The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) to stop asking 6th grade students at Dunloggin Middle School to perform or learn the Israeli government’s national anthem following concerns raised by parents and students opposed to the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
CAIR, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has called on the school system to stop using the section of a middle school music book that requires students to learn or perform the Israeli national anthem. CAIR is also calling on the school system not to ask students to learn or perform the national anthems of foreign governments facing charges or investigations by the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court.
SEE BOOK AND ANTHEM.
In a letter to Principal Antoinette Roberson and Superintendent William Barnes, CAIR called on the school system to stop using any text or content from its curriculum that includes the Israeli anthem out of respect for students from diverse backgrounds, especially those affected by the Israeli government’s ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people.
“Teaching students in the United States to perform the national anthem of a foreign country, particularly one whose government is currently under investigation by the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, is not only inappropriate, but also traumatic for many students,” said CAIR’s Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “It undermines the inclusive environment that Howard County Public School System strives to create in a school system where many students have loved ones directly impacted by the Israeli government’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and broader system of apartheid.”
CAIR’s letter read in part:
“[We] appreciate that your goal is to foster an environment where music education uplifts and connects students, and hope you will understand how in a school system where many children are Palestinian Americans who’s [sic] loved ones have been indiscriminately murdered in recent months by Israeli forces targeting hospitals, aid convoys, refugee camps, and journalists, that many of your students have often felt silenced, erased, marginalized and deeply uncomfortable.
CAIR believes that your school can achieve its instructional goals without having to subject students to additional distress and trauma.”
The civil rights group has asked the school system to stop instructing students to learn or perform the anthems of foreign nations facing charges or investigations by the International Court of Justice or the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses. environment.
CAIR remains committed to advocating for the well-being, rights and dignity of all students in Howard County and looks forward to the district’s swift response to this matter.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com, 202-850-9293