The nation’s largest Muslim advocacy organization is calling on Tennesseans to oppose a bill on “religious doctrine” from Rep. Sheila Butt, R-Columbia.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) believes Butt introduced the bill, one that would prevent teaching of “religious doctrine” in Tennessee schools until at least 10th grade, out of fear and bigotry.
“Islamophobes like Rep. Butt fail to recognize that there is a big difference between teaching students about religion as an important part of world history and promoting particular religious beliefs,” CAIR Government Affairs Manager Robert McCaw said in a prepared statement.
“The education of children in Tennessee should not be delayed because of anti-Muslim bigotry.”
Butt told The Tennessean last week she filed the legislation in an attempt to balance the mentioning of religion and religious indoctrination, and that it wasn’t aimed at any one religion. But her bill comes on the heels of complaints from some parents in several Tennessee counties over references to Islam in middle school curriculum.
“It is interesting that CAIR would comment on my bill since the legislation never even mentions a particular religion, but instead explicitly states that no religion shall be emphasized or focused on over any other. The bill calls for comparative religion to be taught in high school and simply addresses the balance and age-appropriateness of teaching religion in Tennessee public schools,” Butt said in a prepared statement Monday.
Some parents complained after students were reportedly asked to write down “Allah is the only god” and memorize the five pillars of Islam. The complaints prompted statements from U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Butt and other conservative lawmakers blasting districts for possible indoctrination.
“Oftentimes, young children may feel conflicted with what they are taught at home versus what they learn at school. Our parents send their children to school to learn, not be indoctrinated,” Butt wrote on a personal blog used for releases and fundraising.
“I want our children to possess the mental maturity to have a firm foot in their beliefs, as well as the mental acuity to know when to question and report to their parents what they are being taught if necessary.”
State Education Commissioner Candace McQueen has defended the current curriculum, but said the state would speed up its timetable for reviewing social studies standards.
The bill would require that anything resembling “religious doctrine” — a term that’s not defined in the bill or anywhere in Tennessee law — could only appear in a comparative religion course that doesn’t focus on any one religion. A religion can be mentioned before high school, but nothing about what Butt considers “religious doctrine” can be included when that religion is mentioned.
“If you’re teaching the Middle East, then of course you’re going to mention the religion that was prevalent in that area,” Butt said. “But to teach the doctrine is another thing. ... It’s just a bill about balancing the teaching of religion in education.”
Tennessee state law already bans any course with “teaching of religious doctrine or sectarian interpretation of the Bible or of texts from other religious or cultural traditions.”
The CAIR statement noted a controversy surrounding Butt last year, regarding a statement she made about the need for an “NAAWP.” CAIR, and many others, considered the statement racist. Butt at the time said she meant for the “W” in the name to stand for “Western” not “white,” a clarification that appeased few of her critics.
Butt is not the only lawmaker calling for changes. State Sen. Mae Beavers, R-Mt. Juliet, and Kerry Roberts, R-Springfield, recently called on school districts to provide parents and the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative Christian advocacy organization, with any requested information about curriculum.
Lawmakers return to session in January.