<p>I will start this post by telling you that people are always surprised by my religious affiliation. It amazes me that so much of the population is unable to differentiate race from religion. Unfortunately, it seems that one of my summer professors belongs to the part of the population unable to understand that one can be blonde haired and blue eyed and practice a faith other than Christianity or Judaism. </p>
<p>Earlier this week I received an e-mail forwarded to my entire class. The e-mail stated that people from my faith cannot be good Americans. It proceeded to argue this view using inaccurate facts. These inaccurate facts seem absurd to someone of my faith and are very easy to dismiss using simple quotes from my holy book. My teacher made statements about how according to my holy book people of my faith cannot be friends with Christians or Jews and therefore cannot be Americans. When in fact, I have quotes from the holy book he refers to telling us that we must treat Christians and Jews as our brothers because they are people of the book. We are even allowed to marry Christians and Jews. This is just one example of a blatant lie that my teacher has spread and that Im sure many students will believe. I do not think my teacher would have been stupid enough to send me this e-mail had he known my religious beliefs.</p>
<p>I am now faced with a dilemma. As a political science major and a person of faith I cannot let a public school teacher spread these lies. The class I am taking is not related to politics, philosophy, theology, or even history so this subject matter is completely irrelevant to the class. I am inclined to take action against my teacher, but I know that it will affect my relations with other teachers and administrators. I am at a CCC so I need to maintain a high GPA and good relationships with teachers and administrators for transfer recommendations. I have tried to think about how this teacher could have meant this e-mail, but I cannot find any instance in which my teacher could have been correct in sending this. Had he simply posed a question such as this I would have thought he was straddling the line, but with lies stated as facts he has gone too far over the line.</p>
<p>I only have two weeks left of this class which I plan on completing before I proceed against this teacher. Were this teacher not so immature and racist I would bring things up now, but I am taking 12 semester units this summer and I cannot afford to have my GPA plummet because a racist teacher feels like punishing me. Fall classes at other nearby CCCs are filling up so if Im going to have to switch schools I need to signup now. How bad do you think the backlash will be if I get a teacher fired?</p>
<p>I have purposely remained somewhat vague because I do not know how I will proceed in this matter, nor do I know the legal ramifications of discussing this if I do take action.</p>
<p>It's shocking that anyone could give any kind of weight to the author's argument. Just who is he/she to determine what consititutes a "good American?" The author implies that only Christians fit the bill.</p>
<p>I was particularly confused by the geographic reference. Are we to assume that citizens living in the Western United States are better Americans than those that live on the East Coast? I could go on and on about the false premise that the United States was founded on Christianity, but that's another argument. </p>
<p>It is unbelievable that your professor sent this inflammatory email to your entire class. I would immediately forward it to the department chair and dean of students. Keep all copies of correspondance (including the e-mail.) Perhaps the institution you intend to transfer to will be impressed by your willingness to take a stand.</p>
<p>yeah seriously...don't be afraid to take a stand. if your grades do drop, tell the prospective transfer college WHY. they will NOT penalize you for a grade drop if this is the reason why. by all means, stand up for yourself and don't be afraid.</p>
<p>i agree that you definitely NEED to take a stand. you should never have to tolerate things like this. your professor had no right to send an email like this out.</p>
<p>and definitely do not worry about grade drops. i do not think they will drop, and any college you transfer to will definitely admire you standing up for yourself. it's not only for you--it is for people all over the world.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your encouragement! I will take a stand now and not wait for the end of the semester. My teachers bigoted e-mail has reminded me of why I am a political science major. I want a life in politics because I feel it is my duty to do everything in my power to make sure America is always the land of the free.</p>
<p>LL...if you don't mind, please keep us posted about what happens. I had a similar experience with a professor at SMC. If you'd like specifics, PM and I'll share my story with you. </p>
<p>in fact, by standing up for yourself and informing the transfer college of your situation, I think you will be viewed as an even strong applicant because you stand for something even if it hurts your grades. Good luck to you.</p>
<p>Hey, I'm Catholic and yes you should take a stand, because theres this thing called respect and I dont agree with ur professor just sending e-mails saying bad things about your religion.</p>
<p>I think that you should be cautious about this and perhaps speak with other professors / administrators about the email. Perhaps it would be wise to come with a group of students, as that way you will not be singled out, as it seems that there are more people than just yourself upset by the email. </p>
<p>Either way, ultimately, I think it would be the best decision to let the teacher know tactfully but forcibly that he has offeneded you and is ignorant about the nature of your religion.</p>
<p>go for it. i stood up to my spanish teacher junior year for her ignorant comments. i got the whole class to put pressure on the administration and teacher, and she quit that summer.</p>
<p>you do know you can get your <strong><em>ing fired. what a piece of *</em></strong>. honestly, america is going down the *** tube because of these people. its like race and religion have to coincide for you to meet coventional standards. seriously my mother is an arab, shes blond blue eyed and muslim. i seriously dont see how race even plays a role in this.</p>