<< Back 8/28/02 UNC book controversy continues as classes begin By Cristina Reitz I figured that by the time I returned to Carolina for the start of the fall semester, things would have calmed down as far as the summer reading controversy was concerned. Instead, I found a campus swarming with reporters, protest groups for both sides of the issue and a bunch of freshman who now not only had to worry about finding their book review session, but had the added concern of being able to come up with a well-formed opinion if a camera crew happened to stop them. Every year, incoming freshman are giving a book to read over the summer which will be discussed in small groups once they arrive on campus. Though perhaps never popular among students, the summer reading program has never inspired such an outcry. The students protesting the selection, along with the Family Policy Network, claim that what makes this year’s assignment worthy of not only refusal but legal action against the school is its promotion of one particular religion. Hmm. Something tells me that if this religion were Christianity, there wouldn’t be a problem here. This year’s first-year students were asked to read Approaching the Qur’án: The Early Revelations which consists of several suras, or what are comparable to chapters, of the Koran. The reading selection for 2001, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, discussed, in detail, the religion of the Hmong people of Laos. No one went around screaming about separation of church and state over that. So obviously there must be something especially offensive and/or religiously persuasive about this year’s selection, or maybe the school is just being unusually coercive in its “efforts to indoctrinate students in religious belief.” Criticism offered by the FPN, students and others includes allegations that the school is forcing a religion on its students, that the choice of reading material is especially insensitive in light of Sept. 11, that the book itself presents a skewed, overly positive view of Islam and that it’s not fair to have to read about Islam when you can’t learn about Christianity. Well, let’s take a look at these. As for allegation number one, I have seen no one tied to a chair being forced to read. Nor have I ever met anyone whose grade in any class was affected by their refusal to participate. Students are asked to read the book and discuss it, not forced to. If a student decides not to participate, they can write a one-page essay explaining why they aren’t participating. Don’t feel like writing an essay either? No problem. No one is ever going to be tested on this reading material and there is no way for anyone to know if you skip your discussion session. I am also guessing that the students who are protesting this book have not read it. If they had they would have, hopefully, realized that Approaching the Qur’án is not some ploy to get students at Chapel Hill to convert to Islam. Approaching the Qur’án reads like a poetry book with historic commentary. The suras included are filled with imagery about the visions of Muhammad and figurative verses about the day of reckoning. Neither the suras themselves nor the commentary of translator Michael Sells in any way try to persuade the reader that Islam is a better religion than anything else. It is simply a collection of the more lyrical verses in the Koran which are then placed in a historical context by Sells. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s go to number two. Terror comes in all shapes and sizes. I don’t recall books about white, Midwestern men being considered insensitive after the Oklahoma City bombing. If an African-American had been one of the pilots, would it then be distasteful to have students reading Alice Walker and Maya Angelou? What people seem to keep forgetting is that this “war on terrorism” is not a war on the entire Muslim faith. If it were, there would be thousands of Americans in prison camps right now and we would be at war with 20 percent of the world. I can’t think of a more appropriate book in light of Sept. 11. The school is trying to promote understanding of a religion that has been unfairly tainted by the actions of a few radicals. And yes, this book chooses to include the less controversial and violent parts of the Koran, but isn’t that a good thing? The Koran admittedly contains its share of fire and brimstone, but so does the Bible. Would we want an “evil American” image perpetuated by having children in Afghanistan read, for example, only the exclusive, chauvinistic passages from the Bible? Like any holy book, the Koran contains passages that refer to conduct that was once acceptable but most likely outdated. If students were to read only those passages without being shown the underlying message of the entire book, they would receive an equally skewed impression of Islam. As for the fourth complaint, why would a school whose student body is predominantly Christian assign a book about Christianity? I was under the impression that institutions of higher learning were there to broaden horizons. However, those fearing that Christianity will go by the wayside if they have to read about Islam, never fear. With Campus Crusades, Christian sororities/fraternities, the obligatory “Pit Preacher,” not to mention the dozens of religion classes provided by the school (gasp), you can hear about Christianity till your heart’s content. So perhaps I’m missing the point here, but if someone is truly concerned that their rights are being violated by being asked to read Approaching the Qur’án, there are ways to avoid this violation. Just don’t read the book, or, here’s an idea — don’t go to school here. I’m sure there are plenty of conservative schools looking for closed-minded students. Or, and I think this is more likely, if your motivation is getting money from a school already suffering from the budget crisis, base your complaints on something more substantial than an optional assignment. (Cristina Reitz is from Haywood County and attends UNC. She interned this past summer at The Smoky Mountain News.)