Drop Dead Fred
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- Jun 6, 2020
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I'm no legal expert, but it seems to me that this is a very clear violation of the separation of church and state.
I wonder what the ACLU would say about this.
danfromsquirrelhill.wordpress.com
WHYY is the Philadelphia affiliate of both PBS and NPR.
They just reported the following.
The bolding is mine:
https://whyy.org/articles/al-aqsa-islamic-center-philly-shapiro-grant-community/
Shapiro announces $5M grant to Philly Muslim community center
A record $5 million redevelopment grant will help a private school that blends Islamic teachings with a standard curriculum.
By Carmen Russell-Sluchansky
March 26, 2025
Gov. Josh Shapiro joined an iftar dinner at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philly to announce a historic grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the largest ever awarded to a Muslim organization.
According to Asif Hussain, chairman of the board of Al-Aqsa Islamic Society, one goal for the funds will be to expand the center’s school by adding classrooms and teachers to better meet local demand, increasing attendance from the current 300 to up to 3,000.
“The idea is to have an academic center of excellence at school,” he said. “We have a school that’s K-12. It is very, very small and we have more candidates and more students than we have classrooms. So the idea would be to expand the facility and actually develop it into a full-fledged academic program.”
Al-Aqsa Academy, a private Islamic day and weekend school, was established in 1996. The coursework blends Islamic studies, the Arabic language and Quran classes with a standard K-12 curriculum, including math, science and social studies. The school’s website says its mission is to “provide students with a safe, nurturing, and uplifting Islamic environment that will help them achieve academic excellence.”
Founded in 1989 by a group of Palestinian immigrants, Al-Aqsa Islamic Society began as a modest house of worship in a rented storefront. Over the past three decades, it has grown into a multifaceted institution serving hundreds of families, drawing worshippers and community members from across the city’s Arab, South Asian, African and African American communities.
I don’t think NPR and PBS would be praising this $5 million government grant if the private religious K-12 school in question was either Christian or Jewish.
Quite the opposite, in fact. They’d be claiming that it’s an unconstitutional use of tax money.
But since the religion in question is Islam, NPR and PBS think it’s a wonderful thing.
I wonder what the ACLU would say about this.
According to this article from WHYY PBS NPR, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro is giving $5 million of taxpayers’ money to a Muslim organization that started out as a ” house of worship” and will teach “Quran classes” at its K-12 private school.
WHYY is the Philadelphia affiliate of both PBS and NPR. They just reported the following. The bolding is mine: Shapiro announces $5M grant to Philly Muslim community center A record $5 million rede…
danfromsquirrelhill.wordpress.com
According to this article from WHYY PBS NPR, Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro is giving $5 million of taxpayers’ money to a Muslim organization that started out as a ” house of worship” and will teach “Quran classes” at its K-12 private school.
WHYY is the Philadelphia affiliate of both PBS and NPR.
They just reported the following.
The bolding is mine:
https://whyy.org/articles/al-aqsa-islamic-center-philly-shapiro-grant-community/
Shapiro announces $5M grant to Philly Muslim community center
A record $5 million redevelopment grant will help a private school that blends Islamic teachings with a standard curriculum.
By Carmen Russell-Sluchansky
March 26, 2025
Gov. Josh Shapiro joined an iftar dinner at the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in North Philly to announce a historic grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the largest ever awarded to a Muslim organization.
According to Asif Hussain, chairman of the board of Al-Aqsa Islamic Society, one goal for the funds will be to expand the center’s school by adding classrooms and teachers to better meet local demand, increasing attendance from the current 300 to up to 3,000.
“The idea is to have an academic center of excellence at school,” he said. “We have a school that’s K-12. It is very, very small and we have more candidates and more students than we have classrooms. So the idea would be to expand the facility and actually develop it into a full-fledged academic program.”
Al-Aqsa Academy, a private Islamic day and weekend school, was established in 1996. The coursework blends Islamic studies, the Arabic language and Quran classes with a standard K-12 curriculum, including math, science and social studies. The school’s website says its mission is to “provide students with a safe, nurturing, and uplifting Islamic environment that will help them achieve academic excellence.”
Founded in 1989 by a group of Palestinian immigrants, Al-Aqsa Islamic Society began as a modest house of worship in a rented storefront. Over the past three decades, it has grown into a multifaceted institution serving hundreds of families, drawing worshippers and community members from across the city’s Arab, South Asian, African and African American communities.
I don’t think NPR and PBS would be praising this $5 million government grant if the private religious K-12 school in question was either Christian or Jewish.
Quite the opposite, in fact. They’d be claiming that it’s an unconstitutional use of tax money.
But since the religion in question is Islam, NPR and PBS think it’s a wonderful thing.
