Don’t worry, I haven’t crossed the border into deeply conservative Christian thinking.
No, "Do Not Marry A Muslim" was the title of a pamphlet handed out recently by a guest speaker at a Raleigh, North Carolina School.
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."
Teacher suspended with pay
Solomon is an Egyptian born Christian who reportedly was tortured as a youth by Egyptian Muslims. His website, Kimo4jesus.org announces its mission as:
to raise an awareness of the danger of Islam among Christians and equip them to share Jesus with Muslims."
The school, a gifted & talented magnet program located in downtown Raleigh, responded with letters from the English department chair and the principal that stressed the free speech nature of the classroom exchange.
"I assure you that teachers make sure that students know that his presentation was one person's perspective and not representative of all Muslims," Cochran said. She also said that the school champions "the free exchange of ideas."
Raleigh News & Observer
Bringing in speakers with different perspectives and experiences and then discussing attitudes and biases is a laudable goal for any classroom teacher. But it doesn’t look like Mr. Escamilla was truly making that attempt: students report that Kamil Solomon was their only guest speaker this semester. Even more troubling are reports of an e-mail message posted on the teacher’s personal website:
The message posted on Solomon's Web site Friday for less than 24 hours said, "Thank you so much for coming and speaking so effectively to our students, helping them to open their minds and see more light. I think we should be able to get you back again."
The seven-sentence posting ends, "May God continue to richly bless you and to powerfully use you to give Him much glory." It is signed "your brother and friend in Christ, Robert."
E-mail thanks enemy of Islam
Now, as an English teacher myself, and a committed Christian, I have no problem with discussing my faith. Students know from casual conversation what church I go to, that I sing in the choir, and that I participate in Bible studies, lead youth groups, and go on retreats. My own free speech rights certainly allow me to not have to hide or edit who I am or what church, if any, I attend.
The problem comes if I begin to tell my students not only, "this is what I believe," but "this is what YOU have to believe."
Evangelism efforts are fine with people who have an opportunity to walk away from you, close a door in your face, or throw out a mailing. Students sitting in a classroom don’t have any of those choices as easy options. Do I have freedom of speech? Freedom of Religion? Yup. But students assigned work and activities in a classroom setting should be allowed a different kind of freedom—a freedom to truly explore ideas from many perspectives, in an environment free from proselytizing and one-way answers.
Cross-posted at Street Prophets.