A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called for disciplinary action against a public high school teacher in North Carolina who reportedly allowed the distribution of Islamophobic literature in his class.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says a Muslim parent whose daughter attends the Raleigh, N.C., high school reported that the teacher invited a guest speaker who handed out literature in his ninth-grade social sciences class that compared the teachings of Jesus with false accusations against Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. (Muslims in fact view Jesus as a Prophet of God equal to the Prophet Muhammad.)

Anti-Islam materials, including a pamphlet called “Jesus Not Muhammad,” were handed out in the class by a representative of a North Carolina-based Christian missionary group. The pamphlet labeled the Prophet Muhammad “A criminal,” “Demon Possessed,” and “Inspired by Satan.”

Another document given to the students was titled “Do Not Marry a Muslim Man.” The document stated: “His [Muhammad’s] militant commands and pagan beliefs are contained in the Koran, the book of Islam…. The Koran is the book of Islam that Muhammad claimed was revealed to him by Allah, the moon god of Arabs.”

CAIR press release, 21 February 2007

Update:  See “Teen’s dad says ‘anti-Muslim’ literature handed out in class isn’t freedom of speech”, Fox News, 23 February 2007

Update 2:  See “ACLU of North Carolina to investigate reports of anti-Muslim proselytizing to high school students”, ACLU press release, 27 February 2007