Atlantic City schools to recognize Islamic holidays

[PfcHammer]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--muslimholidays0528may28,0,7838157.story

Atlantic City schools to recognize Islamic holidays

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) _ Atlantic City has become the fourth school district in New Jersey to recognize Muslim holidays.

The city's board of education approved districtwide days off for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two sacred Islamic holidays, for the upcoming school year.

Previously, under state law Muslim students and teachers were allowed to take off Islamic holidays without being penalized. According to Superintendent Fredrick P. Nickles, about 560 of the city's 7,800 children are Muslim.

Board member Cornell Davis, who is Muslim, called the decision "courageous" in light of current tensions between Americans and Islamic extremists.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Good!

Now lets see if some schools are courageous to teach a little bit about Islam-not as religious instruction, but as history and culture. Ignorance makes anything easy to hate; it is harder when one has a bit of knowledge.

[neocon]

3. Islam in school?

The problem with teaching Islam is this; Islam is not as many think and are told, a religion of peace and tolerance. Though there are more peaceful muslims than fundamentalists, the religion itself is one of power, intimidation, and violence. I am not christian, nor any other religion however I am educated in Islam, catholicism, and the Jewish faith. There are something like 1 billion muslims in the world, roughly 1% of them are fundamentalists which works out to about 100 million give or take. 100 million practitioners of fundamentalist islam, wishing to convert or kill their enemies, the infadels, us. Are the schools going to be courageous enough to talk about that? Are they going to be courageous enough to talk about the religion and how it places oppressive restraint upon females? I think not, so lets just save the religious talk for the religious and private schools.

[Hand]

4. Yer math is off...

One percent of 1 billion is 10 million... Still, you did say 100 million, "give or take"...

:evilgrin:

[AP]

5. Whazza? Teaching Islam? I think they're making it holiday because ...

...absenteeism was so high on the holiday.

Who's teaching Islam?

[playahata1]

6. What about Christianity?

Ever hear about the Crusades? The Inquisition? The anti-abortion, anti-woman Fundie lunatics? Methinks there has been a lot more violence perpetrated in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost over the years than there has been in the name of Allah, which is One. So get your facts straight before you come barging in here with your ignorant comments.

[Columbia]

13. Where in the New Testament does Jesus say to kill unbelievers?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

14. Where does it say

to kill unbelievers in the Qur'an? I believe it says again and again that one should use restraint and only use violence as a last resort, and only when you cannot leave.

[Columbia]

15. You should do a little more research

<2.191> And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers.

<9.5> So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

18. Taken out of context.

Look at what 2:190 says-

Fight in the cause of Allah
Those who fight you
But do not transgress limits
For Allah does not love transgressors.

Makes a difference when you read the next section. My copy of the Qur'an (The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali) has notes and commentaries about the different verses. Here is the commentary that goes with this verse:

War is permissible in self-defense and under well-defined limits. When undertaken, it must be pushed with vigour (but not relentlessly) but only to restore peace and freedom for the worship of Allah. In any case, strict limits must not be transgressed: women, children, the old and infirm men should not be molested, nor trees or crops cut down, nor peace withheld when the enemy comes to terms.

Now let's look at 9:4

(But the treaties are) not dissolved
With those Pagans with whom
Ye have entered into alliance
And who have not subsequently
Fialed yhou in aught.
Nor aided anyone against you.
So fulfill your engagements
With them to the end
Of their term; for Allah
Lovet the righteous.


Sorry, but I've had these verses you quoted cited to me before. It is obvious that they were taken out of contex to inflame opinion and to cement prejudice against Muslims. If you're going to quote a verse, it is wise to read the context around it.

[Columbia]

19. Yet, the meaning remains the same

You know who uses these quotes the most?

The Islamic fundamentalist / Al-Qaeda types preach them to their followers to wage a holy war on Christians and Jews. The 9/11 hijackers were probably reciting them as they flew the planes into the WTC killing thousands of "unbelievers" and "idolaters."

"Inflame opinion and cement prejudice" indeed. No, sir, they only have themselves to blame for that.

[playahata1]

21. Read the Old Testament also.

God's "Chosen People" -- the Jews -- killed "unbelievers" and "idolaters" in the name of God. I see nothing about self-defense in THAT book.

And tell me, where do you get your prejudiced views concerning Muslims?

[Columbia]

23. I never mentioned the Old Testament did I?

There are plenty of references in the Old Testament and the Koran supporting the killing of unbelievers. My personal belief is that it doesn't matter what a certain religion's holy scripture says or doesn't say. I care about the actions of people, irregardless of their religion.

I have no prejudice against Muslims, I know many, many of them who I consider my friends. That, however, does not excuse the actions of the many Muslims who use these quotes to support the killing of innocent people.

[playahata1]

26. MANY Muslims?

There are a billion Muslims throughout the world. You say that there are "many Muslims who use these quotes to support the killing of innocent people." How many of those one billion Muslims is "many"? Have you taken a count, done any research on this?

[Columbia]

27. Yes

I don't know how many exactly, do you? It is probably in the range of tens of thosands to millions. That is "many" to me.

[playahata1]

34. Just as you cannot accurately gauge the mindset of a billion people

in the mass, you cannot accurately gauge the mindset of "tens of thousands to millions" of Muslims.

And about AlQueda: I doubt very seriously that this group exists except as a figment of somebody's imagination.

[Columbia]

37. Well then...

"And about AlQueda: I doubt very seriously that this group exists except as a figment of somebody's imagination."

Guess that ends the conversation then.

[TankLV]

28. No, you "conveniently" left out the killing sections of the so-called

"holy" bible - while your posts were in support of the ignorance of the poster who, like you, implys that the muslim faith ALONE is special because it is violent. When called on it, you became defensive and said you "never mentioned the old testament" - again how CONVENIENT to leave out parts that support the violence of the good old so-called "holy bible".

Nice try.

They are comming out of the woodwork again, folks!

Beware of 3-post posters who spout ignorance, and their apologists with more posts who should know better!

[Columbia]

31. No

I put those quotes out there to counter the false premise that Islam is truly a "religion of peace" just as Judaism and Christianity is not a religion of peace if look hard enough at the scriptures.

The fact is that there are Muslims who do use these quotes as justification to kill Jews and Christians and American Jews and Christians are at the top of their priority list.

[playahata1]

35. Give us some names -- individuals as well as groups.

No, don't bother, because there is nothing you can say or do that will convince me that you are not painting all Muslims with a broad brush.

[Columbia]

36. Sorry bub

You are the one painting Muslims with a broad brush. I am merely adding a bit of color by telling you not all is good in the actions of Muslims who think they are acting in the interests of Allah by killing innocents.

Look here to see who you are defending - http://www.intelcenter.com/reports-charts.html.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

22. The meaning does not remain the same

but I can tell there is no way I can persuade you otherwise.

[Columbia]

24. Don't tell that to me

It won't make a difference what I believe, go try and persuade Al-Qaeda that it means what you think it means.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

30. Sorry, but just because I'm Muslim

doesn't mean I'm a terrorist or have links to terrorist organizations. I am getting a bit tired of posters who imply that all Muslims are. Why don't you go persuade them? You have as much say with those people as I do.

[Columbia]

32. Strawman

I never said any of those things you are intimating I did.

I am not going to persuade them because they are fanatics and they don't listen to reason.

[playahata1]

20. I just got back from running an errand.

And yes, you have taken those suras out of context. All you are doing by doing so is fostering prejudice against Muslims.

It is the same argument Freepers use regarding the Abu Ghirab torture: "At least we (Christians) are better than (the Muslims)."

[Columbia]

29. See post #24

[qwertyMike]

8. They aren't talking about

TEACHING Isalm

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Thanks, qwertyMike

Most people in the US, even if they aren't Christian, are aware of what a church looks like and the way Christians pray and celebrate holidays. Unless they live in a metropolitan area, most Americans have no clue what a mosque looks like or what happens in a mosque. They may have heard about Christians tithing, but not be aware of the fact that giving to charities is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. I am amazed at how many Americans have some strange notion that "Allah" is an idol, or a 'false God' instead of understanding the Islamic belief that God is One.

It is this sort of thing that I would teach to children, just enough so that they better understand the faith.

[Columbia]

12. Disregard

Oops, supposed to be reply to #6, not you sorry

[kiahzero]

25. Hmmm

Low post count? Check.
Giveaway name? Check.
One of the first posts is full of shit? Check.

Interesting.

Though there are more peaceful muslims than fundamentalists, the religion itself is one of power, intimidation, and violence.
Bullshit.

Are they going to be courageous enough to talk about the religion and how it places oppressive restraint upon females?
The restraints on women are cultural rather than a symptom of the religion. Case in point: Turkey. 99% Islamic, without being oppresive to women.

[PsychoDad]

10. I agree..

ayeshahaqqiqa said: "teach a little bit about Islam-not as religious instruction"

I think American schools could do with covering many more world cultures and their contributions to our western society. In the case of Islam, It is the world's second largest religion, found world wide, yet so little is known or understood by the majority of america. Few americans even realize the contributions made by Islamic culture on our civilization.. Banks, checques, mathimatics, hospitals, astronomy, etc. Much of the power behind the europian renaissance came from the middle east - the acadamies of Cordova and Baghdad educated many of the nobles of Europe.

But even so, Islamic culture is only one part of the greater picture of where our culture came from. Too many Americans think the Indians were eating pizza whene we arrived here to civilize them :+

[mmm]

16. Yes!

There are many awesome facets of Islam.
Islam can be the way of acceptance, kindness and forgiveness.
We must stop demonizing over a billion plus Muslims.
They are in every way equal to or better than ourselves.

[mmm]

17. Yes!

There are many awesome facets of Islam.
Islam can be the way of acceptance, kindness and forgiveness.
We must stop demonizing over a billion plus Muslims.
They are in every way equal to or better than ourselves.

[Longhorn]

2. I'm an atheist but

I'm also a teacher and I have to applaud the school district. If school districts are going to recognize Christian holidays, then they need to recognize all religious holidays. Of course, my first preference would be to recognize none of them but I rarely get my first preference!

[DBoon]

7. Exactly!

If we are going to have the government in ANY way recognize religion, then all religions have to be recognized.

None or all, otherwise we have a state-recognized religion

[LiberalFighter]

33. How many days will be left to teach?

[donsu]

9. agree

nt