(TULSA, OK, 8/13/2014) – The Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK) today welcomed a decision by Jenks Public Schools’ administration to stop using an Islamophobic Oklahoma City bombing conspiracy film in their classrooms. In May 2014, after receiving a complaint from a concerned parent, CAIR-OK questioned the schools’ use of the film “Conspiracy: Oklahoma City Bombing” as a part of its Oklahoma History Curriculum. The film falsely suggests that the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was the work of “Middle-Eastern Islamist organizations.
A letter received from Jenks Public Schools Assistant Superintendent dated August 5, 2014, stated that, “upon further review of the video, a committee of district level administrators has determined that the video will be removed from the collection in the Freshman Academy Media Center.”
This decision came after the Jenks Public schools’ Materials Review Committee chose to keep the video as a part of their media library following a request for review in June 2014.
“We welcome this decision on behalf of the parents of Muslim students in Jenks school district and in the broader Oklahoma Muslim community,” said CAIR-OK Executive Director Adam Soltani. “Islamophobic classroom materials should be of concern to all parents, because they can lead to anti-Muslim bullying and a general atmosphere of Islamophobia within the school system.”
