http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270944/Rocky-Mountain-High-School-Outrage-high-school-recites-Pledge-Arabic-saying-One-Nation-Under-Allah.html

Fury is brewing at Rocky Mountain High School, in Colorado, after a multicultural student group were encouraged to recite the Pledge of Allegiance over the loudspeaker in Arabic - replacing 'one nation under God' with 'one nation under Allah'.

Following Monday's pledge, Principal Tom Lopez has been inundated with complaints from outraged parents concerned that saying the Pledge in any language other than English is unpatriotic.

Standing by his controversial decision, Principal Lopez has said that despite the irate telephone calls and emails, he is not in any way or form trying to push an Islamic agenda at the Fort Collins school.


Rocky Mountain High School in Colorado was hit by controversy on Monday when a student group recited the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic

Rocky Mountain High School in Colorado was hit by controversy on Monday when a student group recited the Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic

'These students love this country,' said Lopez to Fox News.

'They were not being un-American in trying to do this. They believed they were accentuating the meaning of the words as spoken regularly in English.'

At the school, the Pledge of Allegiance is recited once a week and on Monday, a member of the Cultural Arms Club at Rocky Mountain High School read out an Arabic version.

The pupils sought the permission of Principal Lopez, who previously had allowed the Pledge to be read out in French and Spanish.

However, the backlash began from students hours after the recital and has continued through the week as angry parents have waded into the controversy.

'We understand not everybody would agree with the students’ choice,' said Danielle Clark, communications director of the Poudre School District to Fox News.

Pictured are members of the Cultural Arms Club at Rocky Mountain High School

Pictured are members of the Cultural Arms Club at Rocky Mountain High School

'We’ve heard there are some who are upset.'

Clark said though, that the club has a history of reading the Pledge in different languages and some parents have emailed to say it 'was a great thing'.

And she added that the students had asked permission from the principal.

'We deferred to the students because it’s their deal,' she said to Fox News.

Students at the school rushed to the classmates defence, keen to highlight the motto of the Cultural Arms Club which seeks to 'destroy the barriers, embrace the cultures.'

'No matter what language it’s said in, pledging your allegiance to the United States is the same in every language,' student Skyler Bowden told The Coloradoan.

The issue for some parents and pupils at the school is that in an Arabic translation of the Pledge of Allegiance, 'one nation under God' is replaced with 'one nation under Allah'.

Rocky Mountain High School Principal Tony Lopez has been stunned by the level of vitriol directed at him and the students for the Arabic pledge
Rocky Mountain High School Principal Tony Lopez has been stunned by the level of vitriol directed at him and the students for the Arabic pledge

Rocky Mountain High School Principal Tony Lopez has been stunned by the level of vitriol directed at him and the students for the Arabic pledge

'Obviously in Arabic, you would use the word Allah, but Christian Arabs would use the word Allah,' said Ibrahim Hooper, of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

'It’s not necessarily specific to Islam and Muslims.'

Principal Lopez has borne the brunt of the criticism of the decision to allow the recital - and some have gone as far as to label him as a traitor.

'They claim they are outraged that this is blaspheming a real major tenet of our patriotism – which in their mind the Pledge of Allegiance is only in English,' said Lopez.

Other parents have accused him of 'pushing a Muslim Brotherhood agenda - to push Islam into the school.'

Solemn Duty: Young students recite the Pledge of Allegiance at a school in America

Solemn Duty: Young students recite the Pledge of Allegiance at a school in America

'How on earth is it un-American to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in another language,' said Hooper to Fox News.

'It doesn’t make sense unless the people complaining are anti-Muslim or anti-middle eastern bigots.'

Indeed, the embattled head is becoming wary at the number of complaints and level of abuse he has received.

'I’ve been shocked with prejudicial statements that have been made,' said Lopez.

'I’ve been shocked with the lack of seeking understanding. There’s definitely suspicion and fear expressed in these people’s minds. There’s some hate.'

Lopez says the school is a place of inclusion where one message can be communicated in many different ways.

'When they pledge allegiance to United States, that's exactly what they're saying,' Lopez said. 'They're just using another language as their vehicle,' he said.

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  • Sure!  Let's recite the pledge in Japanese during WWII!  Lie to yourself if you want: "The United States is not at war with Islam."  Yeah, well, listen up, pal!  Islam IS at war with the United States, and, if you keep your head up where it is now, your ass will get kicked before you even see it coming.

    These "educators" are, to a man, idiots.

    •  I'd  wonder, instead Ed, how it is that the ' exsteamed ' Principal Tony ( Antonio ? ) Lopez, came to a viewpoint such as he now espouses, & how might he possibly justify his own, likely, Catholic faith ? What force caused him to desert the loyalty to his country & heritage ? I'm thinking the new ' Common Core ' may be the hinge point & his loyalty ? Did he have any to begin with ? Did not the value of his salary, the blessings of life in the USA, not add up to enough to curb the sway into darkness ?! Good Lord, How is it that, with so many obvious blessings, this ' man ' , so pivotal in the lives of our children, displays such a weakness that he sells out to a lower power. Shame on you, Antonio, you missed the whole point & opportunity for standing up & being counted among those who would never bow to a foreign definition of God, or, a ' popular ' ( among the traitors who seek to destroy ) active destruction of the attributes of this great Nation-indivisible, under God.  Were I a parent in this particular town, I would not suffer this fool to serve anywhere in any public school's system. I'd say he fits the definitions of a pervert, a pedophile if you will, who preys on the innocence of children & does not, as an adult & a ' Principal ', instill/enforce, simple disciplines of established guidelines of decency. The parents of this town should require his removal immediately, without recompense & the record of this event should be made public to prevent this ' infection ' from ever again having an undue influence over children. Letting children call the shots in instances such as this, demonstrates that the current trends of ' feel good ' choices, are not best for the childrens development, & most certainly not for the good of the country.

      • I agree.  Obviously, his politics -- which he, no doubt, learned as a student in our "education system" -- outweigh his loyalty and devotion to God, which were taught to him by his parents and clergy.  If we are up against a [political] force which can make a man deny his faith, we are not going to change them with our mere human powers of persuasion.  Therefore, political "missionary work" among the liberals is for naught, leaving us but one option for removing them from power when the population is more than fifty percent liberal.

  • Sure, The BS continues, and Having the comment by CAIR is the critically correct thing to do, again, BS.  No converted individual to Christian beliefs  would use Allah as a substitute for GOD.

     

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  • Uh why are we saying it in any other language at all? If they want to pledge their allegiance to the US they should do it in ENGLISH only. WTF is wrong with our schools? Oh yea it is called "Common Core" and this Government is using that crap to brain wash our children now. We are in trouble folks and if you have children in school you need to start fighting Common Core to the fullest. One state, Ohio I think, just defeated it in their system so it can be beaten and these folks wanting to use anything other than English to say the Pledge needs to find another job. Just my opinion though and I hope more will think the same. Thanks for putting this story out there so we can see what is happening to our kids in "Public Schools" these days.

  • The principal and the teachers involved in this should be fired!!  Maybe when some rag head is sawing off their heads, they will understand the gigantic mistake they made!!  Oh by the way this is the second gigantic mistake Colorado has made in less than a month!!  Making it more difficult to be an armed citizen to protect ones self and family!!!  You idiots in Colorado had better wake up to reality!!!

  • He's so full of shit he doesn't know where to dumb it all.

  • well what is wrong with the people in Rocky mountain.. they should be outraged,allah is not the same .. anybody who think they are has been brainwashed. My God, Jesus Christ are the same, My God there is no other God, He stands alone, where did these bird brains come from that are teaching our children this muslim religion.. they dont want to talk about Jesus christ but it might offend someone.. well who is offending who here.. People wake up. I know why this is happening because God says in his word that "my people perish for the lack of knowledge" they dont know the truth, they don't know the word. so guess what they will believe anything they are told. and you say it enough, for sure. But if know the truth it will set you free and no one can lie to you or make you believe anything else because you know the Truth, and the Truth is Jesus Christ, no man will come into the kingdom of God without going through his son, JESUS CHRIST first.. anything else is of the devil.

  • THIS IS AMERICA. This is not SAUDI ARABIA OR IRAN OR IRAQ. SPEAK ENGLISH OR GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM. This is sick. This guy should be run out of AMERICA ON A RAIL. I have no time for their BullCRAP any longer. NONE. NADA. ZiP. GET OUT OF OUR COUNTRY FOOL! We said the Pledge of Allegiance EVERY SINGLE MORNING at school when I was a kid. Now it's just once a week and a few times they pledge allegiance to one nation on ALLAH the rapist? Puke

  • I'M SO PISSED! I AM JUST SOOOO PISSED. Hey there DUFUS LOPEZ!! Allah wants to cut off the heads of infidels. Last I checked, God didn't do that. There is quite a difference between a peaceful loving God and a sick piece of some nasty prophet. THIS IS DISGUSTING. Lopez and anyone involved in allowing this needs to be DROPKICKED TO SAUDI

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