A school in Virgina is embroiled in a religious controversy after a schoolteacher assigned an Arabic calligraphy assignment to students. Although the course has taught students in the past about Christianity and Judaism, things took a different turn when Islam became a focus within the coursework.
The Staunton News-Leader reports:
Just a few days after more than 100 people met in fury over a world geography assignment at Riverheads High School, support is increasingly being heard for the embattled teacher. And a Facebook page organizing a Tuesday protest against the calligraphy lesson was flooded with comments pushing back against the anti-Muslim rhetoric. Eventually the page’s creators took it down rather than host the comments.
Cheryl LaPorte, a veteran teacher with Augusta County Schools, had asked students to practice Arabesque calligraphy by copying an Islamic statement of faith, known as the shahada, as part of a class on world religions, including Islam.
Initial reaction from some Christian parents included calls for LaPorte’s firing for “violating children’s religious beliefs.” However, both the Virginia Department of Education and Augusta County Superintendent Eric Bond have reviewed the material and found it in line with state standards and said the lesson did not violate student rights.
Former students of LaPorte, concerned citizens and parents have taken to social media to ask the parents who initiated the case against LaPorte to stop.
An event page created to rally outraged parents to a forum Tuesday night at a rural church near Riverheads High School was taken over with posts criticizing the actions of those who created the event. It was eventually taken off Facebook on Wednesday.
“I keep seeing the word ‘indoctrination’ being thrown around and, as an RHS alumna, I take great offense to it,” said Kari Watson. “I love this school, and Mrs. LaPorte is a wonderful teacher. It is outrageous to believe she is trying to convert anyone to Islam. Please, choose your media outlets wisely and be aware of what you’re spreading.”
What’s telling about the reaction to LaPorte’s assignment is that it wasn’t something she formed herself as it came from a textbook. The assignment instructs students to copy the Arabic writing of the “shahada,” the Muslim declaration of a belief in God and the messages of the Prophet Mohammed.
Amazingly, the entire Augusta County school district shut down as a result of the assignment uproar based on the sheriff’s suggestion. Naturally this has inspired a swell in anti-Islamic statements and rising fears stoked by recent events involving reported Muslims.
[h/t Gawker]
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Photo: screen cap
