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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/18255/full/18255/koran-requirement-leads-to-lawsuits-rage-and-debate/ <br /><br /> <b>Koran requirement leads to lawsuits, rage and debate</b> <br /> Friday, August 9, 2002 | by <p>ELLI WOHLGELERNTERJerusalem Post Service </p> <br /><br /><p>The university has instructed freshmen that over the summer they must read "Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations," which consists of 35 suras, or short passages from the chief holy book of Islam, that largely focus on the experience of the divine in the natural world and the principle of moral accountability in human life. Easily accessible to any college-level reader, these suras are poetic and intensely evocative, beautiful meditations, comparable in many ways to the Psalms of David and other classics of world literature."<br /><br /> But a Christian legal firm filed suit in federal court last week on behalf of three anonymous students—one of them Jewish—against the University of North Carolina, saying a requirement that freshmen read a book about Islam is unconstitutional, on two counts.<br /><br /> The first states that the university is violating the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by forcing incoming students to "read, meditate upon and listen to recitations of the sacred text of Islam," a requirement that in effect promotes Islam and advances the Islamic religion.<br /><br /> The other First Amendment violation, according to the lawsuit, involves the second requirement of the university. On Aug. 19, all the entering freshmen and transfer students must participate in a mandatory discussion segment on the book, and write a one-page essay stating their feelings about the religion.<br /><br /> In reaction to the growing criticism over the required reading, UNC amended its Web site two weeks ago saying that "although the summer reading is required, if any students or their families are opposed to reading parts of the Koran because to do so is offensive to their own faith, they 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."<br /><br /> That essay, according to the suit filed by the Mississippi-based American Family Association Center for Law and Policy, goes against the First Amendment's Free Exercise clause by forcing dissenters to "publicly reveal their innermost thoughts and feelings about religion," and exposing them to ridicule by peers and faculty.<br /><br /> For that reason, the three UNC freshmen involved in the lawsuit are identified only as John Doe No. 1, an evangelical Christian; John Doe No. 2, a Catholic; and Jane Doe, who is Jewish.<br /><br /> A litigation counsel for the CLP was quoted as saying that the "opt-out" step by the university is worse than the reading requirement itself, pitting those students who object to the forced reading against those who do not, "the modern equivalent of requiring the objecting students to wear yellow Stars of David."<br /><br /> The university said this year's choice for its summer reading program "was selected for several reasons, the most obvious being the opportunity to learn more about the Islamic culture. Westerners for centuries have been alternately puzzled, attracted, concerned and curious about the great religious traditions of Islam. These feelings have been especially intense since the tragic events of Sept. 11. This book is not a political document in any sense; rather it introduces a culture unknown to many Americans and raises questions that are timely for all."<br /><br /> But Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said the choice of the book and the reason for it was a "perversion of 9/11. It is important to teach tolerance, and it's important not to blame the totality of Islam for 9/11. But to go from there and make it mandatory for incoming freshman is overboard, perverse and misses the point."<br /><br /> Or Mars, executive director of North Carolina Hillel, said the university's directive has not caused an uproar among the Jewish students because freshmen have not yet arrived on campus.<br /><br /> "We support the university on this project, since we see it as a learning opportunity and we share the value of learning with the university," Mars said. "Four members of our staff are reading the book and are going to be leading discussion groups for Jewish students and other students. What I think is interesting is that one of the discussions is going to feature a rabbi, teaching about the Koran to Southern Baptist students and others."<br /><br /> Mars said students can disagree with the book, "and that would make for a great discussion, very much in the Jewish tradition of respecting a machlokes (disagreement). No one's being told to believe the text as a religious text, but I don't think you can deny the fact that this book analyzes an important text. It's a great opportunity for learning, and if people come in bothered and are able to express that feeling of bother in a respectful way, that is a very important part of learning."</p> <p> </p>

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