Parents angered by mosque field trip smeared as Islamophobic

Parents and students are suing after a field trip to a mosque organized by Palo Alto High school, which they say violated religious neutrality.

By World Israel News Staff

A California high school is facing a lawsuit after students were encouraged to wear hijabs and were provided with copies of the Quran during a field trip to a local mosque, with parents and students alleging that the school violated their constitutional rights by promoting Islamic religious practices.

The lawsuit was filed against the Palo Alto Unified School District and Brent Kline, principal of Palo Alto High School, by lawyers representing students and parents from Jewish, Hindu and Zoroastrian backgrounds.

According to the group, female students were encouraged to cover their hair with hijabs — a garment worn by observant Muslim women — during the visit, while students were also given copies of the Quran and encouraged to read the Islamic holy text.

The field trip included a meeting with Zahra Billoo, executive director of the Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

Billoo is a prominent anti-Israel activist, who insinuated that the parents who objected to the school’s activities were motivated by anti-Muslim prejudice.

“One of the most important ways we combat hate is to learn about each other,” Billoo told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“I am concerned that this group of parents not only wants to counteract that for their own children… but is attempting to intimidate schools and school districts from doing necessary work of educating the next generation.”

She added that “the job of educators is to teach students, and expose them to different worldviews. That’s what happened here.”

Billoo’s own comments about Israel and Zionism have also drawn scrutiny. In May, she told supporters that anti-Israel activists should be cautious about publicly expressing hostility toward Zionism because of the potential consequences.

“Now imagine your LinkedIn profile says, ‘I hate all Zionists,’” Billoo says in a video clip, which raised concern on social media.

“Not strategic. Right? … You may say that sitting around Kahwah [coffee] House on a Friday night, but you’re not going to say it on your LinkedIn.”

Kline, the Palo Alto High School principal, said the school learned about the lawsuit through media reports and had not yet been formally served with legal papers.