A middle school in Wayne, New Jersey , has apologized for a quiz question that called ISIS a terrorist group after backlash from terrorist -sympathizing organizations, showing how pro-terrorism rhetoric is continuing to infect academia.
The question that caused controversy said, "It is a terrorist organization that commits acts of violence, destroys cultural artifacts, and encourages loss of life in order to achieve its goal of global rule under strict Islamic Sharia law." The four multiple-choice options were the Shining Path, al Qaeda, the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and the correct response, Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS.
"We have seen anti-Muslim & anti-Palestinian sentiments, teachers, and content in our schools over and over again. But we must not allow it to continue," a group called Teaching While Muslim said in a post on Instagram criticizing the quiz. "Call and email everyone that you can. This is NOT okay on a million levels. Go."
The group continued, saying the question "wrongly implies that terrorism is a fundamental goal of an 'Islamic State'" and is "a continuation of U.S. and Zionist propaganda aimed at fearmongering against Muslims AND Palestinians." It also criticized the question for including the PLO as an answer choice and then doxxed the teacher who used the quiz, saying he "failed his students and must be held accountable for this misinformation." The post included contact information for numerous school officials to ask "how this was allowed and how it will be rectified."
Schuyler Colfax Middle School spinelessly apologized following the group's post, saying, "The question was offensive and contrary to values of respect, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity that we foster at Schuyler. A priority is always to cultivate safe learning environments for all students regardless of background or belief."
Wayne for Palestine wrote, "An apology alone does not undo the damage. We demand that a lesson approved by Muslim and Arab teachers be implemented immediately when students return in September to counteract this harmful content.” It continued, “We demand that you connect with expert Muslim and Arab educators to provide necessary training, audit your curriculum, and ensure it does not perpetuate trauma."
Just a few years ago, a teacher in France was beheaded for showing cartoons of Muhammad during a class debate on freedom of expression. The teenager who committed the murder shared photos of the teacher’s severed head on ISIS Telegram channels and had close ties to the terrorist organization. Pretending that ISIS is not a terrorist group while also threatening a teacher is especially dangerous in this context.
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While the ideological rot at institutions of higher education has been well-documented in the past year after pro-Hamas encampments, pro-Hezbollah chalkings , and numerous antisemitic incidents, the trickle down to middle and high schools has been concerning as well. Terrorism is not new for academia. The Unabomber taught us that at the University of California, Berkeley. But the institutionalization of this hatred is being met with little successful resistance.
ISIS is a terrorist group. Apologizing for stating basic truths is an act of pure cowardice.
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