Louisiana’s Ten Commandments – in Arabic?

NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — State Senator Royce Duplessis (D-La.) calls Louisiana’s new Ten Commandments law unnecessary and embarrassing.

And that’s just for starters.

Duplessis, who voted against the bill that became law with Gov. Jeff Landry’s signature on Wednesday, June 20, says the law is just the start of an effort by the Louisiana legislature’s conservative majority to take control of the state’s public and private institutions.

“Once it starts, where does it end,” asks Duplessis. “What’s to stop them from coming into your church and saying, ‘We don’t like the way you’re preaching the Bible.'”

Duplessis also calls fellow lawmakers “hypocritical” for claiming that the Ten Commandments should be taught in schools as a “historical document,” while opposing school history lessons that include slavery.

Duplessis is joined in that opinion by liberal activist Chaz Stevens, of Boca Raton, Florida.

Stevens is sending copies of the Commandments to Louisiana schools, copies written in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and other languages, that are likely not what the lawmakers had in mind when they wrote the law.

But if the intention of posting the Commandments is to present them as historical, rather than religious, Stevens says it shouldn’t matter if they’re written in languages used by people who are not Christian.

Stevens calls his activism “malicious” compliance.” He sent similar posters in foreign languages to Texas schools several years ago, when the Texas legislature was considering a Ten Commandments law.

“Everything I do is a peaceful protest,” he says.

“What I do is flip bureaucracy on its head.”

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter .

Latest Posts

• Exasperated Democrats try to stamp out talk of replacing Biden
• Christopher Bell wins on rain tires at NASCAR Cup race in New Hampshire
• Travis Kelce joins Taylor Swift onstage as backup dancer at London concert
• ‘The devastation is severe’: Parts of Iowa underwater amid flood emergency
• Tennessee forces College World Series finals to a third game with a 4-1 win over Texas A&M

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.