Local Professors: Wake Schools Should Enforce Church-State Separation

Raleigh, N.C. — Nineteen local college professors on Friday sent a letter to the Wake County Board of Education criticizing a teacher's decision to invite a speaker who handed out anti-Islam literature to students.

Robert Escamilla, a teacher at Enloe High School in Raleigh, was suspended last week after reports that he invited evangelist Kamil Solomon to talk with students on Feb. 16.

Students said Solomon, who heads the Kamil International Ministries Organization, handed out a pamphlet entitled, “Why Women Should Not Marry Muslims.”

"We … wholeheartedly subscribe, and adhere, to the principle that we should not allow the faith of our students to be impacted by the preferences of their teachers," the professors, most of who were from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill..

The letter applauded the school system's response and urged officials to enforce rules separating state and religion without violating either teachers' or students' civil rights.

The writers also requested a meeting with the school board. The school board had not yet responded to the request Friday afternoon.

The school system has said Escamilla will remain on paid suspension while the matter is being investigated.

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Latest Comments

what is wrong with the religion or should i say churches around the area and as a student they are already violating alot of peoples civils rights just by taking the religion out of the classrooms.

dakota_loves_me
March 13, 2007 8:46 p.m.

This was not an attack on Islam: it was informational. If you read the information, it was detailed and cited the exact places in the Koran that backed up the statements. It was also done in the context of a social studies current issues study, and can you think of any other current issue as hot as understanding Islam? And if you Google the phrase "Islam US schools" and you will see a number of articles detailing how liberals have determined that it's OK to inform US students about Islam and go so far as having the students dress like Muslims, eat Muslim food, read the Koran, and more. Meanwhile, Muslims sue districts to impose the inclusion of Muslim holidays in the school calendar, change school menus, and other changes, to suit THEM--a TINY MINORITY. Muslims are trying to shut down discussion so that we cannot study and learn from various sources exactly what Islam is. The history they are promoting is full of lies--it's basically recruitment propaganda.

CReed
March 12, 2007 10:40 a.m.

"It is time to teach students HOW TO THINK - NOT WHAT To Think!"

Absolutely! Critical thinking is the most important thing children can learn in school. Unfortunately, fundamentalists of any religion (or any political extreme) can't abide by critical thinking. That's the real problem. Critical thinking skills can be taught in public school. However, it is a threat to too many people, and so children are only taught a shadow of critical thinking skills.

mvnull
March 10, 2007 9:47 p.m.

I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT OUR NATION WAS FOUNDED ON. IT IS TIME WE TAKE A STAND AND SPEAK OUT. KAMIL HAS SEEN FIRSTHAND THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM. I THINK HE IS VERY BRAVE,VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND I THINK IF WE ALL WOULD TAKE EVEN HALF THE STAND HE TAKES THEN OUR COUNTRY WOULDN'T BE IN THE SHAPE IT IS IN. IT'S TIME WE CRY OUT TO GOD TO HEAL OUR LAND AND PUT HIS PROTECTION OVER US.

jnkmmcclure
March 10, 2007 9:04 p.m.

A school is NOT a state ... If you want to restrict one belief or another on ANY CAMPUS - then BAN it ALL!

Including Islam, Anti-smokers rights, gay rights and the rights of ANYONE who has nothing to do with the exact curriculum!

Also; any time an over schooled moron aka professor insists on force feeding idiotic Liberalism - they too NEED to be banned!

It is time to teach students HOW TO THINK - NOT WHAT To Think!