Connecticut School Cancels Muslim Speaker's Presentation After Teacher Organizing It Receives Threats

A Connecticut middle school canceled a planned speech about Islam after the teacher at the school organizing the talk received threats and severe backlash from some members of the community, according to reports Thursday.

A teacher at Northeastern Middle School in Bristol, Connecticut, had invited a local Muslim woman Annam Choudhry to speak this week on Nov. 22 about her faith in a history class and sent a note to parents informing them about the event.

The letter, which was posted online, according to Fox News, introduced the speaker as a New York City native who resided in Connecticut and was the founder of an organization devoted to "empowerment of Muslim women."

“[The] mission is to train Muslim women to inform others about the Islamic faith and to dispel misconceptions that are prevalent in today’s society. This presentation will enrich our curriculum on world history," the letter reportedly said.

The Connecticut branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations posted the letter on its Facebook page and said that it was aware of the event and planned to reach out to the school system. According to a press release posted on its official website, its chairperson spoke to the Bristol Public Schools superintendent and was assured that the school is committed to the diversification of education.

However, when the letter surfaced on a Facebook community discussion group, some posted messages supporting the event, while others claimed that the presentation appeared to be a snub of Christianity, the Hartford Courant reported. And gradually some among them prompted the school to cancel the speech finally after the teacher organizing the event started to receive threats.

"There were some security concerns due to threats being made at the school toward the teacher who was organizing the event," Bristol Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sass told NBC Connecticut.

In a statement to NBC, Bristol Public Schools superintendent Susan Kalt Moreau said despite the cancellation "there was an outpouring of support for bringing a speaker in to support our curriculum which includes religions of the world."

Moreau also added saying that she hoped to bring together a panel discussion that would feature representatives from different faiths.

The chair of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Connecticut branch also confirmed in a statement that he had a "positive discussion" with Moreau but reprimanded Bristol Public Schools having "seemingly bow[ed] to public pressure in this manner."

"Cancelling speakers outright emboldens individuals and organizations in Bristol who are Islamophobic and Anti-Semitic," Farhan Memon said. "It does a disservice to Bristol's students and to the community as a whole who need to learn about America's pluralism and diversity."

Several parents were also upset by the decision.

"How do we teach our children diversity and then go ahead and do something like this?" Bristol resident Dawn Chagnon said. "It makes for more ignorance of other religions and other cultures and other races. It’s not okay."

Tony Denote, another resident, said he had "no problem with the different faces coming into the school as long as all of them have the chance to talk."

School board chairman Chris Wilson said he understood "some emails to the principal and the teacher were very confrontational."

"The superintendent thought for safety reasons we should pull the program," Wilson added.