Frequently asked questions

Community Members for Religious Neutrality in Public Schools – San Francisco Bay Area (CMRN-SFBA), et al. v. Palo Alto Unified School District, Brent Kline, et al., No. 5:26-cv-08249, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Case summary and filings →

The State of California has no business promoting any particular faith; faith is a question for individuals and families. Our state and federal constitutions prohibit this, insisting on separation of church and state.

PAUSD’s three-year academic Social Justice Pathway features Islam as the religion of social justice. That is an advocacy position for Islam as a religion, and for Islam as the faith most aligned with the political goals of “social justice.”

There is a difference between studying religion and participating in it. In an academic setting, PAUSD can — and should — teach comparative religion, as well as religion in social context. Instructing students in religious practice and encouraging religious participation is different.

When the State promotes Islam as the social justice faith, it puts a political patina on a faith in a way that can assist that faith; and because all faiths emphasize social justice, it denigrates the excluded faiths as incapable of being suited for the moment.

Of course. Islam is an important and dynamic faith with deep cultural significance and history.

Parents signed off on a field trip to the Muslim Community Association, which concealed the political and religious excursion as an academic supplement. Parents never gave consent for their minor children to be photographed in Islamic garb and to be used for purposes of proselytizing and conversion. Images posted by the MCA have been removed following the lawsuit.

The Muslim Community Association is focused upon a mosque. Its website states: “Come to pray and stay to make friends in our peaceful masjid [‘place of prostration’], outdoors, cafes, and more!” [link]

Zahra Billoo is the Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA), the oldest CAIR chapter office. [cite] CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator by federal prosecutors in 2007 during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial. [cite] Billoo herself is a political, not religious, figure; her political views are controversial and extreme: she claims that mainstream Jews and Jewish organizations are “enemies” of those interested in social justice for Palestinians [cite] and compares Israel’s citizen army to ISIS as “genocidal terrorist organizations.” [cite]

No. This is an American issue. Some of the plaintiffs are Jewish, and some are Hindu and Zoroastrian. Christian families have expressed interest too and may soon be joining the lawsuit as plaintiffs.

Yes. We can, and want to, add plaintiffs to clarify the importance of this issue to the Bay Area community. See the eligibility questions →

This case will be expensive to bring. Contributions to defray costs may be made on a tax-free basis. Please contact David Rosenberg-Wohl, counsel for plaintiffs, to find out how: [email protected].