Schools Closed in Virginia District After Uproar Over Arabic Calligraphy Lesson

[Xithras]

77. It's the same message as is on the Taliban and ISIS flags.

Given the age of the students involved, any teacher with an ounce of common sense should have known that a substantial portion of the students would recognize it, and that having students copy it was going to be an issue.

And before anyone corrects me, I'm aware that the message on the ISIS flag uses a different script and has a different appearance, but it's the same words and message.

The swastika is a beautiful and ancient pattern that can be found in cultures around the world as well. Most teachers are intelligent enough to understand that it's improper to ask students to draw swastikas in art class, even if the topic of the day is "Ancient Eastern Geometric Patterns" and has nothing to do with history or the Nazis. While a teacher might take a minute to discuss the symbol and its meaning, every teacher I've ever met would pick other designs for the students to actually create for their homework. "Mommy, I drew swastikas at school today" is a comment that can end careers. Asking students to draw the shahada, at the same time it's being used to justify mass murders, rapes, and slavery a few thousand miles away, was an idiotic move.