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ACLU of North Carolina to Investigate Reports of Anti-Muslim Proselytizing to High School Students (2/27/2007)
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: media@aclu.org
RALEIGH, NC - The American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina today
announced that it is expanding its investigation into reports of longstanding,
anti-Muslim proselytizing to students at Enloe High School in Raleigh.
Expressing deep concern about the dismissive manner in which the school has
handled this matter, the ACLU of North Carolina invited parents and students to
contact the organization with information about proselytizing at Enloe High
School on February 15, 2007 or any time prior.
"We are deeply
disappointed by the manner in which the school has thus far handled these
serious allegations," said Jennifer Rudinger, Executive Director of the ACLU of
North Carolina. "In the face of overwhelming evidence that proselytizing
took place in this public school, school officials have insisted on miscasting
this as a free speech issue. Children's religious upbringing should be
directed by their parents, not by government officials entrusted with teaching
students to read and write. The Establishment Clause of the First
Amendment was designed to prevent this very activity."
The father
of an Enloe student contacted the ACLU of North Carolina to report that students
in a social sciences class had been subjected to blatant proselytizing by a
speaker invited to address the class by teacher Robert Escamilla. The
speaker, Kamil Solomon, heads an anti-Muslim Christian evangelical organization
called Kamil International Ministries Organization whose stated mission is "to
teach the truth about Islam and equip Christians to share Jesus with
Muslims."
In addition to lecturing on the virtues of
Christianity and the so-called evils of Islam, Solomon distributed two pamphlets
to students, one entitled, "Jesus Not Muhammad Part 1," and the other, "Do Not
Marry a Muslim Part 1." Both pamphlets seek to promote and endorse Christianity
at the expense of Islam and encourage readers to embrace Christianity and shun
Islam and its followers. One pamphlet calls Muhammad a "criminal," "Demon
Possessed," "Inspired by Satan" and "Prejudiced," while the other warns the
readers that if they ever give up Christianity, they will face "eternal
condemnation."
Immediately upon learning of the incident,
the ACLU of North Carolina attempted to contact Enloe High School principal Beth
Cochran, who has not responded despite numerous phone calls. The
organization has determined that blatant proselytizing did indeed take place in
Escamilla's class on February 15 and that for many years he has engaged in
proselytizing to his students. The investigation also showed that the
school has done nothing to put a stop to this unlawful
activity.
The ACLU of North Carolina sent a letter to Cochran,
expressing concerns about the incidents that had taken place and seeking written
assurances from Enloe High School that presentations by faculty, staff and
invited guests endorsing religion or promoting any particular religion at the
expense of another would never again be allowed.
Del Burns,
Superintendent of Wake County Public Schools, responded to the ACLU of North
Carolina with a very short letter in which the school system acknowledged no
illegal activity and made no promises to prevent future proselytizing from
taking place. To date, no one from Enloe High School has returned any of
the ACLU of North Carolina's phone calls or directly responded to the
organization's letter.
"The school's dismissive response to these
constitutional violations is deeply troubling," said Azadeh Shahshahani the
ACLU's Muslim/Middle Eastern Community Outreach Coordinator. "In light of
reports we have received that this was not an isolated incident, we are actively
inviting parents and students at Enloe to contact our office regarding Mr.
Solomon's presentation on February 15 and other incidents of school-sponsored
proselytizing that they have witnessed at Enloe High School."
Enloe
High School students and their parents are encouraged to contact the ACLU of
North Carolina at (919) 834-3466 or aclunc@nc.rr.com.
The ACLU's
letter to Enloe High School and the school superintendent's response to the
ACLU's inquiry are available online at: www.acluofnorthcarolina.org/EnloeHigh--Feb[1][1].2007.pdf
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