[Discussion] Chapel Hill, NC

[Paksoy, Hb]

CHE
Tuesday, August 20, 2002

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  North Carolina Campus Holds Seminars on Book About the Koran Amid =
Claims
of Victory for Academic Freedom
By ERIC HOOVER

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Discussions of a book about the Koran proceeded as planned at the =
University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Monday afternoon, hours after a =
federal
court denied a Christian group's request for an injunction to stop the
program. The decision followed weeks of controversy over the =
university's
selection of the book -- which includes partial translations and =
analysis of
the Muslim holy text -- as required reading for incoming freshmen and
transfer students.=20

"Academic freedom is safe at North Carolina," said James C. Moeser, the
university's chancellor, who described the assignment as "yeast for the
bread of discussion." "We're doing the right thing," he said. "We're =
asking
the right questions."=20

Mr. Moeser was one of many administrators and faculty members here who =
on
Monday led small groups of students in two-hour seminars on the book,
Approaching the Qur'=E1n: The Early Revelations (White Cloud Press, =
1999), by
Michael Sells, a professor of religion at Haverford College.=20

Mr. Moeser told students in his group that the purpose of the =
assignment was
to promote "honest but civil discourse," and urged them to disagree =
with one
another during the discussion.=20

Most students came prepared to talk about the book, and the discussion =
was
lively, but there was little disagreement among the students in Mr. =
Moeser's
group. Most agreed that the assignment was worthwhile, and some said =
they
were puzzled by the fact that the book had prompted an intense debate =
over
academic freedom on the campus, as well as a national stir over the
appropriateness of the assignment.=20

"I'm embarrassed for the state of North Carolina, because I worry that
opposition to the book has made us look like a bunch of bigots," said =
Matt
Campbell, a freshman from Charlotte. "By assigning this book, UNC isn't
telling us how to think. It's not like we're going to be praying to =
Mecca
every day now."=20

The dialogue generally sounded like a discussion that might be =
overheard in
any introductory course on comparative religion. Students were asked to =
read
and compare Sura 85, a chapter in the Koran, to Psalm 19 from the =
Bible.
Following that discussion, Mr. Campbell likened comparing the two =
religions
to an assignment in which people in a room are asked to draw a picture =
of
the same person.=20

"You'll end up with no two drawings alike, even though everyone's =
drawing
the same thing," Mr. Campbell said. "Looking at the Koran, it's =
interesting
to see how many similarities to Christianity there are."=20

Critics of the assignment have accused the university of attempting to
proselytize and to paint a positive picture of Islam. In July, three
incoming freshmen and members of the Virginia-based Family Policy =
Network,
the Christian group, filed a federal lawsuit against the university, =
arguing
that the assignment blurred the line of church-state separation =
required by
the U.S. Constitution. The three anonymous students were listed as John =
Doe
No. 1, an evangelical Christian; John Doe No. 2, A Catholic; and Jane =
Roe, a
Jew.=20

On Thursday, a federal district judge denied the plaintiffs' request =
for an
injunction to halt the discussions. Their attorneys appealed to the =
U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Court, in Virginia, which on =
Monday
denied that appeal.=20

R. Joseph Glover, president of the Family Policy Network, said he was
"upset" with the decision, calling the university's actions "Islamic
indoctrination." He said that he didn't mind students talking about =
Islam,
but that his group objects to the university's choice of books on the =
topic,
saying that Mr. Sells's book glosses over parts of the Koran that =
preach
violence against nonbelievers.=20

"There's a double standard with regard to religious indoctrination," =
said
Mr. Glover. "If it's Jewish or Christian, it's not allowed, but if it's =
a
skewed, whitewashed presentation of Islam, it's just dandy, because =
it's
enlightenment."=20

All freshmen and transfer students were told in May to read the book =
over
the summer in preparation for Monday's seminars. Students were also =
asked to
complete a one-page assignment, which would not be graded, based on the
reading. Students could opt out of the discussion sessions by writing a
one-page essay explaining their objections to the assignment.=20

Mr. Moeser and other faculty members said Monday that they were =
prepared to
hold the discussions off-campus if the court had blocked the
university-sanctioned seminars. Instead, about 100 students and faculty
members gathered in the afternoon at a central campus plaza, known as =
"the
Pit," for a rally that was advertised as a "Speak-In for Free Speech."=20

Speaking beside a group of students holding placards that read, "The =
Only
Enemy Is Ignorance," Chuck Stone Jr., a professor of journalism, said, =
"We
must uphold the right to disagree and dissent ... to disagree and come
together as as a community."=20

In recent weeks, faculty leaders here have blasted the university =
system's
Board of Governors for failing to pass a resolution defending academic
freedom. The board's vote, on August 9, followed a vote by the
Appropriations Committee of the North Carolina House of Representatives =
to
deny public funds to the reading program unless all other religions =
were
added in an "equal or incremental way."=20

While the speakers at Monday's rally addressed the crowd from a podium, =
some
students swarmed around Gary Birdsong, a self-described Baptist campus
preacher who was standing nearby. Hoisting a sign that read, "Reality:
Heaven or Hell ... It's your choice," Mr. Birdsong condemned the =
reading
assignment and said that "UNC represented the devil."=20

"This assignment is very troubling," Mr. Birdsong said. "If they let a =
book
about the Koran come in here, they should let a book about the Bible =
come in
here."=20

Many students became angry at Mr. Birdsong's insistence that =
non-Christians
worshipped "false gods," and some began reading portions of Mr. Sells's =
book
aloud in an attempt to drown out his words. For several minutes, =
Nimasheena
Burns, a freshman from St. Paul, N.C., argued nose-to-nose with Mr.
Birdsong.=20

"I'm a Christian, and I love the Bible more than anything, but there's
nothing wrong with people reading about another religion," Ms. Burns =
said.
"As an African-American woman, I don't have time for people looking =
down on
anyone because of who they are or what they believe."=20

Ms. Burns said that the book answered a lot of questions about the =
Muslim
faith. Her only complaint -- one that was shared by some students -- =
was
that the assigned text did not deal explicitly with the more =
controversial
parts of the Koran. In the discussion groups, a number of students said =
they
had scoured Mr. Sells's book for evidence of "where the terrorists [of
September 11] went wrong."=20

But many students agreed that the book was a good starting point for
dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim students.=20

Nadia Siddiqui, a fourth-year dental student and former president of =
the
campus's Muslim Student Association, said the discussions marked an
"awesome" day in the in the university's history.=20

"After 9/11, so many people came up to me saying, 'Look, we know =
nothing
about Islam, teach us,' and that's why this assignment is great," Ms.
Siddiqui said. "The school took a stand. They wanted to fight =
ignorance.
That's what a university should be doing."=20




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