Jane Clausen, director of the Lubbock Library, said no one has protested the presence of “The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq” and “Nasreen’s Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan.”
“We haven’t had a formal complaint (about any book) in a couple of years, I would say,” Clausen said.
“We rarely, rarely have any complaints about our materials.”
According to The Florida Times-Union, another publication of Morris Communications which owns A-J Media, some parents and grandparents of students in the Duval County Public Schools have protested the inclusion of the two books in the third-grade reading list.
Dianne Haines Roberts, a grandparent in the Duval County district, called for parents to petition the books on the grounds that they “promote the Quran and praying to Muhammad [PBUH].” Her post on Facebook about the books was shared 206 times.
The books are available at Lubbock libraries, with “Nasreen’s Secret School’ available only at Mahon Library and multiple copies of ‘The Librarian of Basra’ available at several Lubbock library locations.
‘The Librarian of Basra’ is the true story of a librarian who saved 70 percent of her library’s books by sneaking them out and hiding them in a restaurant, her home and her friends’ homes before the library was destroyed in the Iraq war in 2003.
The book does not mention prayer, but a quote from a New York Times news story on the librarian, Alia Muhammad Baker, says, “In the Quran, the first thing God said to Muhammad [PBUH] was ‘Read.’”
The book also mentions that one of the Basra library’s treasured books was a biography of Muhammad [PBUH] that was 700 years old.
‘Nasreen’s Secret School’ is about the hardships faced by girls and women during the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan, specifically during the time period of 1996-2001. The book tells the story of Nasreen, whose parents disappeared during the time period, and her grandmother. Because she is concerned about her granddaughter’s mindset after the disappearances, the grandmother finds a secret school for her granddaughter even though the Taliban forbids education of girls.
As the grandmother leaves her granddaughter at the school on the first day, she prays, “Please Allah, open her eyes to the world.” That was the only mention of religion, except for the closing words, which say the Taliban can never close the windows that have opened for Nasreen, “Insha’Allah,” or God willing.
According to The Florida Times-Union, some parents at a school board meeting said they were concerned about the serious content in the books, including war and references to Islam.
The superintendent of the Duval County Public Schools, Nikolai Vitti, said the debate over removing the books about saving books and getting an education is ironic.
“Ironically, it’s the same themes that are discussed in the books themselves,” Vitti said, according to The Florida Times-Union.
Clausen said the Lubbock library system has procedures for residents to request reconsideration of a book’s inclusion on library shelves. But she said the library serves a diverse population.
“We have patrons of all faiths: Muslim, Christian, Jewish,” Clausen said.
Many years ago, Clausen said, someone filed a complaint about a children’s book that included the creation stories of different cultures.
“It’s important that we try to represent other cultures. And of course that book stayed in the collection,” Clausen said.
The Lubbock library collection development policy states the choice of library materials by users is an individual matter, with responsibility for children’s reading materials resting with parents.
“While a person may reject materials for himself or herself and for his or her children, he or she cannot exercise censorship to restrict access to the materials by others,” the Lubbock library policy states. “The Lubbock Public Library endeavors to build a collection representing varying points of view.” (Lubbock Online)
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