School District Wants Teachers to Bless Muslims During Ramadan

A school district in Seattle has sent out a letter asking teachers to bless its Muslim students in Arabic during the month of Ramadan and give them preferential treatment, such as obtaining dispensations for classes and exams, reports Fox News.

In response to the letter, the religious liberty legal defense group Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF), has threatened the Dieringer School District with a potential lawsuit for violating the conscience of its employees. FCDF alleges that the district followed edicts put forward by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that advises schools to accommodate Muslim students by wishing them “Ramadan Mubarak” (Happy Ramadan) or “Ramadan Kareem” (Have a generous Ramadan). The edicts also instruct teachers to respect the Ramadan fast by not scheduling any tests during the holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. More from Fox News:

The defense fund claims Dieringer Superintendent Judy Martinson blindly followed the recommendations of CAIR and “enacted the letter as official district policy.” The defense fund sent Martinson a letter stating their complaints after a teacher and parent complained about the new procedure.

The May 6 letter also warned Martinson about CAIR’s anti-semitic advocacy and alleged ties to radical Islamists, which the group has long denied.

Daniel Piedra, FCDF’s executive director, said in a statement that the Seattle-area school district is violating teachers’ First Amendment rights by exerting pressure upon them to engage in religious speech with which they do not agree. Piedra argues that the district would never advise teachers to accommodate Christian students in such a similar manner. (Read more from “School District Wants Teachers to Bless Muslims During Ramadan” HERE)

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