When I first started reading the stories about the Tennessee High School that took freshmen on a field trip to a mosque, I assumed that it was a misguided but relatively harmless incident. It was only mentioned in the mainstream media by Fox News and was probably being sensationalized in some way.
I was wrong. It wasn’t being sensationalized. It was much worse than I had expected.
A field trip for the students of an honors world studies class at Hendersonville High School took them to a Hindu temple as well as an Islamic mosque, the Islamic Center of Nashville. Students were fed punch and cookies, given copies of the quran, and encouraged to listen to readings of the quran as well as meditations at the Hindu temple.
They were not taken to a Christian church nor were they taken to a Jewish synagogue. According to the school, it was too expensive to visit all of them.
One student who declined the trip was instructed to read a text comparing Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. According to the student’s father, the required reading for the assignment was comprised of one page of the sayings of Jesus, less than a page on the sayings of Gandhi, and five pages covering Muhammad. The text allegedly positions Islam in a positive light, declaring that Islam uses violence or threats against other religions.
“If we were to compare the attitude of the Muslim rulers towards the minorities living under their rule during the nineteenth century – with the attitude of the Europeans and the Americans towards their minorities, I dare to say that the record of the Muslims would be better,” the author of the source material wrote.
The student declined and received a zero on the assignment when a more balanced alternative to the source text was not available.
Here’s why this is such an important story. This story did not receive much attention at all. Other than smaller sites and Fox News, it was ignored by all other major publications. Now, think about what would have happened if the situation was slightly different. If, instead of a mosque to listen to a reading of the quran, what if the school went to a Christian church to hear readings from the Bible. Mainstream media, radio talk show hosts, politicians, and the ACLU would be rabid dogs trying to cover the story and expose the evils of a teacher and school daring to participate in Christian learning of any sort.
This is the time we live in. This is America. It can be argued whether or not this was a Christian-friendly country in the past, but there is no doubt that it’s not one today. Freedom of religion and the separation of church and state only apply when Christianity or Judaism are involved. If it’s something that pertains to Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, or any other type of religious believe, the protections are there.
The school district, following a minor outcry and miniscule coverage in the media, has changed their stance on field trips. That’s it. There are no repercussions to anyone involved. It resulted in a policy change. Again, if the situation was switched to focus on Christianity or Judaism, there is no way the teacher would have had any opportunity to remain employed. The line would be crossed if it involved either of those religions, but it was barely scratched when it was Islam and Hinduism involved.
This is just another example of religious affirmative action. Your rights as a muslim are more protected in America today than your rights as a Christian or Jew. That’s just the way it is.
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