Hamas-linked CAIR: Jump. Pennsylvania school district: How high?

by Robert Spencer

Dhimmitude and ignorance from a Pennsylvania public school district. At the slightest hint of pressure, most individuals and groups who find themselves in this position cave in faster than you can say "Islamophobia" -- and most of the time, as in this case, they don't make the slightest effort to verify whether or not the pressure group's claims are true. "CAIR: Penn. High School Drops Anti-Islam 'Obsession' Video," a CAIR press release, September 22 (thanks to James):

Civil rights group calls film 'vehicle for promoting anti-Muslim bigotry'
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-PA) announced today that a high school in that state has dropped an anti-Islam video listed for use in one of its classes.
Earlier this month, CAIR-PA sent a letter to the superintendent of the Council Rock School District expressing concerns about a hate-filled video, "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West," listed in the syllabus of a course at Council Rock High School in Newtown, Penn.

In her letter, CAIR-PA Director of Civil Rights Marwa El-Turky wrote in part:
"'Obsession' is a vehicle for promoting anti-Muslim bigotry that seeks to blur the distinction between violent extremism and mainstream Islam. The use of such an inaccurate and inflammatory film in a world history class would inevitably result in both the promotion of stereotypes and the creation of a hostile learning environment for Muslim students.
"The hate-filled agenda promoted by the film has been repudiated by the Hate Hurts America Multifaith Community Coalition (HHA), a group of religious and civic organizations seeking to challenge hate speech in our society... Those interviewed in Obsession constitute a veritable who's who of Muslim-bashers. SEE: http://www.obsessionwithhate.com/

". . .this film is obviously not suitable teaching material for a captive audience of impressionable youth. We therefore respectfully ask that 'Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West' be dropped from the curriculum and that representatives of the local Muslim community be invited to offer balanced and accurate information about Islam and the American Muslim experience."

These are all highly debatable claims. Did Superintendent of Schools Mark J. Klein seek to verify CAIR's (false) claim that Obsession "seeks to blur the distinction between violent extremism and mainstream Islam"? In fact, the movie bends over backwards not to blur that distinction -- so much so that some say it errs too much on the other side, giving viewers the impression that the Islamic jihad globally is just the property of a few nuts, and is condemned and actively opposed by the vast majority of Muslims. Did Klein receive this claim from CAIR and investigate it? Or did he receive it and immediately move to accommodate these thugs and bullies, without giving it a moment's thought?

In his response to CAIR-PA's concerns, Superintendent of Schools Mark J. Klein noted that the course was eliminated from the curriculum for the 2008-2009 school year and that, "Along with the elimination of this course, we will represent to you that this film will not be used in any other course in Council Rock."

"We appreciate the school district's prompt and appropriate response and hope that any future courses touching on Islam will use accurate and balanced educational materials," said El-Turky....

"Balanced." Does Mark J. Klein really want CAIR to decide what is a balanced curriculum? Does Mark J. Klein know or care that CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, is an unindicted co-conspirator in a Hamas terror funding case -- so named by the Justice Department? Does he know or care that CAIR operatives have repeatedly refused to denounce Hamas and Hizballah as terrorist groups? Does he know or care that several former CAIR officials have been convicted of various crimes related to jihad terror? Does he know or care that CAIR's cofounder and longtime Board chairman (Omar Ahmad), as well as its chief spokesman (Honest Ibe Hooper), have made Islamic supremacist statements?