Sunday, October 15, 2017

Ontario "Islamic Heritage Month" Guide Book For School Teachers: A Blueprint For Indoctrination?

October is "Islamic Heritage Month" in Ontario.

Whoop dee doo, eh?

Don't worry, though. According to a "resource guidebook" created for  the province's public school teachers, the aim is not to shove Islam down kids' throats:
Q7. Am I supposed to teach students about Islam? 
No. This month (similar to other creed and cultural heritage months) is about learning the heritage and contributions of the Muslim community to Canadian society and celebrating diversity.  The Basic Beliefs and Practices: An Educator's Primer (Section 1.0) is one of many resources available to our staff to provide them with an understanding of Islam and to get a better understanding of Muslim students in their classrooms.
Clearly, though, that's a whopping load of bollocks. See, for example, this:
What does “Allah” mean?
Allah is the Arabic name for God. Literally meaning “The God”, the Arabic name Allah is used by Muslims around the world, irrespective of languages spoken. Other faiths and traditions address God using names such as Dieu, Jehovah, Ya'hweh, and Elohim.
Do Muslims believe God is a male?  
No. Muslim scholars of all ages - male and female - have agreed that “God, as the Creator of all beings, is the author of gender but is not gendered. While English translations of Arabic texts generally refer to Allah as ‘He', this only reflects the absence of a neutral pronoun in Arabic, and does not indicate that God is ‘masculine'” (Winter & Williams, 2002). God describes Himself in the Qur'an as being unlike any of His creation, indicating that nothing in creation resembles Him. 
What is the Qur’an?  
The word Qur'an literally means “the reading” or “the recitation” (Sheikh, 2002), and refers to the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad1 (Winter & Williams, 2002). Muslims believe the Qur'an to be the final revelation from God to humanity, following revelations given to previous Messengers, including the Gospel of Prophet Jesus, the Psalms of Prophet David, the Torah of Prophet Moses, and the Scrolls of Prophet Abraham.  
Who was Muhammad?  
A descendent of Prophet Abraham, Muhammad was born in Makkah (modern day, Saudi Arabia) in the year 570 C.E.  At the age of 40, he was chosen by God to be His last Prophet and Messenger to convey the message of Islam to humanity over a period of 23 years. According to the Islamic worldview, God sent Messengers and Prophets to guide humanity over time, beginning with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus - to name a few. 
What is the meaning of Islam?  
Islam is the name of the religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.  The term Islam derives from an Arabic root that generates words with interrelated meanings, including “submission,” “commitment,” and “peace” (Sheikh, 2002). In a religious context, Islam refers to the voluntary submission and commitment.
Does that sound like "diversity" to you? Or does it sound like  da'wa (proselytization on behalf of Islam) masquerading as "diversity"?

Careful now. Should you decide it's the latter, you could be accused of "Islamophobia" (because that's how things are shaping up in Justin's glorious--and mega-"diverse"--Trudeaupia).

Update: The guidebook has sparked a great deal of controversy, much of it having to do with an outrageously broad definition of the "I" word. But considering the da'wa inherent throughout the thing, that seems like a case of nitpicking (and an avoidance of the problematic nature of the guide in toto) to me. 

1 comment:

Marvin said...

It's only an imitation if there aren't any stonings or severed limbs or heads!