By LEO HOHMANN
Parents and taxpayers in Charleston, West Virginia, are starting to ask questions about what’s going on in their public schools after teachers were recently targeted by what appears to have been a brazen violation of separation of mosque and state.
Kanawha County Schools Superintendent Dr. Ronald Duerring gave his approval for the Islamic Association of West Virginia to place personal invitations into each teacher’s school mailbox to attend a “Get to Know Your Muslim Student Event” at the mosque on Jan. 25.
“We came back from lunch [on Jan. 4] and found them in our mailboxes,” said a teacher who asked not to be identified for fear of professional repercussions.
The invitation included a request for teachers to “Please RSVP by Jan. 19.”
See the invitation below.
The invitation appeared in the teacher mailboxes of at least three Charleston-area schools:
- South Charleston High School
- John Adams Middle School
- Ruthlawn Elementary
When contacted by a local resident in his district and asked about the Muslim outreach to teachers, Duerring said he had spoken with the school-district attorney, Jim Withrow, who said there “wasn’t a problem” with regard to church-state issues.
Duerring, reached by phone Thursday afternoon, said he did not consider it at all controversial for schools in his district to be allowing mosque leaders access to their teachers.
“That’s not a controversy for us and, no, I am not going to answer any of your questions,” Duerring said before abruptly ending the conversation.
Brenda Arthur, a local insurance broker who leads the Greater Charleston ACT For America chapter, says she will approach the Kanawha County Board of Education at its Thursday night meeting on Jan. 18 to address the controversial invitations.
“I told them this is, to us, an egregious violation of the separation of church and state. They only give you five minutes, so I’ve got to give it my best shot,” said Arthur, a Jewish American who feels her tax dollars should not be going toward the promotion of Islam in the schools.
Arthur said Islam appears to be advancing its agenda throughout West Virginia in a series of aggressive moves.
The city’s only mosque – Islamic Association of West Virginia – doubled in size about two years ago. CAIR, or the Council on American Islamic Relations, announced plans last year to open an office in Charleston, likely in anticipation of a second wave of 100 Muslim refugees arriving from Syria.
Because of a citizen backlash, however, that second wave never happened.
Episcopal Migration Ministries wanted to open a Charleston office, and had been approved to do so in the final weeks of the Obama administration, according to local media reports of December 2016.
Catholic Charities had served as the only federal resettlement contractor operating in West Virginia for the last 37 years. But Episcopal Migration Ministries, doing business under the name “West Virginia Interfaith Refugee Ministry” or VWIRM, was granted approval by Obama’s State Department to open another office and resettle 100 Syrian refugees in and around Charleston.
But after Donald Trump took office in January he drastically lowered the ceiling on the number of refugee arrivals, from 110,000 under Obama down to 50,000 and then 45,000. The Episcopal-backed Interfaith Ministry’s big plans for more Syrians were nixed.
But the Muslim Student Association and other Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups have been upping their game in the state ever since.
The MSA filed complaints of bullying on the campus of George Washington High School in Charleston, according to a Nov. 11 report by the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
The MSA joined with the San Jose, California-based Islamic Networks Group, or ING, to put on a seminar at the mosque for students.
The ING goes around the country putting on cultural diversity seminars and interfaith programs, according to its website, with particular emphasis on schools, colleges, law enforcement agencies, churches and civic groups.
Muslim leaders with ING worked with Muslim students at George Washington High on how to deal with bullying.
Islamic Network Group was founded by Maha El Genaidi, who once advised American Muslims not to talk with FBI agents without an attorney present, and to notify CAIR or the Muslim Public Affairs Council of any investigative inquiries.
CAIR, ING, MSA and other Islamist organizations often approach schools under the guise of being concerned about bullying, then use that to leverage special concessions for Muslim students, such as Islamic prayer rooms, separate food arrangements, etc.
It wasn’t but about six weeks after the November bullying seminar at one Charleston high school that the invitations for teachers to come to the city’s only mosque appeared in mailboxes.
And the advancement of Islam in West Virginia hasn’t stopped there.
The vice president of the Charleston mosque, Ibtesam Sue Barazi, is now offering a class through the state university system’s adult education programs. She will be at the South Charleston Public Library on Feb. 6 teaching on the “Holy Quran,” and “the Quran’s universal message where Allah speaks to all humanity, believers and non-believers.”
It’s unclear what other religions will be offered a platform at the public library to share about their faith.
Watch video below of Ibtesam Sue Barazi talking about how Muslims had outgrown their mosque in Charleston and needed to expand.
“These incremental steps make it very clear to me what is happening in our state,” Arthur said.
Another teacher who asked not to be identified for fear of losing her job, said she was one of about 40 teachers at her school who received the invitation to the mosque. She said reactions to the invitation varied among her colleagues.
“I actually found it first and told a friend who is also a teacher. She’s pretty disturbed about the whole thing. My first reaction was disbelief.
“Some teachers were very offended by it,” she added.
She said the issue was raised at a teachers’ meeting with the principal. Dr. Guerring gave his approval to the mosque but with the caveat that principals at the individual schools in the district could have the final say as to whether to give access to the their teachers’ mailboxes.
“I know a few who didn’t have any kind of reaction and maybe seemed a little aloof when someone else brought it up in our teachers’ meeting,” the teacher said. “She wanted to know, she asked if this was approved by the superintendent, and the principal said it was approved by the superintendent, who left it up to the principals to give final approval in each school, and that he had approved it for our school. As she asked the question she held up her invitation, which had been ripped in two. There were a few in the meeting who you could tell didn’t appreciate it. She was the only one to speak out at the meeting.”
She said most of the teachers are afraid to say anything about the invitations. But a few have voiced concerns that it may look bad for their careers if they don’t attend the event.
“I posted on Facebook and just included something about how I received this invitation today and I’m just wondering if any of my teacher friends also received it and if any of my teacher friends are interested in going,” she said. “I thought I would get some sort of reaction but nobody wanted to touch it. No responses. And that’s so unusual. I rarely put anything on Facebook that gets no response. That post did nothing in about 36 hours, so I went ahead and took it down.”
The teacher said she hasn’t decided yet whether she will attend the mosque event.
If the effort to get teachers indoctrinated into the belief system of Islam can happen in West Virginia, it can happen anywhere, says Mathew Staver, executive director and lead attorney with Liberty Counsel.
“I think this invitation crosses the line because it specifically indicates that the teachers are invited to come to the mosque with a Muslim association to learn about the religion of Islam, that’s the sole purpose of it, not only to learn about their culture but about the Islamic religion,” Staver said. “It was authorized by the superintendent and the principals to be sent to all the teachers in at least three schools. It would be no different than a church sending out an invitation to come and learn about the Christian students and particularly their Christian faith.”
If it had been a similar outreach by a Christian church, instead of a mosque, Staver said he feels certain the ACLU and the Freedom from Religion Foundation would be putting the school district on notice about a violation of the so-called “establishment clause” of the First Amendment.
“I think they would be up in arms because they would argue it violates the separation of church and state. In this case I think it’s very clear from the invitation that it is an Islamic indoctrination event being held at the mosque and it was authorized by the superintendent, so it’s clear it crosses the line. It looks like this particular mosque and Islamic association has been given special access to the teachers.”
Staver said he can’t imagine that any other faith would get this type of inside access to the teachers to invite them to a specific event designed for the teachers to learn about their religion.
“We will follow up with the school to make them aware of this situation,” Staver said.
Arthur, in her sixties but showing no signs of slowing down, says she will continue to serve as a watchdog in West Virginia, because if Islamization can happen there, it can happen anywhere in America.
“Who would think that little West Virginia would be a target but these are exactly the kind of places they think they can go into and get a foothold without anybody noticing,” said Arthur, a native West Virginian who moved back to the state in 2013.
“When I got back here and saw the large mosque here in s Charleston I was pretty stunned, then they went back in and doubled the size of the mosque about two years ago. We didn’t know at the time they were intending to establish a second resettlement site here. Looking back, when you put the pieces together it makes all the sense in world why they did it because they were expecting a second wave of migration. That’s been shelved for now, Trump happened.”
Leo Hohmann is a veteran journalist and author of the 2017 book “Stealth Invasion: Muslim Conquest through Immigration and Resettlement Jihad.” Donate to this website and help support his investigative reporting on topics most journalists are afraid to touch.
LeoHohmann.com 
It would have been easier to use snail mail and send invtations without dealing with Duerring.
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Ever notice how it’s always about Muslims, or in this case “getting to know a Muslim student”? Promoters of Islam and Sharia will NEVER try to sway our opinions or gain your trust by showing the hateful, divisive, and violent verses of Allah’s instructions contained within the Quran. The Quran literally instructs Muslims to never take non-Muslims (You & Me) as friends. Muslims know this! They are not out to make friends of you, that is a violation of their religion. Followers of Islam are taught by the Quran to show friendship towards us outwardly while despising us inwardly in their hearts. Stop being wooed by fake smiles and coffee n donuts at bogus Interfaith events, read and understand their instruction manual.
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Christian churches should flood the school with invitations to teachers as well. WHERE ARE THE CHRISTIAN CHURCHES AND WHY ARE THEY NOT STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE.
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Great question, Candie. Too many Christians and churches are like “rolling over and playing dead.” They are not going on the offensive. They are too afraid of getting politically involved. We are living in the days prior to the Tribulation and the return of Christ, but so many Christians are living like nothing is happening.
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Parents need to sue. It’s one thing if Muslims let the teachers know that certain content is offensive (i.e. liquor, premarital sex, disrespect to parents in books) and give them some idea of the culture and customs, but inviting them to a mosque goes way to far. Other religions need the same opportunity to share their concerns, and students need opportunities to debate values and behavior found in lessons and books using reason and evidence.
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This is a dangerous thing, Islam is a lie, look at how they treat Christians , females, they throw gays off the roof .
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It is nothing short of an invasion. And the liberal left in this country practically invite them in – under the guise of diversity and political correctness. There has been a lot of discussion lately about diversity as it relates to immigration. It works when people come here to BE AMERICANS, bringing their backgrounds and contributing to this country. E Pluribus Unum. But that’s not what’s happening with Muslims….they are not assimilating. Special treatment, considerations, etc are making America (and Americans) conform to their wishes instead of them adopting our ideals and the principles that founded this nation.
Fight the enablers on the left…we need to change the perception and the narrative that allowing Muslims to do these things is OK. It must be shown for what it is: making America into a Muslim nation. If we don’t we may be heading for an entirely different kind of fight.
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Beware of Interfaith Groups/Communities too.
They shut down free speech & utilize
useful pawns in Christian denominations to help them.
A South Dakota legislator talked about just analyzing
the costs to taxpayers of the Refugee Resettlement program.
The very next day, an Interfaith Group went to the state Capital
to counter the legislator.
So it’s happening in S.D. as well
in the form of Islamists effectively shutting down
even just quoting the Qur’an & Mohammed’s teachings
and countering any effort to critic refugee resettlement.
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Ok, this is not my home, and Lord knows I’m no fan of Islam, but this is much ado about nothing. I work in public education, and we have had Eucharistic Ministers come into school to administer ashes on Ash Wednesday, churches sponsoring luncheons and trainings for teachers, as well as clergymen on our boards of education. In the end, the mosque could have contacted all the teachers via email, or direct mail, as the names and contact information for public employees is just that, public. There are more concerning things to watch and counter with Islam, this does not rise to that level.
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Thanks for the comment Seamusmeboy. Your reaction is interesting. It is the exact same reaction that probably 90 percent of Americans would have — equating Islam with Christianity in its end goals. After all, “it’s just another religion,” right? That is the question we need to ponder. Is it just another religion? Or is it an ideology whose most basic goal is subjugation, with some religious precepts thrown into the mix? I suggest you study the game plan of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has deftly deployed the strategy of incrementalism. A workshop for teachers at the mosque today, a special prayer room inside the school for Muslim students tomorrow, halal food in the cafeteria, separate eating quarters for female students in burqas [which has already been done at the University of Kansas], ritual foot baths in the student bathrooms, and the list goes on. Where does it end?
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it doesn’t end until the usa is an islamic shithole, complete with. muslim islamic sharia laws forcing non-muslim infidils to pay jizya tax to muzzie overlords or be punished with death.end it now and vote out every democrator rino at all levels pf government as they all are supporting the muzzie invasion.
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you are being fooled by muzzies: christians and muzzies don’t worship the same god, as interfaith groups would have you believe. yahweh, jesus, and the holy ghost are the holy trinity worshiped by christians; allah is the god muslims worship, a false god preaching satan’s lies, he is evil like charles manson, with billions of dedicated followers trying to make hell on earth. if you are too stupid to see this, food luck when they come for your family, life, property ; etc.
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All that is fine and well. But you are not seeing the distinction. This is promoting a particular religion ON CAMPUS. It is illegal for a public school, district, or any district personnel to do this. PERIOD! The superintendent and the attorney were both wrong in allowing it to happen. Both of them either are ignorant of it, or they are turning a blind eye to it. They both need to resign and find a different line of work.
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islam is a totalitarian political ideology. Read up before you encourage the small things that contribute to the clash of civilizations. Glad to see you say there are concerning things to watch and counter with islam.
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Amazing…these leftist administrators would balk at Christian ministries trying the same thing…the double standard is breath-taking…Besides the fact that Islam is a FALSE religious system and ALL its adherents are headed to HELL…
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Great article Leo.
So troubling to watch the ongoing brazen Islamization of our culture and these schools. It is blatant indoctrination. Did you ask this superintendent if he would allow a local church to place in the teacher’s mailbox an invitation to a church event promoting better understanding of Christianity. I doubt he would answer and probably hang up like he did.
The double standard is disgusting.
Please keep up the amazing work. I am going to do a couple of my online radio shows on your articles. I will send the link to you when they are posted.
Blessings,
Shahram Hadian The TIL Project Ministry Speaking the “Truth In Love” 425.772.8222 http://www.tilproject.com http://www.facebook.com/tilproject Our DVDs are now available! Click here.
________________________________
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I agree. definately a violation of church and state and a lawsuit. should be filed to estqblish precedent to stop muzzie takeover.
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When is this going to stop
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When you stand up and help stop it. Quit waiting around for someone else to do it. YOU are someone else. GET INVOLVED
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That is the only solution there is and it’s going to get messy.
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The Koran is not such a thick text. For that matter reading the Bible is not that daunting of a task, and since it came first shines much light on the Koran. It drives me nuts that people are publicly debating these things without having read either text. These are educators, they should be far better informed on such an important matter.
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It’s an invitation not an indoctrination. Doesn’t look like it is mandatory. It looks like reaching out for better understanding.
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It’s part of a larger pattern that people need to be aware of. Yes, in our society, it would look like “reaching out.” But research how islam is spread. Look for concepts like “dawa” and “kittman.” Read about the huge amounts of money given by Saudi Arabia for mosques here, what 80% of them teach about jihad, what the goals of a “caliphate” mean.
Then study what has taken place in Europe over the past two decades, how it began, how it spread, how it is now. See sites like “Creeping Sharia.” You cannot judge what is happening here by looking at it through Western eyes. . Also, see what happens in countries when they are 2% Islamic, 10%, 20%, 40% etc. Do not skip over the huge numbers of migrants, “hijra” and how the BO administration encouraged it after his admin created the “arab spring,” according to Directive 11.
Finally, see what is happening in Western countries that began as “welcoming” and turned steadily to a culture of limiting churches and even stopping the passing out of Christian or Jewish pamphlets in muslim-heavy areas like Dearborne, MI There is much more here than meets the eye. (The Holy Land Foundation Trial of the 90s uncovered documentation describing the exact steps we see unfolding now in the West, including limits to free speech, the spread of “blasphemy” laws, limiting any criticism of islam, while not treating Christianity or other systems the same.)
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That is always the first step, if your a teacher understand world history. I’m not a teacher
but I am Military Retired and have lived extended periods in countries around the world. Trust me this is not “just” an invitation, but rather a “first” step. I was in Germany when it began there, again it was just an invitation.
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I assume all local churches can now put letters in teachers’ mail boxes at school
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