Lawmakers fear Islamic 'indoctrination' in TN classes

Tennessee seventh-graders spend a portion of their time in a world history course studying "the world of Islam."

The amount of time spent on the topic, and what students are actually learning during that time, has some lawmakers and parents in an uproar and the state planning to review standards.

"There is a big difference between education and indoctrination," U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said in a statement issued Thursday.

"It is reprehensible that our school system has exhibited this double-standard, more concerned with teaching the practices of Islam than the history of Christianity. Tennessee parents have a right to be outraged and I stand by them in this fight."

Blackburn's criticism joins the calls of state lawmakers and parents in several Tennessee counties upset over the middle school curriculum. Parents in Maury, Williamson and other counties have expressed concerns about the class. They say their children were required to memorize the five pillars of Islam and to write "Allah is the only God" as part of an assignment, according to severallocal and nationalmedia reports.

Both are basic tenets of the Islamic religion, and simply learning them or repeating them doesn't make anyone Muslim, said Paul Galloway, executive director of advocacy organization American Center for Outreach.

"To learn what the first pillar is has nothing to do with indoctrination. You can't trick someone into being a Muslim," said Galloway, who is Muslim.

There is a basic level of misunderstanding driving this fear and outrage, he said. In Arabic the word "Allah" means God. Christians who speak Arabic use the word Allah to talk about God all the time, Galloway said.

He noted there is a difference between teaching students about religion and proselytizing, and argued no one is in favor of public schools trying to convert children to any particular religion.

Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Candice McQueen said the intent of the curriculum is to provide a deep understanding of how world religions have affected world history. However, in a statement late Thursday she acknowledged the state is speeding up the review of social studies standards.

"While we desire to maintain the intent of this approach, we believe a statewide social studies standards review process will help further an appropriate balance in the coverage of world religions," McQueen said.

"In light of recent concerns from educators and stakeholders, the department has asked the State Board of Education to move the social studies standards review process up ahead of the traditional six-year cycle."

Elizabeth Fiveash, director of legislative affairs for the Tennessee Department of Education, sent an email to lawmakers Tuesday in response to concerns about the curriculum. In her email, obtained by The Tennessean, she acknowledges the "Islamic World" is covered in seventh grade. But she notes Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism and Shinto are also covered in various courses throughout middle school and high school.

Students have learned the same content included in the seventh-grade curriculum for years, Fiveash said. The information was mainly included in the sixth-grade curriculum until the state Board of Education adopted new content standards in July 2013, she said.

"While it appears that some seventh-grade teachers are covering Islam longer than Christianity, it's important to note, that the last chapter of the sixth-grade textbook covers the rise of Christianity extensively. That chapter is repeated at the beginning of the seventh-grade textbook," Fiveash wrote to lawmakers.

Several conservative Republican state lawmakers weren't satisfied. In more emails and public statements obtained by The Tennessean, they call for the revision of the curriculum.

"The section on 'Ancient Israel' isn't called the 'Jewish World,' " Rep. Tilman Goins, R-Morristown, wrote in an emailed response to Fiveash.

"If a study of a geographic region such as 'The Middle East' were to discuss the major religions found there, so be it! But until there is a section on India referred to as 'The Hindu World,' I do not believe this favoritism toward Islam should be allowed to continue to exist."

Rep. Bill Sanderson, R-Kenton, agreed with Goins. In an emailed response, he said the "time is here for those accountable to either 'out' the ones responsible for the bias or stand and defend their position."

In her original email, Fiveash is clear that the standards were developed in conjunction with Tennessee teachers and were publicly available for review or comment before they were adopted.

The recent outcry caused state Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, to take a look at the standards. Holt, one of the chief opponents of a bill providing undocumented immigrants with in-state college tuition this year, agreed with his colleagues that it's time to remove the "strong bias in favor of Islam" from the curriculum.

"While I can certainly understand the desire for cultural knowledge, it must never be at the cost of our own cultural identity," Holt wrote in a post on his blog, a site he uses to issue statements and raise money. "Many of our children are not being taught the Ten Commandments in school, but instead the Five Pillars of Islam and the 'Prophet' Muhammad as a sovereign to Jesus Christ."

Holt noted the recent shooting death of five U.S. service members in Chattanooga by a man called a "perverted jihadist" by Vice President Joe Biden.

"Tennesseans have seen the radical side of Islam, and many have grown skeptical of this 'peaceful religion,' " Holt wrote.

Tennessee officials have a history of scrutinizing Islam. Two East Tennessee sheriffs made controversial comments about Muslims recently, and several officials at various levels attempted to block the building of a mosque in Murfreesboro in 2012.

The state reviews standards every six years, but general outcry over the controversial Common Core caused the state to start that process earlier for math and science. McQueen said in her statement the process will start in January.

"While standards describe the minimum learning expectations for students in each grade, curriculum and instruction are local decisions made by districts, schools, and teachers," she said in her statement.

Lawmakers return to session in Janurary.

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.