Raleigh, N.C. — A social studies teacher at Enloe High School has been suspended with pay after an invited speaker criticized Islam.
Officials said Robert Escamilla invited Kamil Solomon to talk with students on Feb. 16. Students said Solomon, who heads up the Kamil International Ministries Organization, handed out a pamphlet entitled, “Why Women Should Not Marry Muslims.”
The pamphlet Solomon handed out includes passages like, "To be a Muslim's wife means you would sacrifice your freedom. Do you like to be a partner or a prisoner?"
Another passage says "there's an Arabic saying that says, My son comes first, then my horse, then my wife."
Some students and parents have complained to school-system officials. Attorneys with the Wake County School Board are interviewing students, faculty, and school administrators about the incident.
"It's disheartening. However, within the context of it, we want to make sure that when we make a decision, we find out what exactly happened," said Michael Evans, a representative with Wake County schools. "We want to make the best decision possible, not only to resolve this particular situation, but then also what's going to happen going forward."
In a letter sent to faculty and staff by Enloe principal Beth Cochran, she wrote about the use of guest speakers at the school:
"Guest speakers can provide a wonderful enrichment opportunity for our students by bringing unique personal experiences and various points of view that can significantly enhance our students’ education. When we invite speakers into our classrooms, however, there is an expectation that the presentation is not only aligned with the standard course of study, but is also relevant to the class unit and appropriate in tone and topic for high school students in a public school setting."
The ACLU of North Carolina is also investigating the incident.
“We are deeply disappointed by the manner in which the school has thus far handled these serious allegations,” said Jennifer Rudinger, Executive Director of the ACLU-NCLF. "In the face of overwhelming evidence that proselytizing took place in this public school, school officials have insisted on miscasting this as a free speech issue. Children’s religious upbringing should be directed by their parents, not by government officials entrusted with teaching students to read and write. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment was designed to prevent this very activity."
ACLU officials said if the school does not acknowledge what happened, a lawsuit may be filed. The group also wants assurances that the incident will not be repeated.
Enloe Teacher Suspended With Pay After Speaker Controversy
Copyright 2009 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
173 Comments
-
- Christmas parade marks start of holidays
Updated Nov. 21 11:31 p.m. | Slideshow |
- Wake County holds flu vaccine clinics for children
Updated Nov. 21 11:43 p.m. |
- Bill would require DNA sample from N.C. suspects
Updated Nov. 21 4:48 p.m. - Damage to Old Chapel Hill Cemetery sparks preservation effort
Updated Nov. 21 4:48 p.m. - N.C. man gets life in prison for woman's fatal scare
Updated Nov. 21 11:38 p.m.
- Christmas parade marks start of holidays
- Most Viewed Slideshows
- 2009 Raleigh Christmas Parade crowd
Posted Nov. 21 2:41 p.m. - 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade
Updated Nov. 21 6:16 p.m. - Pet Photos | November 16 - November 22, 2009
Nov. 20, 2009
- 2009 Raleigh Christmas Parade crowd
Photo Spotlight
-
Bands, marchers in holiday paradeChoose your group to watch their performance in the 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas Parade.
-
Web only: Complete 2009 WRAL-TV Raleigh Christmas ParadeWatch the parade in its entirety from the comfort of your computer any time.
-
Search for missing IRS refundsThe Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.
-
North Carolina unemployment ratesView an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.
-
A year of N.C. Drought MapsView a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.











STORIES
VIDEOS
SLIDESHOWS


Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.
You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.