2002-AUG:
UNIVERSITY DISPUTE re: ISLAMIC BOOK

Sponsored link.

Quotations:
 | "A nation still struggling to make sense out of the Sept. 11 attacks needs all of the enlightenment it can find, not
more hatred in the name of religion. ... branding Muslims as 'the enemy' only plays into the hands
of radical Muslims who are trying to distort the U.S. war against terrorism as merely the West's latest crusade against
Islam." USA Today editorial. 1 |
 | "By forcing students to read a single text about Islam that leaves out
any mention of other passages of the Koran in which Muslim terrorists
find justification for killing non-Muslims, the university establishes a
particular mind-set for its students about the nature of Islam. This
constitutes religious indoctrination [which is] forbidden by the Supreme Court."
Joe Goover, president of Family Policy Network. 2 |

Overview:
In 2002, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
selected a book on Islam to be read by first year and transfer students
as part of their orientation. Later, the students would engage in discussions
about the book with UNC faculty and fellow students. Previous reading lists
have listed books that tackled such topics as medical ethics, "the
centrality of the Civil War for Southern culture and identity," and
the impact of poverty on children's lives.
A number of
Fundamentalist Christian organizations, two taxpayers and three students
have objected, citing religious freedom issues. A committee of the state
legislature voted to terminate funding for the course. Some politicians
condemned the book choice. A court case is
underway.
The Carolina Summer Reading Program amended is requirements
after the dispute arose. They state that: "Although the summer reading
is required, if any students or their families are opposed to reading
parts of the Qur'an because to do so is offensive to their own faith, they
may choose not to read the book. These students should instead complete
their one-page response on why they chose not to read the book."
3
On 2002-AUG-15, U.S. District Court judge Carlton Tilley, Jr., refused
to grant a temporary restraining order. 10

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About the book:
Michael A. Sells, a professor of comparative religion at Haverford,
is Emily Judson Baugh and John Marshall Gest Professor of Comparative
Religion at Haverford College in Haverford, PA. He is also
chairperson of the Haverford Department of Religion. Sells is the author/translator of the book under dispute: "Approaching the
Qur'an: The Early Years." 4 He has
also written:
 | "Desert Tracings: Six Classical Arabian Odes" Wesleyan
University Press, (1989). |
 | "Mystical Languages of Unsaying" University of Chicago Press,
(1994); |
 | "The Bridge Betrayed: Genocide in Bosnia" University of
California Press, (1997), |
 | He is co-editor and contributor to the "Cambridge History of
Arabic Literature, Andalusia‚ Cambridge University Press, (2000). |
In the disputed book, he
translates 35 of the early suras (chapters) of the Islamic holy book,
the Qur'an. He follows each with a commentary and explanation. The book
also has an annotated glossary which defines key Islamic concepts.
Included with the book is a CD disk with recordings of renowned readers of
the Qur'an, reciting it in Arabic.
The web site of UNC's reading program states that "Westerners for
centuries have been alternately puzzled, attracted, concerned, and curious
about the great religious traditions of Islam. These feelings have been
especially intense since the tragic events of September 11.
Approaching the Qur'án is not a
political document in any sense, and its evocation of moral 'reckoning'
raises questions that will be timely for college students and reflective
adults under any circumstances. The Carolina Summer Reading program is
especially happy to offer a book of enduring interest this year that also
offers the Carolina community an appropriate introduction to the
literature and culture of a profound moral and spiritual tradition that
many of us now wish to learn more about." 3
Some authors, writing on the Amazon.com web site, have high regard for the book:
 | "Michael Sells is to be congratulated for making a major
contribution to religious literature with 'Approaching The Qur'an,' the
best version of Muslim scriptures available in English. This is an
important and illuminating work, one that will be welcomed by scholars,
students, believers, and all who seek to better understand Islam and its
sacred scripture." Carl Ernst is professor
of Islamic studies at the University of North Carolina and author
of The Shambhala Guide to Sufism. |
 | "Michael Sells has performed an invaluable service in making the
beauty, spiritual energy, and compelling power of the Qur'an accessible
to a Western audience for the first time." Karen Armstrong, author
of the bestselling book: "A History Of God." 4 |
Some amateur reviewers also rate the book highly; they give it a near
perfect rating
of 4.5 out of 5 stars:
 | "This book will give you a much better understanding of the
Qur'an than a translation will because it not only explains the meaning
of the Qur'anic text, its unique approach solves the problems that those
of us who don't speak Arabic have in understanding its nature and its
meaning....In English, [the author]... says, God in the Qur'an sounds
angry, whereas in Arabic, God in the Qur'an sounds sad and
compassionate. That's a big difference. Sells also says that the grammar
in Arabic allows the tone of the Qur'an to achieve 'ultimate majesty' at
the same time as 'personal intimacy.' Because of the linguistic
difference, that is very difficult to carry over into English." A
reader from San Francisco, CA. |
 | "Approaching the Qur'an thrusts the reader into the multifaceted,
supple world of Islam by coupling delicate, sensitive, lyrical
translations of Islam's sacred text with an extensive commentary on each
Sura translated. These commentaries discuss the religious and historical
context surrounding each of these Suras' revelations, resulting in the
reader gaining insight not just into the Qur'an's message, but into the
other major religious themes of Islam as well." An unidentified
reader. 4 |

The dispute:
On 2002-AUG-1, the Associated Press (UP) reported that three anonymous students and two taxpayers had
filed a lawsuit on 2002-JUL-22 against
the UNC because it required new students
to read a book on Islam. One of the taxpayers was
from the Fundamentalist Christian Family Policy Network, which is based in
Virginia. According to
the UP, the suit was filed in
July by a Fundamentalist Christian organization, the American Family
Association Center for Law and Policy. (United Press International
(UPI) reported that the suit was filed by the Family Policy Network,
which describes itself as a "socially conservative Christian
educational organization.") The UPI states that: "In their complaint,
the plaintiffs charge that UNC indoctrinates students with deceptive
claims about the peaceful nature of Islam, violating the separation of
church and state...In fact, the book makes no general claims about Islam.
5
Competing claims drew analogies between the reading program (and
reaction to the book) and anti-semitism:
 | The American Family Association Centre for Law & Policy
rejected the Reading Program's opt-out policy for students who didn't
want to read the book. In an apparent reference to
early anti-semitic laws by the Christian church,
and later copy-cat laws by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust, they said: "Pitting students who object to the
forced reading of the Koran against those who do not is the modern
equivalent of requiring the objecting students to wear yellow stars of
David." 2 |
 | Carl W Ernst, a UNC professor of religion, accused the Christian groups of
bias. He said: "It is easy to take phrases out of context from any
sacred book. This is part of a long history of anti-Islamic bias that is
akin to anti-semitism or even racism." 6 |
On AUG-1, the UNC asked the judge to dismiss the suit. They argued that the two
taxpayers, James Yacovelli and Terry Moffitt should be removed from the
suit because they cannot prove any injury as a result of the required
reading. Also, the cannot prove that they will benefit if the requirement
is lifted. The university also asked that the students not remain
anonymous, because they cannot prove that they have any reason to suspect
that they will be harmed if their identities become known. 7
On AUG-7, the British Broadcasting Corporation quoted the university's
Chancellor James Moeser as stating that: "We are obviously not
promoting one religion. What more timely subject could there be?"
6
On AUG-9, UPI reported that Representative Sam Ellis (NC-R) "told
a local radio station he did not want the students in the university
system to study 'this evil. ...If they wish to pursue it on their own, or
if they wish to pursue it as an elective, that's fine. But I don't think
it is something our university system should be encouraging.' "
5
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has
asked for an apology from Ellis. Board Chairman Omar Ahmad commented: "The
level of anti-Muslim rhetoric from commentators, religious leaders, and
now elected officials, is getting out of hand and is poisoning the minds
of many ordinary Americans. Only a strong statement from President Bush
will put these people on notice that anti-Muslim bigotry will not be
accepted in our society." A few days earlier, CAIR made a similar call after Christian evangelist Franklin
Graham, son of Billy Graham, said terrorism is part of "mainstream"
Islam and claimed the Koran, "preaches violence."
2
Also, on AUG-9, the Family Research Council reported that a state legislative
committee voted 64 to 10 to ban the use of public funds for the UNC class
unless the university taught about all known religions.
This would be difficult for the university to implement, since there are
19 major world religions which are subdivided into a total of 270 large
religious groups, and many tens of thousands of smaller ones. 8
Rep. Wayne Sexton of Rockingham said, "If you stop and think about what
[September 11] meant to this country's
homeland security, guards everywhere, just think what it costs to protect
ourselves from this faction, and here we are promoting it." 9
Bill O'Reilly, a popular conservative Fox News television commentator drew an
analogy between the study of the Qur'an and Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf"
in the years prior to World War II. He said that teaching the
Koran to US students was wrong as it was the book of "our enemy's
religion." UPI columnist Claude Salhani disagreed. He wrote: "Indeed, had more people familiarized
themselves with Hitler's writing, they might well have learned of his true
evil intentions. And wasn't it Mao Zedong who said that the first step in
defeating your enemy is to know him? 'Know the enemy and know yourself,
and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat.' Assuming
that Islam is the enemy as some people would like us to believe --
although it has been established that it isn't -- then, would it not in
fact make far greater sense to study it, become familiarized with it, and
learn what exactly it is that motivates people to attack this country, if
indeed it is the Koran that provides these murderous incentives?...Are we
therefore to enlarge the literary censorship list? Or better yet, should
we start burning books and instead, encourage people to watch mindless
programs on television, as in Ray Bradbury's futuristic novel, 'Fahrenheit
451?' " 2
On AUG-16, an editorial "Summer Reading" in the San Francisco Chronicle
referred to the Fundamentalist Christian organizations who launched the
lawsuit, and to the state legislature who withheld funding: "In failing
to support academic freedom, as well as students' intellectual need to
better understand Islam, the state government and university have provided
a poor example to their students. They should know better." 10
On 2002-AUG-15, U.S. District Court judge Carlton Tilley, Jr., refused
to grant a temporary restraining order that would have prevented the
voluntary course from proceeding. 11

Conclusions:
The debate seems to involve a lot of "hot" religious topics:
 | Does the Separation of Church and State
implied by First Amendment allow a university to
suggest that students to
read the holy book of a single religion? Various U.S. Supreme Court
decisions (e.g. Lee vs. Weisman), imply that this is
unconstitutional for a publicly funded school. Comparative religion
classes can be constitutional. However, they study examine multiple
religions. |
 | Does the study of the 35 early suras give an accurate picture of Islam? |
 | Does the Qur'an promote co-existence and/or violence against other
religions. |
 | Whether requiring university students to learn about Islam is a form
of religious indoctrination. |
 | Whether university graduates will
be able to deal more effectively with Islam if they are familiar with, or
ignorant of, the religion and its holy book, the Qur'an. This is a
particularly important question, because -- if current trends continue
-- Islam will surpass Christianity to become the dominant world religion
within the next 25 years. This would be within the professional careers
of year 2006 graduates. |

References:
- "Quest for knowledge ignites baseless fight," USA Today
editorial, 2002-AUG-8, at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/
- Joe Glover, "Book fails to tell whole truth," USA Today
editorial, 2002-AUG-8, at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/
- "Carolina Summer Reading Program," University of North Carolina, at:
http://www.unc.edu/srp/
Michael Sells, "Approaching the Qur'an: The early revelations,"
White Cloud Press, (1999). Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- Claude Salhani, "Koranic misreadings," Culture vulture
column, United Press International, 2002-AUG-9.
- "US university sued over Koran class," British Broadcasting
Corporation, 2002-AUG-7, at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/
- "University asks judge to dismiss five from suit over Islamic
book," Associated Press, 2002-AUG-2.
- David Barrett et al, "World Christian Encyclopedia: A comparative
survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," Oxford University
Press, (2001).
Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
- Ken Connor, "Will UNC reverse 'course' on Islam?," Washington
Update, Family Research Council, 2002-AUG-9.
- "Summer Reading," San Francisco Chronicle, 2002-AUG-16, at:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
- "Judge OKs UNC students to read Quran," Associated Press,
2002-AUG-16, at:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/

Copyright © 2002 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2002-AUG-12
Latest update: 2002-AUG-17
Author: B.A. Robinson

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