A whole school district in the U.S. state of Virginia has shut down after schools received ‘threats of violence’ when students were asked to complete an Arabic calligraphy assignment in a geography class on Islam. Teacher Cheryl LaPorte asked students in her World Geography class at Riverheads High School to trace an example of Islamic text that had been written in calligraphy. “Here is the shahada, the Islamic statement of faith, written in Arabic. In the space below, try copying it by hand. This should give you an idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy,” said the assignment. The ‘shahada’ translates to “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. Yet, instead of giving an idea of the ‘artistic complexity of calligraphy’, the assignment resulted in widespread anger on social media and in the community. The uproar, which included unspecified threats, resulted in the closing of a whole school district, forcing 10,000 students to stay at home and avoid participating in any school-related activities. “We regret having to take this action, but we are doing so based on the recommendations of law enforcement and the Augusta…
US Schools Shut Down: Assignment About Islam Leads to ‘Threats of Violence’ and Anger
December 19, 2015
