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Muslim Speaker In Maryland School Creates Concern

By Howard M. Friedman

In Frederick County, Maryland, student members of the Urbana High School's Middle Eastern Studies Group have invited Imam Yahya Hendi to speak at a meeting of the organization today. Hendi is the Muslim chaplain at Georgetown University. He is also the imam of the Islamic Society of Frederick and is active in interfaith activities. The student group is a co-curricular club formed by students in the International Baccalaureate program. Today's Frederick News Post reports however that attorney Daniel Cox says the cleric's appearance creates legal problems because "It appears to have a cloak of advocacy and a cloak of specific endorsement, by the school, of the potential viewpoints that are going to be shared by the preacher." School officials however say that it is perfectly appropriate for a speaker to teach about religion's role in history so long as he does not advocate a religious viewpoint.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on June 11, 2008 (boomark / email).