Florida School Teaches Islam Including Prayer Rugs

Ron Wagner, a parent of Lyman High School in Longwood, FL who says he's "not religious," complained that his 10th grade son was forced to make an Islamic prayer rug and recite “There is no god, but [Allah]. Muhamad is the messenger of [Allah].”  The school's curriculum director stood by the assignment, and claimed that a printing error was to blame for omitting 100 pages of Christian and Jewish history while including portions of the Koran.

“The Pillars of Islam are benchmarks in the state curriculum.”
-- Dr. Michael Blasewitz, Seminole County Schools

“We see how radicals have kidnapped this religion and presented it as their own version of Islam. We need something that . . . will dispel these horrendous and malicious distortions of one of the great world religions.”
-- Daniel Alvarez, Department of Religious Studies, Florida International University

UPDATE 11/21/15: U.S. Schools Force Islamic Terrorist Singing, ISIS Recruiting Poster Drawing

UPDATE 9/7/15: Tennessee Students Taught Muslim Prayer of Conversion

UPDATE 4/18/15: Students Required to Pretend Being Muslim in Wisconsin

UPDATE 4/19/15: Celebrate Islam Day Canceled at Ohio School

UPDATE 6/11/15: School Staff to Mosque for Islamic Training in Pennsylvania

For background, click headlines below to read previous articles:

Massachusetts Students Forced To Learn Muslim Conversion

Colorado School Visits Mosque, Enforces Sharia Law for Girls' Dress

Islamic Group Caught Converting Students in Seminole County

And read myriad examples of public schools favoring Islam.

Atheists, Satanists Force Bible Ban in Florida

Christian Behavior Banned from Seminole County School Football

Seminole County Teacher Forbids Kindergartner from Bowing Head Over Lunch

Click for FOX News report

-- From "School district under fire for Islamic teachings" by George Brown, WREG-TV3 (Memphis, TN) 2/10/15

It’s isn’t so much that Wagner is against Islam that the district was focusing on one religion, heavily.

“There’s a difference between teaching of the significance or the impact of a religion and teaching the specific tenets of a religion,” Wagner said.

Dr. Blasewitz said the missing pages about Judaism and Christianity are the result of a manufacturing defect, but did not say whether the district will request new books.

Before walking out on the interview, Dr. Blasewitz said students learn about other religions in earlier grades.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "Dad protests Islamic lessons at school" posted at WFTV-TV9 (Orlando, FL) 2/9/15

"Students were instructed to recite this prayer as the first Pillar of Islam, off of the board at the teacher's instruction," Wagner claims.

Wagner, who is not religious, said he had no idea the public school was teaching so extensively about religion until he spotted a text on his son's phone from a teacher reminding him to complete a prayer rug assignment and study an Islam packet.

Inside of the book is a chapter dedicated to the "Rise of Islam," including prayers and scriptures from the Quran. What's more disturbing for Wagner is that the first 100 pages discussing Judaism and Christianity are missing. The district blames a manufacturer defect in 68 books that are only a year old.

[Dr.] Blasewitz got frustrated and stormed out when 9 Investigates asked whether the district is considering changes to the curriculum. [See full raw video interview.]

"You're just going to walk away from our interview when we're trying to get information," said investigative reporter Daralene Jones.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

From "FIU unveils its Center for Muslim World Studies at COSMOS [fifth annual Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations’ community appreciation] dinner" by Paradise Afshar, Special to the Miami Herald 2/9/15

“I think we all agree that it’s now time to go beyond the Middle East, as a focus of our current scale program, and to look at Islam on a global scale,” said Florida International University Provost Kenneth Furton. “And so I’m pleased to announce that we’re launching an initiative to establish the Center for Muslim World Studies.”

“This new center will explore the diversity and complexity of Islam worldwide, and will also highlight the interconnections between Islam and globalization,” Furton said.

The intention is for the Center to address three main themes: the global Muslim diaspora, interfaith dialogue, and Islam and security.

The Center for Muslim World Studies is in the initiative phase as it seeks the minimum $5 million endowment required by the university to establish a new center. The money is intended to ensure that the center will continue in perpetuity, according to David Skipp, associate director for advancement for FIU’s School of International and Public Affairs.

To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.

Also read President Obama Compares Christians to Islamic Terrorists