Islamic Indoctrination Taking Place in Georgia Public Schools

Georgia Public Schools are teaching key components of Islamic dawah: “schools are reportedly forcing students to learn the Five Pillars of Islam—the creed one must learn to convert—and teaching students that Allah is the same God worshipped by Christians.” 

So far, unlike in Tennessee, they haven’t [yet] forced the students to actually recite the Shahada, the Muslim confession of faith.

Further, homework assignments are designed to indoctrinate students into accepting this assertion as fact, when it is a strongly contested point which many Orthodox and traditional Christians flatly reject, and with compelling reason.  In addition, the volume of Georgia school materials on Islam outnumber those on Christianity by up to 10 to 1, further highlighting the preferential treatment accorded Islam “in a way that could violate the U.S. Constitution.”

The “Same God” assertion is indeed a primary plank of Islamic dawah (proselytizing), and together with Islam’s claim to be an “Abrahamic Faith” is one of the main tools used by Muslim apologists to advance their agenda within unsuspecting Christian and Jewish communities.

Besides the theological issues with the “Same God” claim itself, Mark Durie explains some of the many dangers this and the “Abrahamic Faith” assertion conceals:

Book Review: Catechetical Talks by New-Martyr Daniel Sysoev

"What is deeply impressive, and what should give us courage, is that despite his strict adherence to tradition, he yet baptized over 100 individuals per year during the course of his priestly service, a service which was ultimately crowned with martyrdom."

See also my post announcing the availability of New-Martyr Fr. Daniel Sysoev's books in English.

by Rev Dr John Palmer, Lessons from a Monastery

March 2, 2015

Admittedly, it was with great expectation that I first opened the English-language translation of Fr Daniel Sysoev’s book, Catechetical Talks. Around the time of his martyrdom in 2009, I began hearing reports from colleagues concerning Fr Daniel’s missionary work in Russia, praising it not only for its incredible results, but also for the fact that its achievements were born of a strict adherence to the Orthodox tradition. Shortly thereafter, brief excerpts of his writings began to circulate on the internet; then a podcast on his catechetical method; then a short book in Greek. All of these served to confirm the truth of the reports which had been circulating concerning Fr Daniel’s work, and further stoked my desire to read his more extended works for myself. Having now received a copy of his Catechetical Talks and having read it cover to cover, I am left to observe that the book has not only met, but greatly exceeded my every expectation. Before us stands no generic, academic, ‘Introduction to Orthodoxy’, but rather an authentic work of Patristic theology, flowing with words of eternal life.

Fr Daniel’s book is composed of a series of transcribed catechetical talks designed to set forth the most essential elements of the Orthodox Christian faith, aimed specifically at catechumens being prepared for Holy Baptism. He begins his series speaking about the divine attributes, exploring what we mean when we call God ‘good’ or ‘just’ in accordance with his revelation, as well as how these appellations are reconciled with the seeming evils which permeate the world around us, and with the belief that there will be a final judgement over which the just and good God will preside. Fittingly, he crowns this discussion with the apex of the Church’s dogmas concerning God: an exposition of the dogma of the Trinity. 

Fr Daniel dedicates his second talk to the Christian doctrine of Creation, particularly emphasizing the creation of the angels, the subsequent fall of Lucifer, and, of course, the creation of man and his fall. Naturally, this sets the table for the third talk to discuss the Incarnation of the Word of God, the key moments in Christ’s earthly ministry, the significance of his death on the Cross, his resurrection, and his ascension into the heavens to be seated at the right hand of the Father. 

The fourth talk is dedicated to a discussion of the birth of the Church at Pentecost and its mission in the world, that is, to unite men to Christ, specifically emphasizing the role of each of the sacraments in the fulfillment of this mission. The fifth and final talk offers a detailed discussion of the commandments of God which situates Christian morality within the broader context of morality in general, demonstrating that Christian morals differ from the ‘morals’ of the world both with regard to their foundation and their end.

Appended to these five talks are three helpful essays. 

Saint Philothei the Martyr, Consoler of Christians under the Yoke of Islam (Feb 19)

Here we are presented with another great saint of the Orthodox Church, who humbly but bravely labored in charity and mercy, strengthening the faithful against the predatory Muslims. St. Philothei shines like a female Kosmas of Aitolia, a teacher and encourager of the Church during the dark time of the Ottoman tyranny. She was martyred by the Turkish Muslims due to their hatred of the light of Christ which shone from her upon all.

"Philothei aimed at protecting the daughters of Athens from the disgrace of conversion to Islam... strengthening those under duress or sending them away and hiding them. This was done until their consciences recovered or the danger subsided; and until fear was replaced by a spirit of faith and sacrifice for the sake of the Christian Faith."

UK: Schoolchildren visit mosque, learn to recite prayers in Arabic

Rather than merely getting outraged or anxious over such reports as this, which we see here in America too, we should see this as an opportunity for Orthodoxy in the West.

Specifically, this should mobilize Orthodox Christians to organize, lobby our school systems, and host 'field trips' for schoolchildren at our churches across the United States and Canada.

According to the latest Pew Forum report on religions in America, Orthodox Christians and Muslims each comprise .6% of the population. This equivalence in numbers should work to our benefit in seeking to raise our visibility in America (which should also help us raise awareness of the plight of Eastern Christians (Orthodox, Coptic, Chaldean, Assyrian, etc.) being persecuted in the Middle East.

"The Ancient Christian Faith is Alive and Well in America," "Eastern Christians in the Western World," or similar tag lines, could be used to invite our school districts to add a fascinating new dimension to their social studies, historical studies and religious pluralism curriculum. Our iconography, Byzantine, Russian and Georgian chant, a capella singing of liturgically rich hymnography dating back to the fourth century and even earlier, the "smells and bells" of Orthodoxy, is so vivid as to leave a lasting impact on visitors.

Among ourselves, we might even dare call this initiative 'Project Leaven'.

This would be an especially worthy area of cooperation for the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops' Church and Society Committee, which could launch an initiative to educate all levels of American and Canadian society about Orthodox Christianity. Field trips, open house events, conferences, etc. — We simply must engage our culture in creative ways.

If we don't develop a vision for spreading awareness of Orthodoxy like leaven throughout society, we will soon be hearing the Muslim call to prayer all around us.


UK: Schoolchildren visit mosque, learn to recite prayers in Arabic
via Robert Spencer at Jihad Watch — Feb 7, 2014

Pre-prep school is for children before the ages of seven or eight, so these are essentially first graders who are being subjected to this indoctrination and subtle proselytizing. When is their trip to a church to learn prayers in Latin or Greek (or English, for that matter)? When is their trip to a synagogue to learn prayers in Hebrew? When is their trip to a Hindu temple? Somehow I don’t think any of these trips are on the schedule.

Yet another sign of Britain’s race to surrender to Sharia: “Pupils learn how to recite prayers in Arabic on visit to Crawley mosque,” from the East Grinstead Courier and Observer, February 7:

PUPILS from a Copthorne school were taken on a cultural visit to learn about Islam at a mosque. 

Year 1 and 2 pupils at Copthorne Pre-prep School learned how to recite prayers in Arabic when they took a tour of Broadfield Mosque last month. 

They heard how the mosque can accommodate 2,500 people and that many of the Muslim children attend a special school at the mosque from 5pm to 7pm to learn how to read the Qu’ran. 

The children were shown how Muslims pray and were allowed to join in themselves if they wanted to. 

The Year 1 pupils have also separately learnt about Chinese New Year.

Social Studies Textbook Review in Tennessee and Texas

On the heels of a report from Alabama, a pair of cases regarding biased textbooks in Texas and Tennessee. Via Creeping Sharia:

Readers frequently ask how they can get involved. Here’s one. via Citizen Warrior: Social Studies Textbook Review in Tennessee and Texas.

The following was written by Roy White, Chapter Coordinator for ACT! for America in San Antonio, Bexar, and Kendall:

We all know of plenty of examples of the bias in social studies textbooks revealed by various groups and individuals. Concerned Tennessee citizens formed a group called Textbook Advocates that conducted reviews of over 50 textbooks that can be found here. Many of those errors involved Islam to include incomplete information on Muhammad, overstating Islam’s influence and simple disparity in word/sentence count on discussions of Islam versus other religions. Their findings are not surprising to readers of Citizen Warrior and others who follow this topic. 

The cleverly named, The Textbook Tattler was published to provide citizens with a synopsis of the typical errors found. It is likely these same errors are found in many of the textbooks found in states around the country. Tennessee’s efforts resulted in the current methodology of textbook selection to be under review and will most likely be replaced in the next legislative session. Their landmark success has inspired others to follow their lead including a group in Texas.