TOW #13 - The Fear of Islam in Tennessee Public Schools

Williamson County, Tennessee, a predominantly white county north of Nashville, many parents fear that by educating their children about Islam, teachers are indoctrinating them into the religion. They feel that teachers preach pro-Islam tendencies and mostly bad things about Judaeo-Christian religions. They want the textbooks to stop calling Islam a peaceful religion, and teach them about the few extremists instead. Emma Green, author of The Fear of Islam in Tennessee Public Schools, seeks to prove these people wrong with logical reasoning and by mentioning sudden hints about the groups who support the cause. When talking about the county, Green calls the idea of kids being indoctrinated into Islam most impossible by saying that the county is: "overwhelmingly white, Christian place like Williamson County" (Green para 7). By using logic, she proves the irrational people against her wrong, simply by showing that the environment around kids that would be "indoctrinated" would not be hospitable to them in any way, shape, or form. Throughout her essay, the author mentions Glenn Beck and Pat Robertson, people who are largely against Islam and any non Judaeo-Christian in every way, when describing who is fighting against this "indoctrination". These names leave a sour taste in the mouth, a reminder of the hugely conservative and very hateful roots of this movement. This fact alone would probably turn away people in disgust, as these men listed invoke feelings of distrust and malignment. Thus, the reader is already turned against the parent's of Tennessee's cause. These are the nails in the coffin, they are what makes the author successful.