Texas Public School Teacher Dresses Students In Muslim Burqas

A photo from the Geography class at a Lumberton High School in Texas.

A Texas Public School teacher has come under fire for dressing females in her geography class in Muslim burqas as part of a lesson on Islam. Photos of the students wearing the Islamic religious garb surfaced on Facebook, giving an insight into a very controversial curriculum program used in Texas public schools.

As the news reports stated:

The lesson on Islam was taught in a world geography class at Lumberton High School. The teacher brought burqas and other Islamic clothing for the female students to wear. They were also assigned to write an essay based on a Washington Post story that blamed Egypt’s troubles on democracy – instead of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“I am outraged,” one of the parents, who asked not to be identified, told Fox News. “I felt my blood pressure go through my head.”
The parent said she was not aware of the lesson until she discovered a photograph of her 14-year-old daughter wearing a burqa on Facebook.

“As parents we should have been made aware this and I felt like the line had been crossed,” she told Fox News. “Christian kids who want to pray have to do it outside of school hours – yet Islam is being taught to our kids during school hours.” (source).

In addition, to wearing the burqas, the students were also reportedly taught to refer to Islamic terrorists as “freedom fighters”:

“They were asked about their perception of Islam,” she said. “Most of the class said they thought about terrorism. And her response was, ‘we’re going to change the way we perceive Islam.’”
The teacher reportedly told the students that she did not necessarily agree with the lessons –but she was required to teach the material. (source).

As Beginning and End has detailed in the past, the double standard for Islam and Christianity in the public school system has only continued to grow. We have documented in the past lawsuits where Christian sports coaches were punished for simply bowing their heads in silent prayer before a football game. A student was punished for an art project that featured a cross. Meanwhile, Muslims students have been given prayer rooms, footbaths and even had practices for sports moved to midnight to accommodate Islamic holidays. All in public school institutions. It appears the “separation of church and state” argument used so passionately against the mention or presence of Christianity in public institutions is not applied to Islam.

Teaching Students Islamic Beliefs

World Net Daily has conducted extensive investigation into the controversial educational program. Called “CSCOPE”, it is a private venture operating under the umbrella of the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, whose incorporation documents state its independence from the State Board of Education of the Texas Education Agency. One of their reports covered a part of the CSCOPE curriculum that actually promotes the Islamic faith:

In one scenario, students are asked to study the tenets of Islam, and critics say the materials provided exceed impartial review of another faith, extending into requirements of conversion and moral imperatives. A computer presentation utilized as part of a study of Islam includes information on how to convert, as well as verses denigrating other faiths.
According to excerpts, under the heading, “Who Is Allah?,” students are told: “Allah is the Almighty God.” “Allah alone is the Creator. He alone deserves our devout love and worship.”
Muhammad is described as having become “disillusioned with the corruption in the city and the growing gap between the urban dwellers and the Bedouins (nomadic herders).” (source).

The Lumberton Independent School District issued a statement defending the program arguing that it teaches about all religions. However parents of the Lumberton students disagreed.

“They were asked about their perception of Islam,” said a parent, who asked not to be identified. “Most of the class said they thought about terrorism. And her response was, ‘we’re going to change the way we perceive Islam.’” She then added, “The Christian perspective was not taught,” she said. “They went in-depth into Islam and I’m not comfortable with it.”

While public schools make every effort to remove the name of God and The Lord Jesus Christ from even being mentioned in schools, other religions and the occult seem to still find safe harbor, welcome and celebration. Pray for these schools to teach Biblical values in their curriculum and for the parents of these students to be aware of what their students are actually being taught.

This makes it even more imperative for Christian parents to make sure they have provided their children with a strong Bible-believing, faith-filled background and upbringing in the home, before they are indoctrinated into other religious systems at school. The bias and double standards are only going to increase with time and Christians need to be more vigilant than ever in standing up for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.” – Jude 1:3.