Anti-Islam T-shirts Rile Fla. School (Work of a local church)

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News/AP

A lawyer for a north Florida school district says a handful of students have been sent home from Alachua County schools this week for wearing shirts that read "Islam is of the Devil."

School district staff attorney Tom Wittmer says the shirts might have offended or distracted others and violated the district's dress code.

The shirts are connected to a local church called the Dove World Outreach Center. Church Senior Pastor Terry Jones tells The Gainesville Sun that spreading the church's message is more important than education.

The congregation says a 10-year-old elementary school student was sent home Monday because of the shirt. Three high school students were sent home Tuesday and a middle school student also had to change clothes.

"Students have a right of free speech, and we have allowed students to come to school wearing clothes with messages," Wittmer said, according to the Gainesville Sun. "But this message is a divisive message that is likely to offend students. Principals, I feel reasonably, have deemed that a violation of the dress code."


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/26/national/main5266776.shtml?tag=stack

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Kudos to the school district. Hang tough and don't let these fundies spread their hate via their t-shirts. Too bad these kids can't be taken from their hateful ignorant stupid vile parents and pastor!

[izquierdista]

1. Terry Jones?!

He's come a long way from 'Life of Brian'.

[ElboRuum]

29. Naughtius Maximus was his name. n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. The church's message is hate and intolerance

and THAT is more important than education? Gotta say the name of the outfit doesn't fit their message--Dove World Outreach?????

[subcomhd]

27. Maybe they mean "Outreach"

ironically.

[phantom power]

3. You stay classy, "dove world" Christians.

:eyes:

[Chef Eric]

4. These kids remind me of the "Fellowship of the Sun" churchgoers on the show "True Blood"

What a bunch of paranoid FREAKS.

[HillbillyBob]

18. They are very much like those on True Blood.

I lived in Fort Lauderdale and they would send buses of kids/young adults to stand on the corners with signs , the endtimes is near get ready for Armageddon and the Rupture errr rapture.
If its not the same cult it was one with very similar name and operational model.

[Kolesar]

34. We should stand on corners with signs promoting single payer health care

:)

[frylock]

5. spreading the church's message is more important than education..

sounds like a madrassa. stupid fucks.

[IndianaGreen]

17. It is the same thing

then they wonder why American students perform poorly in math and the sciences.

[tanyev]

6. That's your church's message? "Islam is of the Devil"?

Offensive, shallow, and non-Biblical. Way to go, Pastor.

[rbixby]

19. Where in the bible does it say islam is of the devil?

NT

[imdjh]

21. Are you demanding "the devil" or will condemnation do? Old Testament or New Testament?

[tanyev]

25. Uh, nowhere, seeing as how Muhammad was born in 570 AD.

[Xithras]

44. Fundie response: The Bible says that only those who follow Jesus get into heaven

Ergo, any religion that steers you away from jesus is steering you towards hell, and is therefore a tool of shaitan.

When you live in fundieland, you eventually learn all of their standard answers.

[LeftishBrit]

51. Islam didn't exist until about 500 years after the last parts of the Bible were written

Which makes it particularly strange that some people think that there is anything in the Bible at all about Islam.

[imdjh]

20. That is the message of almost any church, including Islam.

Every major religion teaches that other religions are at a minimum a path away from enlightenment and at worst a ticket to hell, damnation, and torture. Some of them talk about it less than others do, but the message is in the paperwork.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

30. All roads lead to the goal

is the Sufi message, and all faiths are honored and respected.

Kindly see the Ten Sufi Thoughts:

http://sufiorder.org/ten_thoughts.html

[Xithras]

45. Sufiism is uncommon in that regard.

In general, the core lesson of most religions is: "Act the way we say, and you'll become one of the chosen". Take that away and you eliminate the point of most religions.

Exxcept for the Sufi's, Islamic teachings also tell Muslims that all modern Christians are going to hell. Only devout Christians who have never heard of Islam are exempt.

[Ikonoklast]

7. Keep 'em stupid, keep 'em scared. keep 'em bigoted.

The pastor is making an investment in his future.

He'll always be needing new chumps to seperate from their coins as the old ones die off.

Organized religion is the second oldest profession, and nowhere near as honest as the first.

[OnyxCollie]

38. Your last sentence is truly profound. nt

[treestar]

8. What kind of a jerk would have their kid wear this?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. One that is afraid to let them wear anti Black shirts

There is a tinge of racism behind the Muslim bashing, you know.

[TommyO]

11. This is one of the parents

http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GS&Date=20090826&Category=ARTICLES&ArtNo=908261007&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=600&border=0

Wayne Sapp, left, answers questions during a video interview. His daughter, Emily, a 10th grader at Gainesville High School, shows the T-shirt that caused her removal from school.

The link has a picture of Wayne Sapp with his daughter modeling the offensive shirt.

edited to add: Wayne Sapp is a pastor at this vile excuse for a church.

[CanonRay]

23. Very aptly named

Wayne (the) Sap

[Mariana]

35. The adults are probably too chickenshit to wear the shirts themselves

so they use their kids to spread their message of hate. I'd like to know how many of them wear these shirts to work and to other non-church activities.

[TommyO]

10. The evil and arrogance of these people is mind boggling

From The Gainesville Sun, which the CBS News piece links to

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090826/ARTICLES/908261007/1002?Title=-Devil-shirts-send-kids-home&tag=contentMain;contentBody

Wayne Sapp's daughter, Emily Sapp, 15, was the student sent home from Gainesville High on Tuesday. Both Faith and Emily Sapp said it was their decision, not that of their parents, to wear the shirts to school in order to promote their Christian beliefs. Emily Sapp said the "Islam is of the Devil" statement was aimed at the religion's beliefs, not its members.

"The people are fine," she said. "The people are people. They can be saved like anyone else."


Aimed at the beliefs, not the members? This child's parents are evil, inculcating such a belief in their children.

[DFW]

32. Saved for what, I wonder?

One of their exorcisms, maybe?

[treestar]

43. "promoting Christian beliefs" has to denigrate other beliefs is all they've

proven with this stupid shirt!

They'd probably be real offended at Muslims saying they were infidels!

[awnobles]

12. Dove World Outreach Center is of the Devil

Would they let a student wear a shirt that reversed the accused?

[No Elephants]

15. The reverse would be Christianity is of the Devil. And I doubt any school in Florida would allow it

[odai123]

13. Under the article from the Gainsville paper, someone put a nice quote

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 1 Peter 3:15 (New International Version)

You know, I consider myself an agnostic Muslim. This is most offensive :(

[GOPNotForMe]

14. That's my county!

[grilled onions]

16. They Can Be Saved Like Anyone Else???

What is it with some of these "religious" groups that feel only their religion,only their God is the right one. They have no tolerance of anyone else's feelings,beliefs.traditions,heritage etc. Who told them they were the right ones, the CHOSEN ones? They just can't see that their freedom of speech is steppin out of line by saying "we are right,the others are wrong". The world has never been a simple place for faith. It never came in right or wrong. It goes from one extreme to the other and many a religion melds into another. We would be far better off to just accept that others won't always think the same way and these so called preachers need to start finding the good in people instead of finding ways to alienate and spread the hate,mistrust and suspicion that is already far too rampant.

[AsahinaKimi]

22. spreading the....

"Spreading the church's message is more important than education." Is why this country looks like it does today, thank you very much. MEH!:mad:

[The Stranger]

24. The Church's message is hate.

[onethatcares]

26. and the Christ said,

the greatest commandment is "Love".

I wonder if they ever teach that one in divinity school?

[crim son]

31. Divinity school?

You mean that week-long online course? Seriously, I bet a lot of these "church leaders" have barely finished high school, let alone divinity school.

[Ferret Annica]

28. This is brutally ignorant

and shows how myopic and shallow this group is. Islam has it's ups and downs to it, but it is no more or less as good or bad then Christianity.

And I am very content not to belong to either faith.

[JerseygirlCT]

33. Dove world

Good God, they have no idea what they're doing.

They honestly must have learned from an entirely different tradition and scripture than I did. Nowhere did I learn to hate, instead of love.

Asses, and what they do indoctrinating children into this hatred is abusive, as well.

[donheld]

36. What the world needs now is more hate.

It's really disgusting seeing those who claim to know the "Prince of Peace" sowing seeds of anything but peace.

[UrbScotty]

37. 'Scuse me - whatever happened to "Love Thy Neighbor?"

Signed,
A Christian

[Nevernose]

39. This is why I'm good with school uniforms

Express yourself -- for good or bad -- on your own time. There's no gray with a standard student attire policy, no place for these folks to end up on Faux or CBS. There are other, less disruptive and more productive way of expressing oneself on a K-12 campus. Not to mention the fact that administrators are often morons with the complete inability to tell what's legal/illegal or constitutional/unconstitutional.

And from a more pragmatic position, when our school instituted a fairly strict school uniform policy, our incidents of violent crime went from something like 400 a year to fewer than 10, no exaggeration. Attendance up, discipline problems down, scores up. I hate to see the personal expression go more than most, probably, but I've also seen them work.

[Homer Wells]

40. Just imagine

if a child of Mid-Eastern heritage had worn a shirt with (Christianity is the spawn of Satan".

I wonder what their "free-speech" argument would have sounded like then?

:eyes:

[Nihil]

41. Are churches (and their members) exempt from hate speech laws?

... or does it just appear that way from time to time?

> The shirts are connected to a local church called the Dove World Outreach
> Center. Church Senior Pastor Terry Jones tells The Gainesville Sun that
> spreading the church's message is more important than education.

I suppose at least he is living his message as it is pretty obvious that
he has zero education.

:shrug:

> Kudos to the school district. Hang tough and don't let these fundies spread
> their hate via their t-shirts. Too bad these kids can't be taken from their
> hateful ignorant stupid vile parents and pastor!

Agree with all of those points.
:applause:

[Xithras]

46. This is the United States. We have no hate speech laws.

Amendment #1 makes religious hate speech laws a bit of a tough sell.

[Nihil]

48. Ah, sorry. I thought they were just weak laws, I didn't realise you had none at all.

Thanks!
:hi:

[Xithras]

50. Not a one.

Amendment #1 prohibits restrictions on speech, and as a bonus prohibits the government from meddling in any religious affairs.

Limiting religous speech hits both of these points and is pretty much a legal nonstarter in the U.S. The Congress can pass any law it wants banning it, but the USSC would throw the law out the moment someone tried to use it. In the U.S., laws that conflict with the Constitution are voided.

We do have hate crimes laws which add additional penalties to crimes committed for discriminatory reasons, but our legal structure prevents intervention until the actions have escalated past speech and into action.

[gauguin57]

42. Mind control

"... Church Senior Pastor Terry Jones tells The Gainesville Sun that spreading the church's message is more important than education...."

Wow. Classic cultlike mind-control tactics.

[and-justice-for-all]

47. Some people just can not smell their own shot on their knees..

This is also a "pot to kettle" call.

[Vidar]

49. Good for the school district.