Virginia school district cancels classes after uproar over Arabic calligraphy lesson where students were asked to write ‘There is no god but Allah’
Ninth-graders at Riverheads High School were given assignment to copy the Islamic creed known as shahada during world geography class
It reads: ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah’
Public recitation of the shahada is the first formal step in conversion to Islam but students were not asked to read it aloud
Students were also shown a Koran and invited to try on a scarf to learn about Islamic concept of modest dress
By SNEJANA FARBEROV
DAILYMAIL.COM
18 December 2015
Education officials in a Virginia county have cancelled classes Friday over security concerns sparked by parents’ outrage in response to an Arabic calligraphy lesson.
Augusta County School Board President Eric Bond announced Thursday that schools would be closed Friday.
In his statement, Bond said the decision to cancel classes was made ‘out of an abundance of caution’ after consulting with law enforcement. He noted that there was no specific threat to students but did not elaborate on the exact nature of the safety concerns.
The incident that sparked the furor resulting in Friday’s sweeping school closures took place a week ago during a world geography class at Riverheads High School, where a teacher gave her ninth-graders an assignment that included practicing calligraphy by copying a piece of Arabic text known as the shahada, which is a Muslim statement of faith.
Recitation of the shahada in public is the first formal step in conversion to Islam. However, according to school officials, the ninth-graders were not asked to translate the statement or read it aloud.
Bond said that the school district received ‘voluminous’ phone calls and emails about the controversial lesson on Islam, which went viral on social media thanks to the efforts of a local parents and made national headlines.
‘The communications have significantly increased in volume [Thursday], and based on concerns regarding the tone and content of those communications, Sheriff [Randall] Fisher and Dr. Bond mutually decided schools and school offices will be closed,’ the statement put out by the district said.
The county also pulled the plug on all extracurricular activities through the weekend.
Augusta County students officially go on their winter break beginning Monday and won’t be back to school until January 4.
According to Bond’s statement, going forward, a ‘non-religious sample of Arabic calligraphy’ will be used to teach students in the world geography class about Islam.
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