents of some junior high students are upset they weren't notified about a school presentation on Islamic culture, an omission that violated school district policy. The parents' letter-writing campaign stems from a May 22 presentation at Friendswood Junior High, where two Muslim women gave a 30-minute presentation about Islamic life as part of a yearlong study of respect, tolerance and culture, The Galveston County Daily News reported Saturday. The guest speakers discussed Muslim culture, including topics such as food, religion, dress, beliefs and famous Muslims.
Sometimes I wonder why it seems so incredibly difficult for some Americans to get past this impenetrable cultural mental block we seem to have regarding Islam. OK, I understand 9.11 and Islamofascism and all that...but why can't the haters stop long enough to realize that Islam was not the reason for 9.11? Islam was merely the mantle which the 19 hijackers used to wrap their heinous brutality in. Their actions were as much about Islam as the war in Iraq is about Christianity.
I'm not at all surprised that some of the good, God-fearing White folk of Friendswood, TX, seem to have their panties in a wad because someone was trying to...GASP!... foster a greater understanding of Islam. Heaven forbid that our children should actually have a working knowledge of some of the basic tenets and customs of one of the world's three major religions.
What, really, is so wrong with exposing our children to religions and schools of thought that differ from the ones they're most familiar with? Since when is knowledge, tolerance, and understanding a bad thing? How does having a modicum of respect for different cultures and belief systems threaten our safety and well-being?
The reality, of course, is that we perpetuate the hatred and ignorance out of sheer...well, hatred and ignorance. We should know just enough about Islam and Muslims to thoroughly detest them, because they're responsible for 9.11...and they hate Jesus, right??
OK, so perhaps the school should have done a better job of following procedure...but why must a school notify parents that it's going to teach understanding of different cultures and religions. Is the thought of our public schools teaching tolerance so frightening that we're willingly to allow our own fear and ignorance free reign as we poison the minds of our children?
Hatred isn't something one is born with; it's learned behavior. Unfortunately, there are far too many of us willing pass along our own hatred and prejudice to our progeny...as if it was some sort of birthright worthy of being cherised and passed from one generation to the next. And then we wonder why we find ourselves in a perpetual state of war....
