Despite public backlash and an indifferent school board, parent Libby Hilsenrath has fought Chatham Middle School for approximately a year after her son and others were told by their teacher to watch a video entitled “Five Pillars” as part of a world cultures class.
Hilsenrath is represented by the Thomas More Law Center, which filed suit in January on behalf of her and her son.
Hilsenrath first appeared at a school board meeting on Feb. 6, 2017, to complain that “Five Pillars” and other videos suggested by the teacher amount to overtly religious propaganda.
A 2017 OneNewsNow story about Hilsenrath describes how the video uses a young disarming Muslim boy who recites the Five Pillars to a non-Muslim boy, then invites him to his mosque for prayers.
Kate Oliveri of Thomas More says a second video in question concludes with the prayer, “May God help us all find the one true faith – Islam.”
“The school board has indicated their support of the curriculum,” she says. “They’ve said they’ve reviewed it all and they don’t seem to have a problem with prayers for conversion for students in their classroom.”
The 2017 story also recounted that Hilsenrath has been subjected to public backlash, such as accusations of bigotry and racism, after she appeared on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show to describe her fight.