Meanwhile, In New Jersey

A Muslim girl gets a non-Muslim boy suspended for saying "Taliban." Details from Creeping Sharia, citing this source (dated November 12, 2010), below the fold.

WAYNE — On one side, a Wayne Valley High school student claims that his use of the word “Taliban” was innocent, mentioned in a conversation about a video game, according to his mother.

But to a Muslim student who overheard it at school on Thursday, it was upsetting. And she had perceived that he had looked at her when he said it, Principal Robert Reis said.

Now the boy is facing a one-day suspension on Monday, because, Reis said, he continued to talk about the incident and it got back to the girl and upset her. Reis said she felt the boy was boasting that he’d gotten away with something.

“This has nothing to do with the fact that the boy used a word,” Reis said. “This has everything to do with the boy hurt a girl’s feelings.” And after the boy was told by administrators not to discuss what happened, Reis said, “He went back and hurt her feelings a second time.”

But the boy’s mother, Rosa Giordano, said the incident “is totally being blown out of proportion” and she plans to fight the disciplinary action.


[...]

Giordano claims her son was embarrassed by the incident. She said he told a friend “nothing happened” because he didn’t want to talk about it, not to brag that he got away with anything.

So, do you believe the principal's explanation?

And what about the Muslim girl's perception? Are going to discipline students because they "perceive" something, whether or not an incident, in this case a glance, actually occurred?

I've been trying to find more information about the context of the boy's use of the word "Taliban," but have so far not found more details. Commenters are encouraged to leave any such information.