Islamic indoctrination of children in public schools is a concern for parents across the country. As we previously reported , educators have been presenting fundamental Islamic beliefs as facts to students. Across the nation, students have been forced to recite the Five Pillars of Islam, make...
Whatever happened to the days of “reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic”? The days when students and parents could expect that educators would teach the preparatory skills necessary for college and life as a productive citizen without feeling the need to inject their own agendas into the instruction?
What if your child or grandchild’s public school forced them to write out the Shahada – the Islamic conversion creed – while ” having skipped Christianity ”? What if your child’s study guide had a section called “Origins of Islam” that included statements such as, “Around the age of 40, the angel...
Today, the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit unanimously held that a Tennessee Public School District did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment when it contracted with a Christian school for its "alternative school." Faced with a severe budgetary shortfall, the Jefferson...
“Pretend you are a Muslim.” This was the instruction given in a class assignment at Union Grove High School in Union Grove, Wisconsin, requiring students to take on the persona of a Muslim in order to write a “point of view” essay in which they discussed their daily Islamic religious practices and...
"Pretend you are Muslim." That's an assignment being given to students in at least one public school in Madison, Wisconsin. The public school class assignment asks students to write a 5-paragraph essay pretending they are Muslim, providing examples of daily rituals and any struggles they face. Here...
Write "Allah is the only God" and recite the Islamic conversion creed. That’s an assignment being given in public middle schools in Tennessee. A Wisconsin public school told students to “Pretend you...
In a landmark decision today, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that prayer before legislative meetings is constitutional. In debunking one of the greatest myths in Establishment Clause jurisprudence, the Court held that not only is opening such meetings in prayer constitutional, it is not limited to...
Today, May 1, 2014, is the 63rd annual National Day of Prayer. However, our nation’s dependence on prayer reaches all the way back to our founding. Our first President, George Washington, officially called the nation to prayer and Thanksgiving in 1789, and even before that, our first Congress...
The Supreme Court is currently pondering the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway . In that case, two women – one Jewish, the other atheist – have brought a constitutional challenge to a New York town’s practice of opening town board meetings with a prayer. The prayer is delivered by rotating guest...
The battle over prayer in public life has once again made its way to the nation’s highest court, in an important Supreme Court case about the constitutionality of having invocations at the start of government meetings. Opponents of public prayer seek to ban such invocations. The ACLJ has joined the...
The atheist group Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is at it again, attacking prayer at public meetings. This time the target of their attack was my hometown. For more than a quarter century Henrico County, Virginia had opened its Board of Supervisors meetings with an invocation, much like...
In the wake of a string of recent attacks on public prayer in the courts – a state appellate court struck down a day of prayer proclamation and a federal appeals court held prayer at one town’s board meetings unconstitutional – Members of Congress are taking action. Representative Tim Walberg...
This is the latest installment in a year-end series looking back at a few of the hundreds of victories by the ACLJ in 2011. Just weeks before this year’s National Day of Prayer, a federal appeals court threw out a challenge by the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) to the yearly presidential...
Atheist alert. New statistics from the Public Religion Research Institute show that over 70 percent of Republicans and over 50 percent of Democrats want a president who has “very strong religious beliefs.” While a large majority of the electorate fully embraces the importance of the...
In America, public prayer is unifying. At memorials, Americans pray. At inaugurations, Americans pray. At funerals, Americans pray. Americans pray before going to war, and Americans pray when the fighting stops. Americans pray in times of sadness and times of joy. America has a National Day of...
If you watched any of the 9/11 coverage from Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania, you know that this was a solemn day - a day to remember - a day to grieve - and a day to pray. Despite New York City Mayor Bloomberg's stubborn refusal to acknowledge the importance of including...
Prayer is powerful. Americans have traditionally turned to God in times of crisis and this was no more true than on 9/11. As we are just days away from the 10th anniversary of the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11th, the American people are taking a stand – sending a powerful message to...
Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsel, appeared on the Sean Hannity radio program making the case for why prayer and clergy at the 9/11 memorial service is not only constitutional but most appropriate for this solemn occasion. Sekulow debated the president of American Atheists who continued his assault...
On Sunday, September 11, 2011, America will pause to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the most horrific terrorist attack our nation has ever seen. We will remember those who lost their lives, celebrate the heroism of those who risked their lives to save others that day, and pray for the...