Kersten column on Muslim school followed by threats, police patrols

Dont be a hypocrite. Andy,

I read the same article you read. I dont feel that Amanda Getz’s political affiliation was relevant.  If it is important to the story than don’t be a such a huge hypocrite. If it is important that Getz is a “Republican and education activist” then it should also be pointed out that you are a “homosexual community activist”.  See http://www.eleventh-…

I can appreciate you taking the counterpoint to the said article. However, I wonder if your hatred towards KK is clouding your common sense.

With the feelings the Muslim world (both mainstream and radical) have towards gays (and women), it is a little odd that you are choosing to take their side. Regardless whether they are making bombs or not, they are definitely teaching their kids that being gay is evil and wrong.

Hypocrit? I’m pretty clearly a gay man and activist, that’s pretty darn transparent from my bio on the site here.

And I have written about Muslims who say hateful things about GLBT people (a number of Twin Cities cab drivers for instance) and about Muslims who support and fight for GLBT rights (Keith Ellison, Farheen Hakim, and members of Minnesota’s Muslim GLBT community). In the same vein, I have written extensively about Christians who have said hateful things about GLBT people (Michele Bachmann, Katherine Kersten) and I have written extensively about Christians who support and fight for GLBT rights (Phil and Randi Reitan).

Not all Muslims are bigots. Not all Christians are bigots.

I find it sad that you need to extend the bad elements of a faith to include everyone in that faith. I believe that is called stereotyping.

I mean, not all Christians are like Fred Phelps, right? If I made that assertion, you’d be here commenting extensively.

So, to sum up. I am not a hypocrit. Not all Muslims are anti-gay. And it doesn’t really matter since I have seen no evidence that anyone at TIZA has said or done anything negative toward GLBT people.

point taken The assumption I made was toward you not muslims. I assumed you were being narrow minded. I stand corrected and I apologize.

Side points: Fred Phelps is not a Christian. Real Christians are not taught to hate. Real Muslims are taught to hate (from everything I have read and understand including passages in the q’ran. Feel free to disagree but it seems that every Muslim that is open-minded is not strongly connected to their religion)

TIZA Academy There seems to be plenty of name-calling, finger-pointing, and calls for investigation on both sides.  Ms. Kersten’s column and concerns seem to be well founded.  Time will tell.  The purpose of public schools in America is to prepare youth to be productive US citizens.  That usually means teaching them in English to function successfully in society and earn a living.  It also includes teaching them American history and values to be good US citizens.  If a second language is taught, it is taught as a second language and not as the primary language.  Prayers of any stripe are forbidden.  I am old enough to remember when we even said the Pledge of Allegiance in school, a by-gone era to be sure, a sharp contrast to a custodian so incompetent he didn’t know how to operate the flag pole and never thought to ask anyone.  If schools want to deviate from the norm, they are called parochial schools and do so on their own dime, not the public dime.  Parenthically, this is the first time I have ever heard a public school called an academy.

? Fine comment, but it has little to do with the substance of this story: threats of violence that followed a newspaper column.

Parenthetically, there are lots of public schools that are called “academy”: Hmong Academy, Anishinabe Academy, Afrocentric Academy, Uptown Academy, probably others.

Dont be a hypocrite. Andy,

I read the same article you read. I dont feel that Amanda Getz's political affiliation was relevant.  If it is important to the story than don't be a such a huge hypocrite. If it is important that Getz is a “Republican and education activist” then it should also be pointed out that you are a “homosexual community activist”.  See http://www.eleventh-…

I can appreciate you taking the counterpoint to the said article. However, I wonder if your hatred towards KK is clouding your common sense.

With the feelings the Muslim world (both mainstream and radical) have towards gays (and women), it is a little odd that you are choosing to take their side. Regardless whether they are making bombs or not, they are definitely teaching their kids that being gay is evil and wrong.

Hypocrit? I'm pretty clearly a gay man and activist, that's pretty darn transparent from my bio on the site here.

And I have written about Muslims who say hateful things about GLBT people (a number of Twin Cities cab drivers for instance) and about Muslims who support and fight for GLBT rights (Keith Ellison, Farheen Hakim, and members of Minnesota's Muslim GLBT community). In the same vein, I have written extensively about Christians who have said hateful things about GLBT people (Michele Bachmann, Katherine Kersten) and I have written extensively about Christians who support and fight for GLBT rights (Phil and Randi Reitan).

Not all Muslims are bigots. Not all Christians are bigots.

I find it sad that you need to extend the bad elements of a faith to include everyone in that faith. I believe that is called stereotyping.

I mean, not all Christians are like Fred Phelps, right? If I made that assertion, you'd be here commenting extensively.

So, to sum up. I am not a hypocrit. Not all Muslims are anti-gay. And it doesn't really matter since I have seen no evidence that anyone at TIZA has said or done anything negative toward GLBT people.

point taken The assumption I made was toward you not muslims. I assumed you were being narrow minded. I stand corrected and I apologize.

Side points: Fred Phelps is not a Christian. Real Christians are not taught to hate. Real Muslims are taught to hate (from everything I have read and understand including passages in the q'ran. Feel free to disagree but it seems that every Muslim that is open-minded is not strongly connected to their religion)

TIZA Academy There seems to be plenty of name-calling, finger-pointing, and calls for investigation on both sides.  Ms. Kersten's column and concerns seem to be well founded.  Time will tell.  The purpose of public schools in America is to prepare youth to be productive US citizens.  That usually means teaching them in English to function successfully in society and earn a living.  It also includes teaching them American history and values to be good US citizens.  If a second language is taught, it is taught as a second language and not as the primary language.  Prayers of any stripe are forbidden.  I am old enough to remember when we even said the Pledge of Allegiance in school, a by-gone era to be sure, a sharp contrast to a custodian so incompetent he didn't know how to operate the flag pole and never thought to ask anyone.  If schools want to deviate from the norm, they are called parochial schools and do so on their own dime, not the public dime.  Parenthically, this is the first time I have ever heard a public school called an academy.

? Fine comment, but it has little to do with the substance of this story: threats of violence that followed a newspaper column.

Parenthetically, there are lots of public schools that are called “academy”: Hmong Academy, Anishinabe Academy, Afrocentric Academy, Uptown Academy, probably others.