Islamic Schools on the Rise

According to MSNBC, the number of students attending Islamic religious schools in the US has increased by about 25% since 2006 to around 40,000 students.

My mind immediately goes back to the old question, which can be used either with religion, race or nationality, “are you an American Christian or a Christian American?”

The right way to say it, of course, is Christian American, or Jewish American, or Atheist American or Islamic American. We’re all Americans who just happen to be Christian or Jewish or whatever. Except of course that some Christians, such as George Bush Sr., don’t think atheists should be included.

Things start to be an issue when one considers themselves a Christian or Jew or Muslim that just happens to be American. I believe that many fundamentalist Christians look at themselves that way and I suspect so do many Muslims.

You are entitled to practice your religion as you see fit. That includes having separate schools if you desire them. However, government money, through things such as voucher programs, shouldn’t support those schools.

I can’t wait to see the reaction when the Right Wing nuts figure out the voucher programs they fight so hard for will also fund Islamic Schools.