Indiana school draws backlash from parents over worksheet portraying Sharia in positive light

Parents in Southern Indiana have expressed their disapproval of a worksheet that purportedly portrays Sharia or Islamic law in a positive light.

The worksheet, which was assigned to seventh-graders at Highland Hills Middle School, features a passage written by a fictional 20-year-old woman from Saudi Arabia named Ahlima, according to a report by the Courier-Journal.

In the worksheet, Ahlima stated that she feels "very fortunate" to live under Sharia in Saudi Arabia, and she explained how she will soon become a man's second wife.

"I understand that some foreigners see our dress as a way of keeping women from being equal, but ... I find Western women's clothing to be horribly immodest," the worksheet read.

Dean Hohl, one of the parents who attended a meeting with New Albany-Floyd County's school board regarding the issue, said that the way Sharia was presented on the worksheet was "like describing how effective Hitler was at nationalizing Germany and creating patriotism but leaving out that he slaughtered 6 million Jews," he said.

Jon Baker, whose daughter also received the assignment, said that the document is "almost propaganda." Baker added, "If you read that, you would think everything's wonderful in that world."

Bill Briscoe, a spokesman for the district, announced that the curriculum is currently being reviewed after hearing the complaints.

Hohl said that he often travels to Malaysia, where Sharia is in effect in the judicial system, according to the CIA World Factbook. He said that he does not have a problem with Islam, and he wants his daughter to learn the difference between moderate Muslims and extremists.

"Let's tell the whole truth. Let's help people understand what's really happening and what the rest of the world is like so when they are interacting with the rest of their global peer group, we can reduce the likelihood of conflict and misunderstanding," he said.

In some versions of Sharia, women can be stoned to death for adultery or be punished for leaving home unaccompanied by her husband, father or closest male relative.

The worksheet, created by InspirEd Educators Inc., also became a source of controversy in 2011, when it was used at a middle school in Smyrna, Georgia.

Sharon Coletti, the president of InspirEd Educators and the creator of the document, said that she was accused of "indoctrinating" children and that she received death threats at the time.

She said that the lesson was developed over 20 years ago when the state's social studies standards required middle school students to learn about Middle Eastern culture. She noted that Ahlima, the character in the worksheet, was based on a woman who was interviewed for a news report about her opinion on Sharia.

Coletti said that the worksheet will be removed from the curriculum because of the unwanted media attention.