Heather Lawrence was enraged that one of her Muslim peers at Springstead High School in Florida refused to stand up during the Pledge of Allegiance. When Heather later saw the girl standing in a hallway wearing a hijab, she told her she should stand for the pledge next time, and "take that thing off her head and act like she's proud to be an American."
School administrators responded to Heather's behavior by suspending her for five days. Her parents were not too pleased with the school's decision. In fact, they stood by their daughter's action.
"You have someone in the states who is able to enjoy our educational and health care systems, yet it's okay for them to be disrespectful, and it's not okay for my daughter to speak her mind," said Mark Lawrence, Heather's father. "That's her First Amendment right. That's freedom of speech."
However, Mark Lawrence failed to see the hypocrisy in his own statement. If the Muslim girl did not want to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance, she is practicing her First Amendment right by not doing so. That can also be considered freedom of speech.
In addition, Mark's ignorance is evident when he assumes the girl is not an American. The fact that she is wearing a hijab does not mean she just flew in to the United States last week. She could have been born and raised in the U.S for all he knows.
To clarify, school administrators did not punish Heather for demanding that the Muslim student stand during the pledge. She was punished for making racially insensitive and discriminative comments to the Muslim girl.
Heather dug herself into an even deeper hole when she tried to explain her behavior. According to one school staffer, the 16-year-old plans on enlisting in the Army next summer. When the staffer asked her why she confronted the Muslim girl, she said that the Muslim student "looks Middle Eastern" and that makes her an enemy because "all Iraqis are Middle Eastern."
Heather denies saying or feeling that way. After she served her first day of suspension, she admitted that her comment about the Muslim girl's hijab was "over the edge," and that she did not mean to bash the girl's religion. Her father agreed.
School administrators at Springstead High handled the situation perfectly. They demonstrated that they will not tolerate discrimination or racial hate among their students. Muslims have faced a disgusting amount of discrimination in the U.S since 9/11, and it is good to know that some of the country's public schools take steps in changing that.
UPDATE:
Turns out Heather Lawrence is a liar after all. According to TampaBay.com:
"The JROTC member at Springstead High School who said she confronted a Muslim student last week because the girl did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance fabricated that part of the story, school officials said Monday."
The Muslim student's homeroom teacher says the girl did stand for the pledge.
Comments
Interesting piece, Ana. The tragedy is all the abuse the Muslim girl had to take from the rednecked masses. She was clearly innocent of having offended anyone at all.
And I'm all in favor of sending young Heather to Iraq. After all, she's volunteering. And when she gets out, maybe she can go to work for Blackwater a.k.a. "Xe" They seem to like her type.
I think the girl confronting the moslem was correct. You have to realize that the islamics are not hear to blend in with the rest of society, they are here to impose their own backward lifestyle and religion on the rest of the natives. Europe is almost lost to the islamic hordes. The Netherlands has bascially been taken over already. People can keep their head in the sand and continue being liberal or they can stand up and face reality.
God, can you hear what your saying! It sounds so wrong, gah reading your response mad be chill with anger. Get a Clue.
Way to go, Rapture Forum, and tar 1 Billion people with the same brush.
Um, there is no First Amendment in schools -- even public schools. The students are not adults and the school has certain responsibilities to preserve order and pretend to conduct and education process, etc. Similarly (and ironically for this little lying [deleted] named Heather) there is no First Amendment in the military services, even though both public schools and the military are "the government." Each institution gets to control what goes on inside its own walls.
But people how "First Amendment!" as if it means anyone (who agrees with them, natch) gets to say anything anywhere without any consequences, be they legal consequences, social consequences, business consequences, etc.
Getting back to the original topic, I am against the pledge of allegiance, for the reason that it forces a captive audience to profess a belief in a diety and associates that belief with patriotism. Not that crazy about certain kinds of "patriotism" when it comes to that.
This is straight up idiotic the school handled this perfectly
I get called a terrorist at school for being Muslim.
1.Any race can be Muslim.
2.Any race can be a terrorist.
3.They call me a terrorist,I can hit back with so many other racist jokes but I don't cause its not right way to deal with.
U got something to say about my religion say it to my face.
CAP NEG,
So it's OKay to call those that love the USA red-necks? What should you be called? Leach?
Rapture Forums...I won't even begin to address the prejudice that spews forth from your post...obviously, it would make no difference...it is beyond ignorant.
You might, however, be advised that if you perhaps took the time to educate yourself to the degree that you could communicate properly...you might be taken, even a tad, seriously.
There is no such word as 'Islamics'. Islam refers to the religion. The followers of said religion are Muslims.
The word 'hear', used as you have, is incorrect...it should be 'here'.
'Bascially' should be 'basically'.
'People can keep their head'...should be 'heads'.
You are only confirming to the rest of the world that many Americans take pride in their stupidity.
You USAians (ha, see what i did there?) really are stupid, ignorant bastards
Yes JJB I see what you did there. Brilliant, If we were all as smart as you are we would have a perfect country. We could even (if we were as intelligent as you are) aspire to be as good as Russia, or Somalia or maybe even Cuba. Yes you are truly a shining light!
u r jerks
if this kinda action happens in school ground, then we need eduction reform package instead bailout for big companies. and if we did have the proper eduction, we wouldn't have to deal with this kinda discrimination.
stupid rednecks.
First of all, we are not all red-necks. Most of us are transplants from all over the USA and take offense to that.
Secondly, while I will agree that the actions of Heather were racist and needed some form of punishment, I found a 5 day Out-of-School Suspension to be over the top. There needs to be some middle ground. These girls have different beliefs and one used her voice to make an issue out of it. Had it turned physical, then by all means, Heather's punishment would have warranted something so severe.
What I find most upsetting is the we live in a Free country, with Freedom of speech, yet Heather got in trouble for speaking her mind. Again, I do not agree with her, nor what she did, but I believe the situation could have been handled better.
Fascinating story. I can understand the sentiment of the girl's family who do not want to see their daughter suspended, but I understand why the school decided to take this action. School is not just about teachings facts from a book. Schools help shape us as people, and when we do something wrong, we need to understand that it is wrong. To make insulting comments about someone's ethnicity, nationality or religion is very insensitive and this young lady needed to learn that such actions are wrong.
On a side note, even though we now know that the Muslim girl was indeed standing for the pledge, I do not condone those Muslims who refuse to stand for the pledge. As a Muslim, we are supposed to be loyal to the land in which we reside, and such demonstrations serve little purpose other than to upset the sensitivities of others.
Thats all she has to do is stand for the pledge. She does not have to say it. No one does.
I had a bad run in with even discussing the First Amendment in respect to school 3 years ago in my freshmen year of High school; and I live in Massachusetts!
It is really depraved how commonplace and acceptable it is to be racist toward especially Arabs, but Jews, Hispanics and African-Americans within many sects of white people (not to mention sexism, homophobia, ext).I'm sure in every racial group racism is seen but it is really pathetic when about 1/3 adults I come into contact could be considered more than a little racist. This coming from a white teenage male. Even my fairly tolerant boss thought it was perfectly appropriate to state that he thinks that Arabs are predisposed to violence.
When will people even open a history book and realize how ludicrous the idea any sort of dynamic bloodline is.
We still have far to go as a society.
Keep up the good work Ana!
Rapture Forums, I also live in The Netherlands and I find you comments so offensive, though I am not a Muslim myself I do not get your tendentious commentaries, I am in no way offended by "the hoards of Muslims" around the country like you refer to them.
None of them ever disrespected me, they live a peaceful normal life. I am more disturbed by the Dutch people who are racists at heart in the last 20 years or more and they are also acting cowardly pretending they "accept" everyone.
Theres normal Muslims, and then theres extremist Muslims.
Much like how theres normal Christians, and extremist Christians (KKK, Nazi's)
When will the world learn?
Heather's father wasn't being hypocritical when he said Heather has a First Amendment right to speak her mind; he never said the Muslim girl didn't have a right to sit for the pledge. In fact, he said "it's ok." Neither did he assume that she isn't American--citizens enjoy our rights, as well. Don't read more into statements than what's there.
You know, i think that is not right her not saying the Pledge. It is, however, understandable. Muslims, who worship Allah, should not be forced to say that God is watching over this amazing country. i have a Jew friend who does the same thing.
wat a bitch
this is 2 Anonymous ur a bitch
hay people no offence 2 the americans but america is a very racist place and i live in New Zealand and its such a cultural place no one teases ur religon i wear a head scarf 2 school and i'm only a year 8 no one has ever called me a terrorist apart 4rm 1 boy who was dis teenage jerk so calm down people!!!! shes just a muslim girl who doesn't ant 2 stand up 4 pledge no big deal
haha she did right! muslims are impolite, that's what they are.
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