Catholic League president William Donohue lists what some public schools recently did to accommodate Muslim students during Ramadan.

 ·    Muslim students at Ygnacio Valley High School in Concord, California were allowed to use an available room to pray.

• Tahali Community School in St. Cloud, Florida provided a quiet space for students to pray in the afternoon.
• After protests, Muslim students at Brooklyn International High School were allowed to miss class for four Fridays during Ramadan to attend mosque services.
• After protests, Muslim students with notes from their parents at Bancroft Intermediate School in Wilmington, Delaware were excused from sitting in the cafeteria at lunchtime during Ramadan.
• In Herndon, Virginia, “multicultural trainer” Afeeda Syeed was allowed to bring children from a Muslim school to public schools to teach the students about Ramadan.
• At Salem High School in New Hampshire, the Muslim Students Association held a Ramadan “Fast-A-Thon” wherein they received contributions from classmates and teachers (proceeds went to a local soup kitchen).  In a show of support, the teachers skipped lunch as well.  In addition, the group held a fast-breaking feast at the public school that day at 4:30 p.m.
• At Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy is a publicly funded charter school in Minnesota.  During Ramadan, all of the students (including non-Muslims) followed the traditional Muslim fast.
• Gwinnett school officials in Georgia decided to excuse Muslim students from the final class period every school day; one of the make-up options is for students to take a religious studies class off-campus.
• At North Atlanta High, students held prayer services in a Muslim teacher’s classroom.

 Donohue concludes: “The degree of tolerance that these public schools have shown for Muslim students during Ramadan is encouraging.  Maybe now we can get the schools to stop with this ‘Winter Holiday’ nonsense and get down to celebrating Christmas with a concert that features a nativity scene and the singing of ‘Silent Night.’”

Catholic League president William Donohue explained today what the Catholic League is doing this year to promote Christmas celebrations:

“Every December the Catholic League expends considerable resources fighting against those who seek to censor Christmas.  The issues are multiple: we have fought those who seek to ban the display of crèches on public property; those who allow menorahs to be displayed in public schools but ban nativity scenes; those who sanitize the workplace by forbidding Christmas apparel or religious symbols; and those who seek to foist upon Christians the notion that they should be satisfied with the display of a Christmas tree.  This year we are doing something different—we are actively promoting Christmas in the private sector by mailing tens of thousands of ‘Religion-Friendly Zone’ decals to merchants and corporations.

“There is no law which bars privately owned businesses from displaying religious symbols; all that is lacking is the courage to do so.  To that end, we have mailed our decals to the Directors of Human Resources of the following entities throughout the nation: major malls; fraternal organizations; chain department stores; Fortune 500 businesses; supermarket chains; chain bookstores; banks; chain drug stores; chain restaurants; and chain hotels.  Our members have received one, too.

“The plastic decal can easily be placed in any store window.  Round in shape, it says along the top, ‘Religion-Friendly Zone.’  In the center of the red and green decal are hands clasped in a prayer-like fashion.  This will allow the decal to be posted in areas that allow for all religious displays, though it is certainly our hope that Christmas ones will be prominently featured.

“Those who hate diversity and love censorship will not be happy with this project.  But too bad for them—they can do nothing to stop it.”

In her syndicated column on the Thanksgiving holiday, gossip maven Cindy Adams takes comedic jabs at 50 subjects, almost all of which are individuals.  But her final remark seeks not to lampoon a celebrity—it seeks to stab an institution.  Adams expresses her thanks to the Catholic Church for “bringing new meaning to the proverb, ‘Abstinence makes the heart grow fondlers.’”

William Donohue decoded her comment as follows:

“Everyone knows that almost all the cases of priestly sexual abuse have been the work of homosexuals: fully 81 percent of the victims have been male, and most of them have been postpubescent.  So when Adams goes after the Catholic Church for allowing sexual abuse, she is really going after homosexuals.  Why she finds the need to bash gays is uncertain, but one thing is for sure: the Catholic League takes great pride in outing her.”

Louis Giovino, director of communications for the Catholic League, was at the first New York showing today of Pedro Almodovar’s film, “Bad Education.”  He gave Catholic League president William Donohue a report on the movie.  Donohue, in turn, wrote the following release:

“Giovino is looking for a raise after witnessing this depravity.  What tweaked our interest was the depiction of a predator homosexual priest.  But because almost all the characters are equally sick, it is difficult to brand the film anti-Catholic.  In other words, the film is so depraved and so utterly without merit that only twisted movie reviewers and dysfunctional adults are bound to like it.  Everyone else will no doubt want to repair to the nearest drugstore—or tavern—in search of an effective antidote.”

 Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) has filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act against the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) alleging that a series of non-competitive hires have taken place.  PEER, a non-profit network for whistle-blowers who identify government actions that violate environmental laws, issued a news release on November 17 stating its objections to the personnel policies of Special Counsel Scott Bloch.

In its news release, PEER identifies Bloch as a “religious conservative” who has hired “recent graduates of the ultra-conservative Ave Maria law school.”  It also quotes Jeffrey Ruch, the director of PEER, saying that “Scott Bloch’s personnel practices are taken straight from The DaVinci Code rather than the civil service manual.”

Catholic League president William Donohue responded as follows:

“PEER was against Bloch’s appointment as Special Counsel from the day President Bush selected him.  And that is because PEER, a left-wing consortium of activist lawyers, was upset with Bloch’s resume: Bloch had been deputy director and counsel to Bush’s Task Force for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the Department of Justice.

“PEER’s hostility to the public expression of religion is not hard to document.  It has lobbied Congress to remove an eight-foot cross atop the Mojave National Preserve in California, and it has sought to censor books at National Park bookstores that offer a Christian interpretation of nature.  So it comes as no surprise that it now objects to orthodox Catholics being hired by the OCS.

“What is surprising, however, is PEER’s boldness: it is not every day that Catholic bashers put their bigotry on public display.  By referencing The DaVinci Code to make his point, Ruch seeks to conjure up images of maniacal Catholics who conspire together to take over society through any and all means.  Lucky for him real Catholics practice restraint.”

A bill passed by the House of Representatives authorizing $10 million for the restoration of 21 Spanish missions in California has been submitted to President Bush for approval.  Of the 21 missions, 19 are owned by the Catholic Church and two are owned by the state; seven have been declared national landmarks.

Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer, a supporter of the legislation, notes that none of the money will go to the Catholic Church; all of it goes to a non-profit group, the California Mission Foundation, that will oversee its distribution.  Nonetheless, Americans United for Separation of Church and State has threatened to sue.  Catholic League president William Donohue commented today on this issue:

“The movement to excise religion from history and culture is not only wrongheaded, it simply cannot be done: religion is the most salient constitutive element of any culture.  If even the communists have had to admit that it cannot be done, surely our own church-and-state watchdogs are capable of learning this verity.  But instead they act like yesterday’s communists in trying to rewrite the past.  The fact is that the history of California is unintelligible without noting the magnificent and lasting contributions of Spanish missionaries.

“The government has a strong interest in preserving the nation’s heritage, and that is why it was appropriate for the House to provide the necessary resources for the restoration of the Spanish missions.  President Bush, who is our most religion-friendly president in years, will surely sign this bill.  The Catholic League congratulates Senator Boxer for her major role in this effort.

“One final note: the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of California recently gave federal and state money to complete renovations of the Breed Street Shul in Los Angeles—much of it to pay for restoration of the synagogue’s stained-glass windows—and no civil libertarians complained.  We wonder why.”

 On November 18-20, the Nightingale Theater in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will again feature the notoriously anti-Catholic play, “Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You”; it opened last weekend.  Here’s what Catholic League president William Donohue had to say about it:

“There is not an anti-Catholic anywhere in the nation who has seen ‘Sister Mary Ignatius’ who didn’t love it.  For example, on November 13, Michael Smith of the Tulsa Worldaccurately said that ‘the Roman Catholic church’s true believers’ would find that the play ‘provide[s] laughs for all heathens in attendance.’ Judging from his review, that would include him.

“The play, which has been around for decades, features a malicious nun who is confronted by four of her former students.  All of them are obviously dysfunctional, a condition directly traceable to their Catholic upbringing.  The play not only manages to mock virtually every Catholic teaching, it goes after Jesus with a vengeance—from the Nativity to the Crucifixion; the Virgin Mary is similarly disparaged.  In the end, the nun shoots and kills two of her ex-students.

“The play is so vile that when it surfaced in the 1980s it was condemned as anti-Catholic by Jewish and Protestant organizations (as well as by Catholics), and even the New York Times found it offensive.  The work of an angry homosexual ex-Catholic, Christopher Durang, it continues to entertain bigots everywhere, including Tulsa.

“According to Tulsa.org, there are 232 churches in Tulsa, almost all which are Protestant; two of them, or .008 percent, are Catholic.  This would seem to suggest that the Tulsa Christian community could use a little Reformation of its own.  Accordingly, the Catholic League would be happy to supply 95 Theses outlining its concerns.  All we need to know is where to nail it.”

Catholic League president William Donohue called attention today to the anti-Christian explosion under way at the Village Voice:

*The day after the election, James Ridgeway confessed, “The dream has become a nightmare.”  By that he meant “the dream of a secular, liberal democracy.”  Why?  Because, he said, “the Christians are stronger than ever.”  On 11-16, Ridgeway blasted “the self-absorbed, selfish Christians who take sanctimonious pride in wrapping themselves in the banners of the civil rights movement, missionary work abroad, giving old clothes to single mothers,” etc.  He then blamed Christians for not challenging the Klan in the 1980s, noting it is Jews who fight racism outside the South.

*On 11-15, Sharon Lerner warned of “an army of bloodthirsty archconservatives” who constitute the pro-life movement.  So bad are things for the pro-abortionists that she says, “the sky could really fall.”She makes it clear that it is the Christians she fears.

*On 11-16, Sydney H. Schanberg wondered aloud if the election meant “we’re having a second Civil War.”  Though he doubts we are, he nonetheless concludes that “there’s a feel of holy-war fever in America.”  He also makes it clear that it is the Christians he fears.

*On 11-16, Michael Feingold shows he’s crashed: “The spoliation of our national forests by Bush-based economic interests, joined with the accelerated melting of the polar cap…will bring on what must surely be an increasing parade of natural disasters, pandemics, outbreaks of disease….”  He warns that “as the sun gets more dangerous, the air less breathable, the water less drinkable, the hurricanes more frequent,” even the rich will suffer.  How did this happen?  He says, “this is the election in which American Christianity destroyed itself.  Today the church is no longer a religion but a tacky political lobby….”  Indeed, “Christianity as currently preached and practiced in Middle America is virtually Satan, by the standards of anyone who strives to follow the teachings of Jesus.”

NOTE: It would behoove the 85 percent of Americans who are Christian not to treat this outburst of anti-Christian bigotry lightly.

Catholic League president William Donohue comments today on the movie, “Kinsey,” which opens today, and the film, “Birth,” which opened two weeks ago:

“Why are so many in the entertainment industry angry with the less than one percent of priests today who have been accused of sexual molestation—almost all of whom are homosexuals, not pedophiles—when their favorite sexologist is a sado-masochistic, child-abusing homosexual?  Why are the same people so enamored of a film that shows a ten-year old boy stripping naked so he can join an adult woman in a tub?  The former reference is to the movie, ‘Kinsey’; the latter, ‘Birth.’

“Alfred Kinsey authorized his researchers to sexually molest infants as young as five months old.  How many?  According to Dr. Judith Reisman, at a minimum 324; and possibly as many as 2,000.  The goal of these ‘experiments’ was to bring the kids to orgasm.  ‘Mr. X,’ one of Kinsey’s most treasured discoveries, was just the kind of guy to do the dirty work.  According to Kinsey biographer James T. Jones, ‘Mr. X’ was a pedophile who ‘masturbated infants, penetrated children, and performed a variety of other sexual acts on pre-adolescent boys and girls alike.’  To Kinsey’s delight, he proved he could ejaculate in ten seconds.

“None of this, of course, was shown in the movie.  No matter, the Dallas Observer, theChicago Tribune, Daily Variety and Slate all said that the film ‘Kinsey’ was ‘moving.’  Jack Mathews of the New York Daily News described Kinsey as an ‘odd genius,’ while most everyone else is saying the movie should get an Oscar.  Hear that, Mel?

“Regarding ‘Birth,’ the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the ‘taboo’ tub scene was ‘the film’s greatest strength.’  And Rex Reed in the New York Observer protested that ‘the film was viciously attacked as ‘kiddie porn.’

“Kinsey’s assistant, Wardell Pomeroy, admitted in 1972 that his boss’ goal was to tear down the Judeo-Christian understanding of sexuality.  This sheds light on why Hollywood only objects to predatory priests.  In any event, ‘Kinsey’ is only opening today in New York and Los Angeles, thus proving once again the red-blue divide is no stereotype.”

Starting today, 27 counties in Illinois are allowing federal workers to select a Catholic-based insurance plan that does not cover abortion, contraceptives or fertility treatment.  Run by the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, OSF HealthPlans is being touted as an example of the faith-based initiatives favored by President Bush.

Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said the plan was an “inappropriate” use of federal funds, one that “is blatantly designed to foster one religion’s point of view.”

Catholic League president William Donohue responded as follows:

“The taxpayers are forced to fork over a quarter-billion dollars of federal funds each year to support Planned Parenthood’s agenda.  But all of a sudden the officials at the so-called pro-choice organization feel threatened by some Catholic nuns and want to deny federal workers   freedom of choice.  So much for truth in advertising.

“Planned Parenthood is afraid the OSF HealthPlans initiative might catch on, which is why they’d like to kill it now.  Having just lost to President Bush—Planned Parenthood Action Fund supported Senator Kerry—the abortion-friendly group fears the country is turning against them.  It is.  This is one ‘Sister Act’ all Catholics can savor.”