The Oracle | Editorial | [Read Full Article]
Steinbrenner High School teacher Kelly Miliziano received more than a mere parent complaint when she invited a Muslim speaker to visit her class.
The history teacher is now facing a battle with David Caton's Florida Family Association (FFA) after having Hassan Shibly, executive director of the Council on Islamic-American Relations, speak to her students, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
This is not the first time Caton has been at the center of a controversy involving anti-Muslim sentiment. He was behind a December campaign against TLC's series "All-American Muslim" that successfully got Lowe's Home Improvement and other companies to drop advertising from the television show.
As with the "All-American Muslim" situation, Caton's actions demonstrate a still-lingering strand of anti-Muslim beliefs....
...Miliziano had also invited speakers of many different religious affiliations, including Christianity, to speak to her class, according to the Times. The goal of her class speakers seemed to promote diversity — something students will encounter as they continue their education.
As HCSB chairwoman Candy Olson said to the Times: "Our kids need to understand a lot of different perspectives. They're going to have to deal with everybody in the world, and they can't just be afraid of them because they don't know them..."...
Still, Caton seems to believe that Muslims solely come in the radical variety. He may be equating the Islamic community as a whole with certain violent Muslim individuals such as Sami Osmakac, who was arrested Monday and charged with plotting to attack Tampa locations with bombs and other weapons.
Yet, according to the Associated Press, Shibly was among those disturbed by Osmakac's beliefs, and told concerned members of the Muslim community to immediately notify the police about him.
This makes Caton's comments even more offensive. Shibly is not just far from a radical Muslim, but he actually aided in bringing a legitimate violent radical to the authorities' attention.
Every belief will have a few radical followers. Nonetheless, religion has shaped the world into what it is today, and a history teacher would not be doing their job if they did not expose others to those lessons. Education thrives on diversity, and individuals such as Caton and the FFA cannot bully others into one sole belief.
As HCSB chairwoman Candy Olson said to the Times: "Our kids need to understand a lot of different perspectives. They're going to have to deal with everybody in the world, and they can't just be afraid of them because they don't know them..."...
Still, Caton seems to believe that Muslims solely come in the radical variety. He may be equating the Islamic community as a whole with certain violent Muslim individuals such as Sami Osmakac, who was arrested Monday and charged with plotting to attack Tampa locations with bombs and other weapons.
Yet, according to the Associated Press, Shibly was among those disturbed by Osmakac's beliefs, and told concerned members of the Muslim community to immediately notify the police about him.
This makes Caton's comments even more offensive. Shibly is not just far from a radical Muslim, but he actually aided in bringing a legitimate violent radical to the authorities' attention.
Every belief will have a few radical followers. Nonetheless, religion has shaped the world into what it is today, and a history teacher would not be doing their job if they did not expose others to those lessons. Education thrives on diversity, and individuals such as Caton and the FFA cannot bully others into one sole belief.
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