The Jan. 13 work session of the Garland ISD board of trustees was attended by a number of taxpayers who voiced opposition to the “Stand with the Prophet” event at the Curtis Culwell Center Jan. 17.
The event is hosted by a group called Sound Vision and their website states, “This is not an event. It is the beginning of a movement. A movement to defend Prophet Muhammad, his person and his message.”
In addition, the website includes the following statements:
· “Islamophobes have turned him [Muhammad] into an object of hate…While the U.S. is where this hate machine is based, Islamophobia is causing problems all around the world.”
· “Hate groups in the U.S. have invested at least $160 million to attack our Prophet and Islam.”
· One of the themes of the event is to “combat Islamaphobes in America.”
The first speaker during the public forum said that he didn’t think that the board would allow pedophiles or a porn show at the center and he didn’t feel that they should allow a group that advocates Sharia law.
Another said that one of the speakers at the program will be an alleged unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing (Siraj Wahhaj). She added that the Islamic group’s freedom of speech does not get to trump her freedom of speech and does not get to teach how to silence the media, referring to the terrorist killings in Paris.
Another speaker said that this group is here to “conform others to their philosophy which allows elimination of those who are not in agreement.” This speaker found in the GISD manual for the Culwell Center that the superintendent can overrule the decision to allow the event to be held at the Curtis Culwell Center and she called on him to do so.
”I challenge you to do what is good for our community, do the hard thing and eliminate risks,” she said.
Another speaker reminded the board that when he was a student in GISD, devotionals were given over the school intercom. He added that God has been taken out of the school and a GISD building is now being used for Sharia law.
After a few speakers had expressed their opinions, Rick Lambert, president of the board, asked the next ones to address new issues on the topic rather than saying the same things that had already been said.
Before the public forum portion of the board of trustees meeting began, Lambert said that the board welcomes and encourages the public to speak.
“We want to hear what you have to say,” he said.
Lambert told the group that the Culwell Center is available for rental to anyone that complies with the law, fills out the lease and complies with policy.
“We are not allowed, because it is a public facility…to discriminate based upon viewpoint,” he said. “Others that have had events at the facility include the Baptists, Church of Christ, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints…”
Someone in the audience said something while Lambert was talking and he responded by saying, “Excuse me, no interruptions. We have given you the opportunity to speak and expect that you would be respectful as well. If you are not going to be respectful then you cannot stay in this meeting.”
The words “vote him out” could be heard as the people speaking against the event left the room.