Pastors Affirm Friendswood School Leaders Taking “Right Steps”
The reassignment of principal assures the community that responsibility to parents and students is high priority
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 5, 2008
Houston, TX – Houston Area Pastor Council issued a statement today in response to the reassignment of the Friendswood Junior High principal as a result of the controversy over an Islamic presentation conducted by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) for students during class hours.
“We are very pleased that Superintendent Trish Hanks and the Board of Trustees have been so responsive to the community and taken appropriate action. This communicates to parents, pastors and citizens that the school district takes very seriously the trust placed in them by the parents and community. Area Pastors have had a very good relationship with FISD as it should be, and we believe that will continue due to the mutual interest in protecting and nurturing the common faith and values of the community.
We believe that the school officials are very committed to complying with existing laws, policies and parameters addressing religious expression, activities and beliefs in public schools. It is our commitment to working with them to bring the highest level of expertise to assist them.
Finally, we are not going to let the primary issue slide by of this highly controversial Islamic activist organization slipping into schools for the purpose of mainstreaming radical Islam using our children. We plan to implement a review of every school district in the greater Houston area and ultimately throughout Texas to make sure that neither CAIR nor any similar group gets a free pass with their agenda under the guise of diversity training.”
HAPC is an inter-denominational, inter-racial coalition of pastors throughout the greater Houston area who have come together to provide a unified, Biblical voice on social, moral, cultural and policy issues.
Friendswood School Leaders Taking Issue Seriously
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2008
Pastors confident that appropriate action will be taken for Junior High principal’s “breach of trust” regarding Islamic sessions for students
Houston, TX – The inter-racial, inter-denominational Houston Area Pastor Council issued a follow up statement today regarding the Islamic “presentation” held at Friendswood Junior High last week which students were required to attend. The May 22 sessions were held during required-attendance Physical Education classes, led by two women “wearing veils” representing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR):
“Houston Area Pastor Council and several of our key pastors in the Friendswood community have communicated with parents, school board members as well as Superintendent Trish Hanks and are confident that school officials are very committed to taking appropriate disciplinary action for the violation of school policies, state law and the trust of parents and students.
Friendswood has deep roots in the Christian faith and is still a close knit community of people who have strong beliefs in the core Judeo-Christian values that built the city, state and nation. Every parent and community member who has communicated with us has been deeply concerned about this action and has expressed that changes must be made.
We are committed to staying closely involved, waiting for the school district’s announcement this week and working with the district, the parents and the pastors to define and protect appropriate religious expression and activities for the future.”
HAPC is an inter-denominational, inter-racial coalition of pastors throughout the greater Houston area who have come together to provide a unified, Biblical voice on social, moral, cultural and policy issues.
Pastors Declare ISLAMIC INDOCTRINATION IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS “uNACCEPTABLE”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 29, 2008
Islamic Workshop in Friendswood School “Unacceptable”
School Policies and Students’ Rights Violated, says Pastors’ Group
Houston, TX – The inter-racial, inter-denominational Houston Area Pastor Council issued the following statement today in response to confirmed reports of an Islamic “presentation” held at Friendswood Junior High last week which students were required to attend. The May 22 sessions were held during required-attendance Physical Education classes, led by two women “wearing veils” representing the Council on Arab-Islamic Relation (CAIR):
“The failure of the Principal of Friendswood Junior High to respect simple procedures requiring parental notification for such a potentially controversial subject, to not only approve but participate personally in a religious indoctrination session led by representatives of a group that media reports link to terrorist organizations and her cavalier response when confronted, raise serious questions about her fitness to serve in that role.”
“According to students who were forced to attend these sessions, these Islamic evangelists taught them:
- Adam, Noah and Jesus are prophets
- There is one god, his name is Allah
- The 5 Pillars of Islam
- How to pray five times a day
- Islamic religious garb
“The unverified claim by the Principal that this forced religious instruction by an activist Islamic organization was due to ‘…racially motivated comments that have been made to students on campus,” does not excuse nor justify this infringement upon the religious beliefs of students and parents of the community nor the violation of school policy and possibly state and/or federal law.”
“We do not believe that this unapproved action by Principal Robin Lowe represents the school district and certainly not the majority of students or parents in the Friendswood community. Our commitment is to support all appropriate administrative, legal and political remedies to assure that this will not happen again and these Islamic activist organizations are kept out of our schools.”
HAPC is an inter-denominational, inter-racial coalition of pastors throughout the greater Houston area who have come together to provide a unified, Biblical voice on social, moral, cultural and policy issues.
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