UNC-Qur'an Controversy

The Yacovelli v. Moeser case was a result of a summer reading program for new students implemented by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2002 that was objected to by several groups and was referred to by the media as the UNC-Qur'an Controversy.

Professor Carl W. Ernst of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) was asked if there was a good translation of the Qur'an that would be suitable for its Summer reading program of 2002. The program amounts to reading a short book, writing a short paper, and participating in small group discussion for two hours. He suggested Michael Sells (1999). Approaching the Qur'an. White Cloud Press.  Ernst noted that if it were not available he couldn't recommend one for the program. The book was adopted and the program set.

On May 21, 2002, conservative commentator Brit Hume of Foxnews released the first known news story on the forthcoming program followed by NPR on May 29. Early responses from parents directly to the university were generally negative though others said it was a courageous choice. Initially the ACLU and conservative commentators were concerned that a favoritism in religion was being shown. The then Chancellor of UNC, James Moeser, began to appear in various news outlets reporting some of the negative feedback his office had received but supporting the program noting most of the incoming students were assumed to be Christian or Jewish with a comparative lack of understanding Islam and that part of the mission of the university, its "great function", was to help expand understanding of other cultures. In July the The O'Reilly Factor covered the controversy followed in August the television shows Good Morning America and Nightline as the time of the reading program approached.

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