Editor’s Note: This week, “The Wall of Separation” blog is featuring the essays and videos submitted by the winners of Americans United’s 2024 AU Student Contest, which asked high school and college students to reflect on their vision for church-state separation. Submissions do not necessarily reflect the views of Americans United.
As a child, reading was my escape. Books were more than just stories to me; they were windows into other worlds and perspectives, teaching me empathy and fundamentally shaping the person I would become. My love for books was one of few consistencies in my childhood, and I never imagined I’d see the windows of reading being boarded up for future generations.
However, earlier this year, I learned that a member of my school board was pushing to give our superintendent the authority to unilaterally ban books, bypassing our district’s book review committee. This proposal felt like an attack on the books I loved as well as on the very concept of intellectual freedom—an ideal I had come to cherish after leaving Saudi Arabia, where religious control stifled individual expression. Initially, I protested simply to defend my favorite titles, but I soon realized these book bans were part of a larger movement aimed at intertwining religion and public education to impose a narrow, theocratic worldview.
I saw this most clearly in March, when the same school board member invited pastors and another county’s Moms for Liberty chapter to speak at a board meeting, giving them a platform to impose their views on our district. Despite protests from students, parents and educators within the district, our school board ultimately sided with these outside groups. It was a clear signal that our voices didn’t matter as much as their religious agenda, reinforcing the growing influence of religious extremism on our public school system and leaving us voiceless in our own district — an experience that echoed my childhood in Saudi Arabia.
Growing up in Saudi Arabia prior to the rule of Mohammed bin Salman, I witnessed how Wahhabism dictated every aspect of life, including education. The strict government-enforced interpretation of Islam rejected diverse views and enforced a rigid moral code that silenced dissent through censorship. Public schools prioritized preaching Islam over promoting critical thinking, and women were denied education without male approval, leaving them in dependency and silence.
Now, living in Texas, I see a disturbing parallel with Christian Nationalism, which seeks to control education by imposing specific religious values. Just as Wahhabism enforced a singular religious narrative, Christian Nationalists use book bans and biased educational materials like PragerU to teach a revisionist version of history and limit access to diverse perspectives. Proposals like Texas Senate Bill 1515, mandating displays of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, mirror the enforcement of strict moral codes in Saudi schools, embedding religious doctrine into public education. Similarly, efforts to marginalize LGBTQ+ identities in American education seek to silence voices that challenge restrictive social norms, thereby advancing the agenda of Christian Nationalists.
This encroachment of religious extremism in public schools is not new. Despite the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of, or from, religion, efforts to intertwine religious beliefs with education persist. While Engel v. Vitale aimed to end school-sponsored prayer, recent cases like Kennedy v. Bremerton, where the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a football coach leading prayers on the field, have blurred the lines between personal religious expression and state endorsement, creating a fertile ground for Christian Nationalism to further entrench its power in our public schools.
The book bans in my district exemplify how Christian Nationalist ideals infiltrate public education. They don’t just silence authors; they silence students like me, who deserve the right to form our own opinions. To combat this intrusion, we must look to the past for inspiration. Historically, the defense of church-state separation has been championed by advocates such as Madalyn Murray O’Hair, an atheist activist, who played a pivotal role in legally ending mandatory Bible readings in public schools. In more recent times, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union have continued this legacy, fighting to uphold church-state separation in conservative states such as Florida and Texas. These battles illustrate the ongoing struggle to keep public education secular, a crucial safeguard for intellectual freedom amid rising religious extremism.
Moving forward, I believe the solution lies in community organizing and enhanced civic education. We must continue to unite parents, teachers, students and lawmakers who are committed to fighting for our public schools. As proven through the collaboration of various civil rights organizations, which led to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, united voices are instrumental to creating systemic change.
Today, social media can also be utilized as a powerful tool to amplify awareness and mobilize support. Although my efforts against the book bans in my district were unsuccessful, I was amazed by the community I reached. Initially scared to speak out, social media helped me realize I wasn’t alone. As I saw more posts about the policy change and received messages from students wanting to get involved, I began to truly understand the power of coalition building. On the day of the vote, we all wore red, standing together in solidarity and holding signs featuring phrases like “Let Freedom Read.” I found my voice in the diverse crowd of students, parents, teachers and librarians as I spoke to the press, feeling the weight of our collective resolve. In that moment, it became clear that we were not just a group of individuals but a movement, united and determined to be heard.
In addition to community organizing, more comprehensive, nonpartisan and hands-on civic education is vital to combating religious extremists and their lawmaker allies. Through greater use of programs like iCivics and Generation Citizen, which provide interactive tools and relatable lessons on civic concepts and government processes, we can empower the next generation to actively engage in civic life and change the course of our country.
Unlike Saudi Arabia, the United States is a democracy, and we have the invaluable opportunity to voice our opinions and participate in our government. By equipping young people with the skills to understand diverse perspectives and engage meaningfully in our democracy, we can forge a future where the only walls we build are those that separate education from indoctrination.
