A letter sent to Washington school districts asking them to accommodate Muslim students’ needs and offering a classroom lesson on sacred Islamic times of year has sparked controversy in Pierce County.
A group concerned about what it describes as a trend of favoritism towards Islam in public education held a town hall meeting Tuesday on South Hill, prompted in part by the letter.
The Puyallup School District also has fielded calls and emails from parents “concerned we’d be teaching any sort of religion” in schools, said district spokeswoman Karen Hansen.
She said that’s not true, and that Puyallup simply received the same letter that was sent to all school districts in the state last month. It was sent by the Washington chapter of the nonprofit Council for American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
“It’s not about Muslims getting special treatment,” said Jennifer Gist, civil rights coordinator for the Seattle-based group. “It’s about Muslims being accommodated equally.”
The letter reminds educators that some Muslim students fast during the month of Ramadan and asks educators to take steps to accommodate them, such as allowing them to go to the library at lunchtime.
It also offers to have members of the group’s speakers bureau hold “show & tell” sessions for classes about Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month.
“We can provide treats to entertain and educate your students about the cultural diversity that exists in the world and in their own classroom,” the two-page letter reads.
That appears to be the point of controversy.
Kerry Hooks, who helped start the Pierce County chapter of ACT For America, said her group sees a “trend of schools bending over backwards to accommodate Islam, and not any other religion.”
For example, she said, some textbooks contain inaccuracies about Islam and spend more time on it than other religions.
Hooks helped coordinate the town hall meeting Tuesday. She said about 100 people attended.
Gist and CAIR-Washington’s executive director were there and answered questions from the crowd, members of both groups said.
Gist said her group fields complaints from Muslims in the region about civil rights violations – everything from being ordered to remove headscarves at work to being detained while traveling. She said the letter was sent to educate school officials who might not know much about Ramadan.
The letter was sent Aug. 22, as Ramadan was wrapping up and school districts were preparing to start classes. State Rep. Jim McCune, R-Graham, who said he had concerns about CAIR, sent an email Sept. 1 to state Superintendent Randy Dorn, asking what directives he’d give to schools about the letter.
In a response Wednesday, officials from Dorn’s office wrote they were “hopeful that CAIR-WA’s letter will simply serve as a reminder of possible considerations school districts may make for their students.”
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/street
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