Sun Journal Letter to the Editor: Children Conditioning? By CCTA Member Carlton Melvin

August 14, 2011

"Celebrate a Muslim Holiday" glared the title of the Mini Page of the Aug. 2 issue of the Sun Journal — a page geared primarily for children. Not a page I normally spend a lot of time reading, but this one caught my fancy.


The page reminds the youthful readers that the Islamic holiday, Ramadam, began the day before and goes on to describe the long holiday, facts about Muslims, the festival marking the end of Ramadam, fasting, traditions, denominations of Islam, Sharia law, and wrapping up with a picture depicting happy little Muslims (Mini Spy and her friends) sitting around the table celebrating this esteemed holiday.

While reading the page, I marveled at the writer’s technique in the art of "cloaking" — that is, shielding the reader from all but the goodness of Islam and the attributes of the Quran. Such technique could be otherwise defined as "conditioning" or perhaps the art of "omission" or even "brainwashing." The writer of the article, a Mohammed El Filali of the Islamic Center of Passaic County, N.J., is obviously quite proficient using this subtle technique primarily aimed at appealing to young and receptive minds.

While exposing young minds to various religious beliefs is lauded, such exposure must be closely monitored to ensure a fair and balanced mixture of objectivity which is dangerously lacking in this particular article. Responsible parental oversight would seem most approproriate in this case.

Carlton Melvin, CCTA Member
Havelock, NC