The letter

Dear Andrew:

You ought to be aware of this. It happened just this past December, which is not long ago, really, in the grand scheme of things.

It happened in Virginia. A teacher, teaching about world cultures, had her students write out a bit of Arabic calligraphy. For this, she chose the Shahada, the Muslim profession of faith:

“There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.”

In the ensuing national outcry, the entire school district was closed and classes, fundraisers, and extracurricular events cancelled.

I do not bring up this story to you at random, Andrew.

You’ve recently requested my assistance on a Social Studies assignment for your son, Corey. The assignment is this: “Create a game, a children’s book, or a commercial for some aspect of Middle Eastern religion, history, or politics.” The students will present their projects to the entire class.

Corey chose to do an ad for Islam.

Sometime after this, my assistance was solicited.

By now, Corey and I have completed the assignment. It is an ad of sorts, like a movie trailer for Islam as a film sequel to Judaism and to Christianity. Although some have in the past questioned my sense of humor, I consider the ad to be funny.

We primarily used facts straight out of Corey’s textbook. Nevertheless I believe I must reiterate, emphatically and in no uncertain terms:

YOUR SON IS PRESENTING A HOMEMADE AD FOR ISLAM TO A ROOMFUL OF ELEVEN YEAR OLDS IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN TOMBALL, TEXAS!

It seems to me this holds the potential for viral facebook rants. O’Reilly Factor segments. Protests. Perhaps even explicit condemnation at the Republican National Convention this summer.

I just want you to be aware I might have accidentally made your family famous for fifteen minutes. (Astaghfur Allah…)

Give me a call?

Nasreen