University Reading Assignment on Koran Continues to Stir Controversy     7/31/2002

University Reading Assignment on Koran Continues to Stir Controversy
Lawsuits Challenge UNC Requirement that Incoming Freshmen Study Excerpts from the Koran
By Al Dobras
Commentary

The University of North Carolina’s requirement that students read a book commenting on a portion of the Koran (also translated Qur’an) has led to two lawsuits from Christian groups amid charges that the book fails to educate students on more troubling passages in the Muslim holy book.

In response to critics of UNC’s Summer Reading Program selection of Approaching the Qur’an, university Chancellor James Moeser said, “A fifth of the world’s population subscribes to the Islamic religion, and yet it’s not a well-understood religion. This is a great opportunity to have a conversation on the teachings of one of the world’s great religions, how it’s been used or misused, whether it’s a religion of peace or not.” Unfortunately, the book selection does not respond to any of the chancellor’s objectives.

Approaching the Qur’an is a commentary on 35 short suras (chapters) of the Koran that are primarily poetic in nature and represent less than 5 percent of the complete text. The university claims the book is “an appropriate introduction to the literature and culture of a profound moral and spiritual tradition.” However, the selected suras and commentaries shed little light on these traditions and certainly do not provide any substantive insights into the “use or misuse” of the overall Koranic text or answer the question of “whether it’s a religion of peace or not.”

Muslims look to the complete Koran and the massive “hadith” as the sources of their faith, and to suggest that a freshman can grasp the key elements of Islam from a small collection of poetic suras is not only nonsensical, but intellectually dishonest. If indeed, UNC was interested in “correcting” misunderstandings about Islam, the university would do better by providing a textbook that speaks to those Koranic passages that raise honest questions about the true nature of Islam in today’s world. For example:

The selection of Approaching the Qur’an for the university’s summer reading program has resulted in at least two lawsuits. The Family Policy Network alleges that the school is infringing upon the religious free exercise of its students and violating the establishment clause of the United States Constitution by forcing incoming freshmen and

transfer students to study Islam against their will. A second lawsuit against the university has been filed by the American Family Association, which has asked the court for a preliminary injunction to stop the program.

Conspicuously silent about legal action are the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AU), which both aggressively pursue legal actions which intend to deny this nation’s religious heritage and remove Christian influence from our public institutions.

In May 2001, the ACLU filed suit against the Virginia Military Institute for its policy of allowing prayer before dinner in the mess hall. However, requiring every student to listen to (the book includes an audio CD featuring a call to prayer and readings of six suras) and read prayers from the Koran evidently does not pass the test for infringement upon a person’s First Amendment rights. “We are keeping an eye on it,” attorney Seth Jaffe says, “but so far it does not seem to be problematic.”

When asked by Culture & Family Report to comment on the situation at the University of North Carolina, a spokesman for Americans United was equally unconcerned. He said AU was aware of the issue, but they had not examined the book. The spokesman said students at the college level cannot be prohibited from reading about religion as long as they are not taught the subject from a religious perspective.“

In response to complaints from parents, university officials have offered an ”opt-out“ for students. According to university guidelines, those who are ”opposed to reading parts of the Koran because to do so is offensive to their own faith…may choose not to read the book. These students should instead complete their one-page response on why they chose not to read the book.“

Joe Glover, president of the Virginia-based Family Policy Network, says the

so-called ”option“ is worse than the original requirement. ”At first, UNC wanted to force their students to read a pro-Islamic text, which is bad enough. But now they want those who object on religious grounds to step forward and defend their own beliefs. That’s

even worse.“

When Americans look at Islam, they see a religion that is at war with its neighbors across the globe and expresses open hostility toward Christianity and other faiths; a holy book that says precious little about peaceful coexistence; and a draconian set of codified civil laws rooted in seventh century Arabia. If the University of North Carolina truly wants to do a service for its incoming freshman class, it should present a course that looks squarely at the concerns Western culture has about Islam. Until that happens, it is likely that conservative groups will look at UNC’s Summer Reading Program as just another example of academia’s relentless quest to marginalize Christian influence in our society and deconstruct Western culture.

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