December 4, 2011

Rick Perry and Sharia, and Robert Spencer

By David Stein
Robert Spencer posted an attack against me on this site regarding a series of articles I wrote last summer debunking the meme that Governor Rick Perry foisted "pro-Sharia" classroom materials on children in Texas schools. Although I hadn't planned to revisit the Perry/Sharia debate, the sheer nastiness of Spencer's attack has, in the words of Michael Corleone, "pulled me back in."  As I'm a guest here on AT, I can't be as verbose as I am on my own site. What I'll do, though, is provide a brief overview of this manufactured controversy. In 2008, Perry inked a deal with the Aga Khan Foundation to create the Muslim Histories and Culture Project (MHCP), the goal of which was to help Texas teachers create classroom lesson plans about Islam. It was a voluntary program in which teachers would attend a series of MHCP seminars, the end result of which would be the creation of lesson plans. The Aga Khan Foundation represents Ismaili Muslims, who follow a moderate, peaceful interpretation...(Read Full Article)