Educators in Connecticut must develop curriculum materials for Islamic and Arab studies according to a new state law that went into effect earlier this month.
The new law, which appears as a small provision in a larger bill, requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to make curriculum materials available to school boards on Islamic and Arab studies and encourage them to provide this instruction.
The law already requires SBE to make curriculum materials available for various other programs, such as African-American and Black studies, Puerto Rican and Latino studies, Native American studies, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, and the Holocaust and genocide awareness.
After the state develops the materials to teach Islamic and Arab studies, it will be optional for districts to include the studies in their own curricula.
Several Muslim leaders and Democratic politicians mostly welcomed the move.
According to the Hartford Courant, Farhan Memon, CAIR-CT chairman, said, “No one is saying, or no one expects that every school in Connecticut is going to teach Arabic next year. But if a school wanted to, then the state Department of Education would have a curriculum ready for them to do that.”
“We want to make sure that as the state fulfills its mandate to create this curriculum, that it’s done with a view that’s not only accurate, but also ensures that we’re not introducing new biases into the curriculum at the same time,” Memon added, according to CT Insider.
Legislation 'mirrors Holocaust legislation'
Rep. Jennifer Leeper said in a statement that the legislation “mirrors existing legislation for Holocaust and genocide education, Black studies, Native American studies, and Puerto Rican and Latino studies.
“Adding another religion helps our children understand the world around them, their classmates, and their neighbors, which is critical for preparing our students to succeed in the most diverse country on earth,” she said.
However, various Republican lawmakers criticized it.
“I don’t believe that the state should be engaging in a curriculum that is advancing any religion,” said House Republican leader Vincent Candelora, according to the Courant. “It’s sort of the fundamental component of our First Amendment. I think that legislation went too far in including Islamic studies. I think it is treading on the constitutional notion of separation of church and state.”
'Clearly unconstitutional'
Chris Healy, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference, concurred. The Courant cited him as saying that the Islamic curriculum “validates, endorses the teaching of public religion in a public school, which is a clear violation of the First Amendment.”
“This is so clearly unconstitutional,” he said. “These issues were brought respectfully to the legislators, and yet they decided to go forward. It’s similar to the outrage people would have if the Ten Commandments were put on the wall.”
In the same bill, a provision was introduced to create a 15-member working group to address antisemitism in public schools.
Under the bill, the group must develop guidance and resources to address issues relating to antisemitism that affect students, families, educators, and school personnel.