Common Core and Islam

Todd Starnes at Fox News reported before Christmas that a high school in North Carolina used a “Common Core-aligned” lesson to promote Islam.

Parents in Farmville, North Carolina want to know why their children were given a Common Core vocabulary assignment in an English class that promoted the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic faith.

“It really caught me off guard,” a Farmville Central High School student who was in the class told me. “If we are not allowed to talk about any other religions in school – how is this appropriate?”

The Islamic vocabulary worksheet was assigned to seniors.

“I was reading it and it caught me off guard,” the student told me. “I just looked at it and knew something was not right – so I emailed the pages to my mom.”

Starnes emailed the school and asked for copies of lessons dealing with Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism and they didn’t reply.

I’ve been an outspoken, public critic of the Common Core State Standards.  I have read the English-Language Arts and math standards.  I can tell you, unequivocally, that the standards do not promote or require teaching Islam or any religion.

There is much done in the name of Common Core that is not Common Core, like sex ed for instance.  A vacuum now exists in the textbook and publishing industry due to over 40 states adopting a new set of standards.  Those states and schools are looking for curriculum that is aligned to these standards, and progressives within the industry are taking advantage of these market forces.

This type of curriculum isn’t a new problem, there has been a liberal shift in textbooks that has occurred over the past few years.  It would occur regardless.  So Common Core does not call for the teaching of Islam, but its emphasis on informational text has set up an environment which has allowed these new textbooks and curricula under the guise of being “Common Core-aligned” to be introduced into public schools.

This needs to be combated at the local level parents should be aware of the new textbook and curriculum choices their schools make.  Common Core opponents, however, should not discredit themselves by saying Common Core teaches or encourages Islam.