Rep. André Carson Calls For U.S. Schools To Be Modeled On Madrassas

For years, politicians around the country have striven to allow families to leave public schools and attend religious (largely Christian) schools through voucher programs. However, many people are alarmed by the call of Rep. André Carson (D-Indiana), a Muslim member of Congress, that our schools should be modeled on Islamic schools or Madrassas. As a staunch supporter of public schools and an educator, I strongly oppose the intermingling of religion with our public schools. I also do not find Madrassas to be a particularly compelling model for education in the United States.


In a recent speech, Carson stated “America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our Madrassas, in our schools where innovation is encouraged. Where the foundation is the Koran.”

Whether the “foundation” is the Bible or the Koran, the relevance of such religious structure to education is dubious at best and a threat to the separation of church and state at worst. To be honest, it is doubtful Carson’s speech would have generated such controversy if he praised Catholic schools as a model for education. Indeed, we have seen politicians object to the use of vouchers for Muslim schools.

full: http://jonathanturley.org/2012/07/06/rep-andre-carson-calls-for-u-s-schools-to-be-modeled-on-madrassas/


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Geez, Carson has sunken to Michele Bachmann's level right here. Public education should be SECULAR, and it's tough enough with the Christian lobby that pressures public schools into toning down science and history. Texas School Board, anyone?

Turley is a constitutional law professor at George Washington University, and he has provided his expertise on various media outlets including Countdown with Keith Olbermann.