| A Government backed study funded by the | | | | fear of fallout. Parents concerned about |
| Department for Education and Skills located | | | | their own agenda and special interest groups |
| in the United Kingdom has revealed that | | | | use bullying as a means of instilling fear |
| schools are dropping the Holocaust from | | | | and intimidation to coerce school |
| history lessons to avoid offending Muslim | | | | superintendents and board members to meet |
| pupils. The study found that some teachers | | | | their unreasonable demands. The result: |
| are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear | | | | schools and teachers, in particular are |
| of upsetting students whose beliefs include | | | | buckling even though this is not good for the |
| Holocaust denial. Can schools be that | | | | population at large. In many instances the |
| ignorant? The horrific events that occurred | | | | squeaky wheel gets the grease. I worked as |
| during World War II that involved the | | | | administrator in one school district that |
| extermination of more than six million Jews | | | | provided a room to all Muslim students so |
| cannot be denied. An entire race of people | | | | that they could pray everyday for 30 days |
| was bullied by an absolute megalomaniac, | | | | during the Muslim holiday Ramadan. In the |
| Adolph Hitler, who attempted to wipe out the | | | | same district teachers of the Jewish faith |
| entire Jewish race/religion. The events | | | | requested time off to celebrate Rosh |
| started with the denial of Jews' basic | | | | Hashanah. Their request was denied and they |
| rights, led to segregated housing in ghettos, | | | | were docked pay when they decided to take the |
| destruction of their businesses, and | | | | day off. In the very same district a |
| ultimately being sent to concentration camps | | | | Christian teacher was given a written |
| where they were starved, tortured, used as | | | | reprimand for reading his bible during his |
| guinea pigs in cruel medical experiments, | | | | lunch hour. He was told he violated |
| worked to death, and gassed to death. Based | | | | separation of church and state. But, |
| on this recent study, the Jewish population | | | | provision of a room to pray during school |
| is in imminent danger of being bullied again, | | | | hours is also a violation of the same |
| first through the denial that the Holocaust | | | | constitutional amendment. The district chose |
| never happened, and then by allowing Muslims | | | | to take the path of least resistance for fear |
| to bully school systems into submission and | | | | of the bullying that might occur had they |
| remove these historical events from their | | | | stood up and enforced the first amendment. |
| curriculum. The bullying of a system is not | | | | What group has the power to decide if certain |
| uncommon, and school systems fall prey to | | | | events in history ever occurred? No group |
| this type of tyranny all the time. When I was | | | | should. But, in this instance Muslims are |
| a school administrator, I remember one parent | | | | using bullying tactics to instill fear and |
| complaining that her son could not wear a hat | | | | intimidation into schools and society in |
| in school. The school district actually gave | | | | order to eliminate facts that they don't |
| in and changed written school policy. The new | | | | like. History happened; you can't change it |
| policy allowed the students to wear hats in | | | | because you're offended by it. Hitler used |
| school, but not in classrooms. This was an | | | | his power in his almost successful attempt to |
| instance where bullying changed an entire | | | | wipe the race of the Jewish people off the |
| district policy that had worked for everyone | | | | face of the earth. The world pretty much |
| else, but not for them. In this instance | | | | stood by during the Holocaust and watched |
| Muslim students/parents are "offended" by | | | | while this was happening. It is inevitable |
| teachings about the Holocaust. They are | | | | that history will repeat itself if we allow |
| bullying school systems, and often individual | | | | ourselves to be bullied into submission by |
| teachers into not including the Holocaust in | | | | Muslims into not teaching a vital part of |
| their curriculum. A fifth grade teacher in | | | | history, the Holocaust. This bullying must |
| New Jersey recently told me about an account | | | | stop. We cannot change history because a |
| of just this. When she was beginning her unit | | | | group of people is offended by it. |
| on the Holocaust last year she was shocked | | | | |
| when one of her students, who was Islamic and | | | | Jim Burns is one of America's most |
| from Pakistan said, "Why are we learning | | | | inspirational educational speakers. His |
| about the Holocaust? My mom told me it's a | | | | humorous and insightful presentations touch |
| big lie, and it never happened." What's | | | | and influence his audiences in an |
| actually happening here is that we are being | | | | unforgettable way. Best known for his |
| bullied into submission by a group of people, | | | | presentations on Bullying, Motivating |
| and that bullying is causing us to rearrange | | | | Disaffected Students, Diffusing Power |
| an entire history curriculum because of the | | | | Struggles, Character Education. |