Florida Teacher's Anti-Muslim Tirade Illustrates Widespread Anti-Islam Prejudice

Florida Phoenix

December 9, 2022

Compared to other religious affiliations in the United States, American Muslims reported the most occurrences of discrimination based on their faith during the past year, according to a poll by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.

At the same time, bullying based on bias against Muslims has harmed children in schools in Florida and across the nation, according to advocacy groups.

Forty-eight percent of Muslim families with children in schools reported “having a child who faced religious-based bullying,” the survey found. And one in every five Muslim families said their kid experiences bullying every day at school.

More than 60 percent of American Muslims reported facing religious discrimination. Jewish people were the next largest faith group reporting discrimination (52 percent), followed by white Evangelicals (32 percent), and 30 percent of other protestants.

Only 27 percent of Catholics and 26 percent of the overall public reported discrimination based on their religious beliefs.

Those findings were based on a survey of people the organization conducted from Feb. 22 through March 21. Researchers surveyed 2,159 respondents on a variety of topics, including politics, “important issues facing the country, faith customs and religious discrimination.”

The survey comes as a South Florida teacher allegedly disrupted Muslim students during a prayer session, a video of which was posted on social media this week.

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Florida), a statewide Muslim civil rights group, condemned the incident at Franklin Academy Charter School, where a teacher was seen in a video posted on TikTok engaging in hate speech toward a group of students in prayer.

News outlet WPLG in South Florida reported that in the video a teacher is heard “saying, ‘Hold on, this in my office and y’all doing this magic?’ “The teacher also said, “I believe in Jesus so I’m interrupting the floor.”

“It is of utmost importance that school administrators and staff know basic faith practices to serve students practicing their faith, in this case, Muslims,” CAIR-Florida Executive Director Imam Abdullah Jaber said in a written statement. “We will protect our children. We welcome the prompt response from the school administration.”

Franklin Academy issued a statement on Facebook:

“At Franklin, we do not tolerate discriminatory behavior in any form. While we do not discuss personnel matters, we can share that the teacher in question is no longer a member of the Franklin Academy staff. We look forward to continuing our I.B. [international baccalaureate] initiatives of creating a better and more peaceful world through intercultural & racial understanding and mutual respect.”

A CAIR report, “The Impact of Structural Islamophobia,” says the organization received 6,720 complaints nationwide last year regarding a host of problems, including 432 in Florida. Those reports centered on immigration and travel, workplace discrimination, law enforcement, hate and bias at schools and in other settings, and more.

“For over 20 years, CAIR-Florida’s Islam and Muslim cultural competency trainings continue to promote beneficial conversations on Muslim student faith and practices, leading to better accommodation for thousands of students across Florida,” Jaber said.

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