Recently, Shabbir Mansuri, founding director of the Council on Islamic Education, distributed a letter to leaders in education, expressing the center's grief over the victims of the September 11 terrorist acts. Mansuri's letter quotes the Qur'an to reiterate an important point, one that we must keep in mind over the coming months: "Islam categorically condemns terrorism and the killing of innocents. . . . The values and principles of justice and democracy so cherished in the United States of America are equally cherished by Muslims, and supported in the scripture of Islam."

Mansuri calls upon educators at all levels to "support the education process," a process "which can dispel ignorance, cultivate tolerance among all the peoples who share this great land, and avoid civil strife." At the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), we join the Council on Islamic Education in issuing this call to all educators. We, too, believe that only through education can we protect the citizens of the world from ignorance and discord.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, many U.S. citizens have reached out to embrace their neighbors, yet news media across the country continue to document disturbing acts and expressions of hatred based on religious prejudice. At ASCD, we find these actions and expressions to be profoundly distressing and unacceptable—not only for their hatred, but also because they reveal a deeply troubling ignorance about the world's religions. A recent poll, for example, found that two out of three people in the U.S. are unfamiliar with the basic tenets of Islam. As Charles Haynes, senior scholar at the Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center, has observed, "The current attacks on Muslim Americans (and others mistaken for Muslims) are stark reminders that ignorance and hatred are an internal threat to freedom."

ASCD joins the Council on Islamic Education, the First Amendment Center, and others who assert that the security of individual rights and freedoms, and the existence of a civil society, require citizens who are knowledgeable about the world and its diverse inhabitants. We also believe that if children are to acquire this knowledge, schools must include fair and balanced teaching about religion in accordance with constitutional provisions.

Resources are available to help schools address religion and religious issues without violating the First Amendment. In 2000, the Clinton administration distributed guidelines to all schools in the United States to help educators deal with issues of religion in the classroom. However, a study conducted last winter by ASCD and the First Amendment Center found that only 15 percent of teachers say they are at least "somewhat familiar with these guidelines." Lacking this information, many educators continue to shy away from teaching about religion in their classrooms. At the same time, some schools are erring in the opposite direction, especially in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attack, instituting religious activities that violate the constitutional separation of church and state.

We must educate our nation's children about the beliefs and practices of world religions. Such knowledge is a defense against religious bigotry and intolerance. At the same time, we must also protect our children's First Amendment rights, being careful not to promulgate religious beliefs in public schools. To negotiate this difficult terrain, all teachers must become informed about the nature of First Amendment principles and their implications for classroom practice.

ASCD has a longstanding commitment to helping educators teach our children about the beliefs and practices of world religions while safeguarding religious liberty and freedom of conscience in our public schools. We believe that knowledge of world religions combats ignorance, promoting freedom—and peace—for the people of the world.

Visit ASCD's Reading Room at /readingroom.html to learn more about resources for teaching about religion in public schools.

The First Amendment Center also provides resources for teaching about religion; see http://www.firstamendmentschools.org.

The U.S. Department of Education provides guidelines and other resources for teaching about religion in the public schools. See http://www.ed.gov/inits/religionandschools/.

Visit the Council on Islamic Education at http://www.cie.org.

Visit ASCD's Web site to learn more about ESEA's implications for literacy programs, professional development, and state accountability systems.