Evangelical School Teaches "Ethics," not Christianity, to Muslim Students

November 2, 2004

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/3974555.stm

On November 2, 2004 the BBC News reported, "[T]he National Evangelical School in south Lebanon is... testament to the complexities of religious co-existence in today's Middle East. Founded by Presbyterian missionaries 75 years ago, the school is Christian, but its pupils - from the town of Nabatieh in Hezbollah's heartlands - are Shia Muslims. The school's governors long ago gave up any ideas of converting their young charges to Christianity. 'No Muslim became a Christian in 75 years,' says head teacher Munther Antoun cheerfully, himself a Presbyterian Christian. Instead of religious assembly, every morning the school's 783 pupils receive a 20-minute talk as part of their 'ethical teaching.' When using religious resources, teachers tread a fine line, choosing elements common to both faiths, such as Islam's recognition of Jesus as a prophet."