Saudi-Funded Islamic School In Virginia Faces Scrutiny After Failure To Report Sexual Abuse

McLEAN, Va. — The director of a Saudi-funded Islamic school in northern Virginia accused of promoting religious intolerance has been convicted of failing to report suspected child abuse.

Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, director of the Islamic Saudi Academy, was fined $500 Thursday after admitting that he failed to inform authorities about suspected sexual abuse of a 5-year-old girl who attended the school's Fairfax campus.

As part of a plea bargain, prosecutors dropped an obstruction of justice charge, which could have carried up to a year in jail. A trial had been scheduled for Aug. 1.

The charges against Al-Shabnan provided fuel to the school's critics, who say it teaches an intolerant brand of Islam in line with the Wahhabist form of the religion prevalent in the Saudi kingdom.

According to court papers, the girl made comments that led her teacher to suspect the girl's father might be sexually abusing her.

The teacher and school principal filed a report to Al-Shabnan, but he didn't believe the girl. He advised the girl's parents to put her into counseling, according to a police affidavit.

State law requires school authorities to report alleged child abuse within 72 hours of learning of the allegation.

Police also said in court papers that the Al-Shabnan, 52, had a report of the girl's complaint deleted from a school computer.

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Al-Shabnan, of McLean, Va., and school officials did not return phone calls seeking comment Wednesday, nor did Al-Shabnan's attorney, Robert C. Whitestone.

Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Morrogh was out of town and unavailable for comment, his office said.

School officials have countered allegations of intolerance by saying they modified textbooks and religious courses to delete intolerant material.

However, a federal commission issued a report last month stating that even the academy's revised textbooks contain numerous hateful passages. One passage said it is permissible for Muslims to kill adulterers and converts from Islam, while other passages state that "the Jews conspired against Islam and its people" and that Muslims are permitted to take the lives and property of those deemed "polytheists."

And a regional accrediting body said earlier this month that it was reviewing the school's status in light of the commission's report and Al-Shabnan's arrest.

Fairfax County officials have said it's up to the State Department to decide if the school can continue running. But the State Department has said that operations at the school _ which sits on land leased by the county _ remain a local issue.

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., sent a third letter Wednesday to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging her more actively investigate what's being taught at the school.

The school serves about 900 students in grades K-12 at campuses in Alexandria and Fairfax.

Andrea Lafferty _ executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, a conservative advocacy group that has been critical of the school _ said the $500 fine amounts to a slap on the wrist.

"His fine wasn't much more than an HOV (traffic) violation," Lafferty said. "That's pretty outrageous for failure to report child abuse."

Comments

[GeoLee]

As a social worker and mandated reporter, I want to know if the Commonwealth of Virginia has a mandated report law for teachers and school administrators and any other member of a school staff. In Kansas that law is very specific. The mandated person (which includes licensed psychologists; psychotherapists; marriage and family
therapists; professional counselors; registered substance abuse counselors;
licensed child care providers; licensed social workers; and those licensed to
practice healing arts or dentistry, or optometry alone, persons engaged in
postgraduate training programs approved by the state board of healing arts;
licensed nurses examining, attending or treating a child under the age of 18;
teachers, school administrators or other employees of a school which the child is
attending; chief administrative officers of medical care facilities; firefighters;
emergency medical services personnel; mediators appointed under K.S.A. 23-602
and amendments thereto; juvenile intake and assessment workers; and law
enforcement officers.) who was told the story by the child is the one who is required to go to the phone and places a call Child Protective Services and THEN write a written report which goes to the principal and in larger districts to the specific person inthe downtown administration so they ahve a checks and balances system. The principal is only notified AFTER the mandated reporter makes the report to the state agency. Why?

[GeoLee]

Continued: This kind of specificity prevents this kind of administrative shoveling under the rug activity. All private and church school employees are also under the mandated report law in our state. If Virginia does not have a similar mandate law, shame on them. If they do, the teacher and principal should also have been charged. Furthermore, we don't put all the information on school computers in order to protect the child's identity within the school setting. We have written reports and a real paper trail in triplicate in our system and we send or fax a copy of the written report immediately to the CPS after making the call and finishing writing the report. And, unlike Virginia, our reports must be made within 24 hours...if a perpetrator got wind of anything, 72 hours is a long time to pack up and leave the vicinity. What is Virginia thinking with a 72 hour requirement? Oh, I guess the legislators weren't!

[genseric13]

Madrassas in America, but that's diversity. Thanks Dems.

[colleen2]

Blaming the existence of Madrasses on US soil on the Dems must involve a fair amount of both denial and inability to accept responsibility for one's poor decisions in the voting booth. Does it hurt?

[MagisterLudi]

Surely you're not insinuating that Barry will close madrasas?!

[Smirk]

Saudi Arabia has funded many madrassas in the US, and, for that matter, was where 15 of the 19 9/11 terrorists were from. Guess which party is snuggly-buggly with the house of Saud? Hint: it's not the Democratic party. Thank Dubya and friends.

[GeoLee]

Your comment might lead one to actually think that 15 of the 9/11 terrorists came from American madrasses funded by the Saudis. 15 of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia and were not educated in any American madrasses. I just wanted to make sure anyone reading your comment did not get confused by the wording. Yes, you are on target with Dubya and the whole regime's connections with the House of Saud.

[carlgt1]

a $500 fine? how pathetic, you get hit more for a moving violation or having possession of a joint!

[lylo]

Yeah. Unless you are a low-class public school. Then it gets ignored.
At my high school, there was at least one teacher every year busted for diddling a student. This was only a couple years ago, so probably still the case. Absolutely NO media coverage, NO fines, NO jail time. NOTHING.

[GeoLee]

Where do you live? Sounds like the laws either are not in place or you are giving us a line of bs. What are the specific laws in your state?

[S1m0n]

They must be taking after the catholics.

[MagisterLudi]

No they're talking about Muslims this time.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

I am having a real problem regarding Islam.If what they preach is peace,why is the hateful stuff still taught and why here?People are comparing this to the Catholic church and the molestations,this is completely different.It was priests molesting children and the church hierarchy turning a blind eye.The sexual abuse is on par with the Catholic church,but I'm not talking about the molestation,just the indoctrination of Arab children to hate the west and Israel.I read about this a few days ago and don't understand why the school hasn't been shut down.The Catholic church may be wrong in what they did ,but it's a far cry from telling their congregation it's okay to kill someone for leaving the faith.The Islamic schools that are advocating hate crimes to young children while they are still very impressionable should be closed down permanently.On a sour note,.the kids parents must be aware of what is being taught and approve of it.Which begs the question,why are they here in the USA ?

[sonicfilter]

So I guess that radical Christian churches that advocate killing abortion doctors should be closed down too? All religions have their nut cases. It is not inclusive to Islam.

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

Christian churches that advocate killing anyone should be shut down too but that's a separate issue.I'm talking about doctrine as regards Islam.I'm also talking about doctrine, advocating murder, being taught to children by so called responsible religious adults.

[colleen2]

"just the indoctrination of Arab children to hate the west and Israel."

They're taught that it's OK to kill and steal from "polytheists" too....which is, btw, most of the rest of the world not dominated by the Abrahamic religions. So it's not just the West and Israel they hate. Like fundamentalists everywhere they hate anyone who does not live as they do.
The Saudis are the Taliban with lots of money.

[S1m0n]

Get over yourself.

Fundamentalism is a human trait, not one peculiar to any particular religion.

By the numbers, fundamentalists of one stripe or another constitute about 20% of the believers of every major religion; a ratio which has remained stable over time and across cultures.

[Smirk]

Really? Are there fundamentalists Unitarians?

[AmericanSinceFeb08]

C a t h o l i c priests or this school or our military services?????

[AgentMacGyver]

Wait, the day that changed everything was Saudi-funded too. How come a child abuse case gets the label "Saudi-funded" and our new Pearl Harbor doesn't?

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Huzzah!

[colleen2]

"How come a child abuse case gets the label "Saudi-funded" and our new Pearl Harbor doesn't?"

the Saudi attitude (and Saudi law) towards human females is a great example of what we mean by 'chattel' and so I am hopeful that this case will receive enough publicity to make more people aware of the degenerate and dehumanizing influence of fundamentalists of any stripe.

If anyone pointed out that the Saudis funded and fueled 911 someone might ask why we invaded and occupy Iraq . They might notice what a great recruiting tool said invasion and occupation has been for folks like Osama Bin Laden. They might even wonder why our government went after Saddam Hussein rather than the men who actually did have something to do with the destruction of the WTC. Besides, the Saudis are our allies.....

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Now THAT's funny!:

"Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., sent a third letter Wednesday to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging her more actively investigate what's being taught at the school."

[kid5rivers2]

The inference of the caption is clear.

[Rondo]

Are non-islamic religious schools welcome in Saudi Arabia?

[andyg]

no

[Atticus]

So what's wrong with having Muslim Wahabi madrassasahs in every town and city in America? Let children be educated! What's wrong with having a mosque built next to your WalMart?

I see a bunch of racists objecting here. This is America-- Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, cowboys and Indians, the winning of WWI and WWII with down-home Norman Rockwell family sons is old hat. Think CHANGE, that's the new credo!

Enjoy your pilaf!

[Smirk]

WTF?

[MagisterLudi]

Whats wrong with the most repressive form of Islam being taught in U.S?
Everything...

A study by the US NGO Freedom House claimed to find Wahhabi publications in a number of mosques in the United States preaching that Muslims should not only "always oppose" infidels "in every way," but "hate them for their religion ... for Allah's sake," that democracy "is responsible for all the horrible wars of the 20th century," and that Shia and other non-Wahhabi Muslims were infidels.

[MagisterLudi]

"Think CHANGE"

Hopefully this "change" does not involve a Wahabist mosque in every town.... What a nightmare...

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Look at the bright side: at least they didn't lock the girls in during a fire.

[Agnim]

The insane islamic Trojan Horse!

Are the authorities in Virginia so out of touch with world affairs and the role of the destructive Saudis?

The Saudis are the ones responsible for funding the maniacal muslim madrassas all over the world!

And it is these institutions of islamic insanity that are responsible for cultivating most of the terrorists!

Those islamic institutions of insanity should be CLOSED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!

Imagine, we should be looking to closing madrassas in Afghanistan-Pakistan and replace them with more secular eduction for the next generation, only to find that we are building them IN THE HEART OF AMERICA?

This is insanity!
Wake the f....ck up America while you still can!

[Atticus]

Well said, Agnim

[JohnFromCensornati]

I would like to point out to everyone that the school was not responsible for molesting the girl. Her father was. The crime here is failure to report somebody else's crime.

Catholic priests raped kids and the church covered it up to protect its own bank account.

Other than the fact that both crimes involve religious organizations, they really don't have that much in common.

[Sarahjan]

Why allow Saidi Arabia to fund American schools?

If the Muslims of America wish to set up Muslim school sfo their kids, let them pay for it.
I am a saying Muslim who is against Saudi Arabia's corrupt Islam.

[JohnFromCensornati]

Sorry, Sarahjan. That'll never fly. Cuban or Iranian money maybe. The Saudis have some "influence" here.

[Smirk]

Given the school's name, it probably is a private school and the Saudis have funded a lot of private schools to promote their brand of wahabism in the US.