Politics

Rep. Carson: America’s schools should use madrassas as ‘model,’ ‘where the foundation is the Koran’

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Indiana Democratic Rep. Andre Carson claimed in late May that America’s schools should be modeled after Islamic madrassas in video that recently surfaced.

“America will never tap into educational innovation and ingenuity without looking at the model that we have in our madrassas, in our schools, where innovation is encouraged, where the foundation is the Quran,” Carson said in the speech. “And that model that we are pushing in some of our schools meets the multiple needs of students.”

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Carson’s comments were made during a May 26 speech in Hartford, Conn. at the 37th Annual Islamic Circle of North America-Muslim American Society Convention.

Madrassas are Islamic schools. Some claim that madrassas have a tendency to promote sexist, anti-Semitic teachings.

The Indiana Democrat is one of two Muslim congressmen in the United States. He made headlines last summer for claiming that the Tea Party wanted to see blacks “hanging on a tree.”

Carson’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment.

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Caroline May