Chatham Moms Hire Lawyers Over Islam In Middle School Curriculum

CHATHAM, NJ — Two Chatham mothers who made national headlines after a Fox News segment about their opposition to the middle school's inclusion of Islam in a World Culture & Geography course have hired lawyers.

Libby Hilsenrath and Nancy Gayer have hired Thomas More Law Center, a Michigan-based conservative nonprofit law firm that tries to "preserve America’s Judeo-Christian heritage" to represent them. A representative for the law firm told Patch "the next steps remain confidential."

The law firm, on its website, says its mission is to "defend the religious freedom of Christians."

The law center, which does not charge for its services, says its purpose "is to be the sword and shield for people of faith, providing legal representation without charge. We achieve this goal principally through litigation, seeking out significant cases consistent with our mission."

The pair protested Chatham Middle School's lessons on Islam at Board of Education meetings before appearing on Fox News' "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

>>>READ MORE: Chatham Moms Appear On Fox News To Talk About Islam In School Curriculum

When asked about the involvement of lawyers, school Superintendent Michael LaSusa reiterated a previous statement:

As we have discussed before and as we stated at our March 6 Board of Education meeting, our school district meets and exceeds the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in all areas. As part of the school district's social studies program, students are exposed to the tenets of all major world religions, including Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and more.

"One of my fundamental obligations as a parent is to guide the religious and secular education of my children. That’s why I will continue the fight against the Islamic indoctrination now taking place at Chatham, regardless of the personal attacks," Hilsenrath said in the press release.

LaSusa has previously said the school spends three days on the tenets of Islam and that it "receives a treatment similar to the other world religions."

>>>READ MORE: $6.8K Spent On Police For Schools Following Chatham Moms' Fox News Segment

Public backlash against both the school district and Hilsenrath and Gayer was swift following the Tucker Carlson segment. Threats poured into the Board of Education offices, and the district spent $6,500 in additional security following the segment. Both women have said they faced intense criticism, including being called "islamophobic" and "racist," the press release said.

Much of the controversy centers on a five-minute cartoon where one child teaches another about his Muslim faith. TMLC described the video as "a subtle propaganda cartoon video."

You can watch the video here:

You can see Hilsenrath and Gayer's Fox News segment here:

Image: YouTube screenshot