Story of the Year: Muslim Book Protests Revisited

One of the biggest local stories of 2023 were the Muslim protests demanding the right to opt out students from reading LGBTQ-themed books in public elementary schools. In Montgomery County, this was not just a fight between conservatives and liberals. The controversy frayed the Democratic coalition itself. Sunil Dasgupta's interview with protest leader Wael Elkoshairi was the most downloaded episode (#121) of the year. We rerun the interview and update the story with the latest news. Music from Arlington roots music singer-songwriter Valeria Stewart and her band Crooked Sparrow: youtube.com/@valeriastewartmusic. Episodes 141 looked at coverage of the coverage and several shows between #130 and #141 carried student reviews of the controversial books. Don't forget to check them out.