The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Arlington Public Schools in Northern Virginia to step up protection for a teacher who has reportedly been threatened after being targeted by a smear campaign over a critical thinking lesson she assigned to students that asked them to analyze and question both South African and Israeli arguments before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Shayma Al-Hanooti, a teacher at Washington-Liberty High School in Arlington, Virginia, reportedly received a threat after articles came out accusing her of using “anti-Israel talking points” in an International Baccalaureate English Language and Literature course. Al-Hanooti told CAIR that the group behind the smear campaign is conflating her instructions to students with comments students made in an online discussion.
[NOTE: The International Baccalaureate English Language and Literature course is designed to be a balanced examination of literary and nonliterary texts.]
Students were assigned: “South Africa vs. Israel at the Hague: Analysis of Rhetorical Appeal and Logical Fallacies.” Prompts included:
- In your own words, what is the ICJ?
- Who is Gilad Erdan? What is his main argument? Identify at least one rhetorical appeal or logical fallacy in his remarks to the UN.
- Who is Riyad Mansour? What is his main argument? Identify at least one rhetorical appeal or logical fallacy in his remarks to the UN.
- In your own words, what are South Africa’s accusations against Israel?
- In your own words, what are South Africa’s immediate demands?
Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said: “At approximately 4:32 p.m. on October 1, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of N. Stafford Street for the report of threats. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim received an emailed threat to harm. The preliminary investigation did not reveal a threat to the school community. The investigation is ongoing.”
“No teacher should face threats or hate-filled intimidation for merely asking their students to think critically about important issues,” said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. “We urge the school district to take all measures necessary to protect this teacher from anti-Muslim hate and ensure that students can receive an education that embraces critical thinking, including about current events.”
He noted that earlier this week, CAIR urged all institutions of higher education and K-12 schools to protect anti-genocide students as National Bullying Prevention Month begins October 1.
BACKGROUNDER:
For almost a year, students and teachers at universities, colleges, and K-12 schools have faced racial, religious, and ethnic discrimination, as well as targeting from their own instructors and administrators, while protesting the continued genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
In August, CAIR launched its Unhostile Campus Campaign, a project aimed at fostering a campus environment in which Palestinian, Muslim, Arab, Jewish, and other students, faculty, and staff opposing the genocide of the Palestinian people in Gaza enjoy free speech and academic freedom without facing state force or university discipline for their viewpoints.
In 2023, CAIR received a total of 921 education-related complaints, which includes bullying and education discrimination, a 219% increase over the previous year. In 2024, 84% of Muslim students in higher education or in a trade/vocational program reported experiencing religious discrimination in the last year, according to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.
SEE: CAIR-NY: Feeling the Hate In Our Schools
SEE: New CAIR-CA Report Shows Muslim Students Are Bullied at Twice the National Average
SEE: ISPU: American Muslims, Especially Students, Most Likely to Experience Religious Discrimination
From January to June 2024, CAIR documented 4,951 incoming bias complaints nationwide, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2023.
SEE: New CAIR Data Shows Anti-Muslim, Anti-Palestinian Hate Remain Elevated in First Half of 2024
Earlier this year, CAIR’s national office released its 2024 civil rights report, which revealed the highest number of complaints it has ever received in its 30-year history. Titled “Fatal: The Resurgence of Anti-Muslim Hate,” the report documented 8,061 complaints.
Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year.
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CONTACT: CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor, 202-384-8857, csaylor@cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com