Islamic Indoctrination in Public School

The teacher said, “Pretend you are a Muslim.”  This was the instruction given in a class assignment at Union Grove High School in Union Grove, Wisconsin, requiring students to take on the persona of a Muslim in order to write a “point of view” essay in which they discussed their daily Islamic religious practices and the types of struggles they would face as Muslims in America.

Perhaps you are shocked to learn about the inclusion of this assignment in a public school curriculum.  Maybe your position is that this type of activity clearly crosses the line into unconstitutional religious indoctrination by the government.

In less than 4-days, over 95,000 people had signed a petition to “Stop Islamic Indoctrination in School.”  This overwhelming response, and in such a rapid timeframe, sends a clear message that the citizens of this nation expect their government to abide by the law and refrain from incorporating Islamic religious activities into our public educational system.

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) issued a letter to the school district informing its officials that requiring students to personally adopt a religious viewpoint operates in direct violation of the restrictions imposed on the government by the ‘establishment clause’ of the 1st Amendment. They explained that school personnel must be made aware of the law in this regard and demanded that any future instruction involving religion at the school must comply with the Constitution.

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel