Print 
PDF
San Diego Unified School District administration and teachers will now have calendars showing Islamic holidays, and "safe-places" will be created for Muslims on public school campuses, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune---all this as what the school district is calling a "multi-tiered approach to combat Islamophobia."
No kid should be bullied for any reason.
But why is the school district giving preference to the Muslim community over the Jewish community, when FBI statistics show much more hostility toward Jews than Muslims in San Diego?
Tim Tebo has an answer.
I'll tell you about it.
The San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that last Tuesday, the district school board voted 4-0, with one board member absent, to approve a plan to confront Islamophobia and bullying against Muslim students.
I repeat. No child should ever be bullied for any reason.
The program will start this fall semester, and the district describes it as not just mere curriculum---"We're looking at it from a very integrated and holistic approach," Stan Anjan, executive director of Family and Community Engagement at the district told the UUnion-Tribune
One of the first steps is to "learn about the religion..." the district says.
Anjan says, "Sometimes curriculum has had a much more Eurocentric approach"---this would be a reference, I suspect, to the "old white men" who founded our country and its institutions, including public education.
He says, "We are now thinking of how to diversify social studies curriculum."
There is a concentration of Muslims in the San Diego area, but does the school know that they are being bullied?
This new "innovative program" was birthed in conjunction with work done by the Council for America-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest American Muslim civil rights advocacy group in the country.
CAIR gave the school district a report that found 55% of American Muslim students have been bullied because of their religion.
However, the school district doesn't know if Muslim students are being bullied in the district, in fact they do not know how many Muslims there are in the school district.
The report Anjan gave to the board, from which this comprehensive Islamic integrated education system is based, shows the district has had 7 bullying incidents because of religion, but they don't know of what faith.
His report shows "36 reports of bullying because of race, followed by 21 for sex, 11 for LGBTQ identity and 7 for disabilities."
Anjan says, "There is a sense of urgency around this work, especially post-election."
If the urgency is fact-based, why are they not taking similar actions regarding the bullying of Jewish students?
The FBI actually does have statistics on that issue. Constitutional Coalition CERO Donna Hearne says the issue is much larger among Jewish students according to the FBI.
She says, "The FBI statistics show that hostility toward Jewish people is much higher, and the actual incidences of harassment and physical harm are much higher for the Jewish communities in the United States than they are for Muslims."
The Union-Tribune adds, "Following a presidential season that saw now- President Donald Trump calling for a ban on Muslim immigrants, there have been anecdotal reports nationwide of confrontations and sometimes violent incidents against Muslims."
That certainly clears things up a bit for parents who are not happy about all this. And there are many.
It's Trump's fault. The school district is protecting the Muslim students from the President of the United States.
I wonder if the school district is taking any preventative actions on behalf of Christian kids who are belittled and mocked every day in public school classrooms across the country because of their beliefs?
Are they putting the word "Christmas" back on the school calendar, or attaching it once again to "snowflake break," "winter break," "Solstice Season," or whatever they call Christmas in their district?
I doubt it.
The Union-Tribune pictured Muslim kids praying in front of the school, with supportive kids standing behind them "standing with equality, diversity, and LOVE."
Can you imagine the uproar if Christian kids were demonstrating their faith, kneeling in prayer on school grounds with non-Christian students standing in support of them, with full support from the school, including an "integrated and holistic approach" to Christianity and Christian beliefs, including familiarizing students with the teaching of the Bible?
It's easy to conclude, I don't live in San Diego, my child doesn't go to school there, and this probably has little to do with me directly.
Hanif Mohebia, executive director of the San Diego office of CAIR, is calling Tuesday night's vote a "first step."
He says, "If we do this right, San Diego Unified School District would be a leading school district in the nation to come up with a robust and beautiful anti-bullying and anti-Islamophobic program...I'm excited."
There are reasons why my good friend, the late Tim Lahaye, well-known author and long-time pastor of the San Diego church where David Jeremiah now serves, established a large private Christian school system in the city---and was such a champion of Christian education.
When Dr. LaHaye passed away last summer, this same San Diego Union-Tribune wrote an article highlighting his life and ministry.
This is not a San Diego problem.
Tim Tebow has announced he's releasing a new book for homeschooling parents and their children: "Know Who You Are, Live Like It Matters: A Homeschooler's Interactive Guide to Discovering Your True Identity."
In his book, the NFL star-turned-outfielder for the New York Mets affiliate team the Columbia Fireflies will "guide you through thirty-six weeks of lessons, each based on a key Scripture, to discover who you are by learning more about whose you are," a description of the book states. "You will also have the opportunity to write down your thoughts, feelings, and ideas on topics such as: building godly character, maintaining great relationships, standing out from the crowd and doing things that matter in the big picture."
The 29-year-old sports icon, who was born in the Philippines to Christian missionaries, was the first homeschooler to be nominated for the Heisman Trophy. In the introduction to his book, Tebow said he hopes to inspire others through his story.
"I know being homeschooled may not be the easiest thing in the world, so I wanted to write a book just for you. I'd like to encourage you in your studies by offering some lessons I've learned in my personal journey, lessons I want you to be a part of," Tebow writes. "I want this book to be about you: digging deep to find out who you are and what that means in real life."
I strongly recommend you get this new book. Read it--study it with your kids.
And if you have school age children, consider home schooling them. Prayerfully consider it.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Bold. Be Prayerful.