Christmas Out of Texas Curriculum Proposal
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A proposal for a new social studies curriculum in Texas public schools removes a mention of Christmas in a sixth-grade lesson, replacing it with a Hindu religious festival.
The draft proposal being considered by the State Board of Education could be adopted next May for the 2011-2012 school year. The standards will remain in place for the next decade, dictating what is taught in government, history and other social studies classes in elementary and secondary schools.
The standards currently instruct sixth-grade students to be able to explain the significance of Christmas and Easter, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. The proposal, which is set to be debated at a hearing this week, removes the words Christmas and Rosh Hashanah. Diwali, a Hindu festival, is added.
Probe Found No Threat to Runaway Convert
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement says it found no credible reports of threats against a teenager who ran away from her Ohio home.
Rifqa Bary (RIF'-kuh BEHR'-ee) said she feared for her life after converting from Islam to Christianity.
A summary of the department's investigation into Bary's allegations was released Monday after being under a court seal for 10 days. The FDLE report says no reports of threats against her were received in Florida or Ohio.
The 17-year-old is in foster care in Orlando, where a judge has been holding hearings to decide whether she should be returned to Ohio.
Bary ran away from her parents' suburban Columbus home in July, saying she feared being killed for changing religions.
Church Destroyed by Fire Celebrates Reopening
LAFAYETTE, Ala. (AP) - Members of a church that was burned by accused arsonists on Valentine's Day have celebrated its reopening.
Liberty CME Church in Lafayette, Alabama -- one of three churches burned in alleged arsons last February -- was dedicated Sunday after being rebuilt.
The service began with a ribbon-cutting at the front of the church and two choirs provided music.
The Rev. Shelia Crabb, pastor at Liberty, said it's time to plan for the future now that the new building is finished. The old church was about 175 years old.
Four 20-year-old suspects from Auburn have been charged with arson in the Liberty fire and two other church fires in the same period.
Indonesian Province to Allow Stoning for Adulterers
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (AP) - Lawmakers in a predominantly Muslim Indonesian province have voted unanimously that adulterers can be sentenced to be stoned to death.
The new law in Indonesia's Aceh (AH'-cheh) province also makes homosexuality punishable by public lashings and more than eight years in prison.
A version of Islamic law that was introduced in Aceh in 2001 already bans gambling and drinking alcohol, and makes it compulsory for women to wear headscarves. Dozens of public canings have been carried out by the local Shariah police against violators of that law.
Execution by stoning also is legally sanctioned in varying forms in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Nigeria.
Muslims Forced to Remove Head Scarves in Belgian Schools
ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) - Some Muslim girls in Belgium are looking into home schooling now that the school board in Flanders has banned head scarves in public elementary and high schools.
The Flanders regional board on Friday banned "the wearing of all religious and philosophical signs," except in religion classes, but gave schools a period of one year to implement the ban.
The Royal Athenaeum (ath-ah-NAY'-um) Hoboken is one of the schools where the ban has already been imposed, triggering protests by Muslim students.
The school's headmistress said the ban was necessary because the student body is 96 percent Muslim, and non-Muslim students, as well as Muslim students who don't wear the scarf, felt pressured to conform.
On Monday, female pupils were seen arriving there wearing head scarves, and removing them after entering school premises.
Lennon-Signed 'Jesus' Interview being Auctioned
AMHERST, N.H. (AP) - A 1966 magazine signed by John Lennon containing his remark that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus is being auctioned by a New Hampshire company.
Lennon signed his name "John C. Lennon" above his photo in the September 1966 "Datebook," even though his middle initial is W. for Winston.
In the article, Lennon says, "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now. I don't know which will go first -- rock 'n' roll or Christianity."
The comment provoked much anti-Beatle sentiment in the United States, where people were urged to "ban the Beatles" and burned their Beatle records.
Teens Sue Over "God Bless America" Ejection
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Three teenagers who say they were tossed from a New Jersey ballpark for sitting through the song "God Bless America" are suing the minor league Newark Bears.
The boys say their constitutional rights were violated when they were asked to leave Newark's Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in June by Bear's president and co-owner Thomas Cetnar.
Cetnar confirms the boys were asked to leave but declined to elaborate.
The boys -- a 16-year-old and two 17-year-olds -- sued in federal court seeking unspecified damages.
They say when they told Cetnar they had the right to remain seated, he cursed and had two security officers remove them from their seats behind home plate.
Utah Supreme Court to Hear Polygamous Church Leader's Appeal
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The Utah Supreme Court has set a date to hear arguments in an appeal of the 2007 criminal conviction of polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs.
The Nov. 4 hearing will be held on the Provo campus of Brigham Young University.
Jeffs, who heads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was convicted on two counts of being an accomplice to rape for his role in the 2001 marriage of a 14-year-old follower to her 19-year-old cousin. He was sentenced to two consecutive prison terms of five years to life.
Among the trial errors alleged by defense attorneys are improper jury instructions, the replacement of a juror after deliberations began and insufficient evidence for conviction on both counts.
Dalai Lama Welcomes Obama Aide and US Official
DHARMSALA, India (AP) - A top adviser to President Barack Obama has met with the Dalai Lama in India.
The Dalai Lama's Web site on Monday published a picture of the Tibetan Buddhist leader meeting with Valerie Jarrett and U.S. Undersecretary of State Maria Otero.
The Dalai Lama's office says they briefed him about the Obama administration's approach to Tibet.
The Dalai Lama will be visiting New York and Washington Oct. 4-9.
In a statement posted online, the Dalai Lama said he's "looking forward to meeting President Obama" after Obama visits China in November.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-09-15-09 0331EDT
