Escamilla seeking big-time backers

Evangelists asked to assist his cause

Robert Escamilla, the embattled Wake County social studies teacher, never has denied that he is a Christian or that his transfer from Enloe High School to Mary Phillips High School may have been punishment for his beliefs.

Now he is trying to get high-profile evangelical Christian leaders to champion his cause. The latest is Charles Colson, the one-time Richard Nixon aide and now born-again Christian, best known for founding Prison Fellowship, a Christian outreach ministry. Escamilla met with Colson recently during a conference in Charlotte at which Colson spoke.

On Friday, Colson, speaking through a spokeswoman, said he thought Escamilla was "a very solid guy with a strong case." Colson said he was doing more research and may consider a commentary on his "BreakPoint" radio show, which has a weekly listening audience of 2 million, according to the Prison Fellowship Web site.

Escamilla sued the Wake County school system last week, alleging that his due process rights were violated when the superintendent's office suspended him and transferred him to an alternative school after he invited a Christian evangelist who denounced Islam in his classroom. During that February visit, Kamil Solomon, an Egyptian-born Christian who lives in Raleigh, delivered an anti-Muslim screed to 300 or so Enloe students.

Escamilla's lawsuit does not claim his First Amendment right to freedom of religion was violated. Instead, it claims the school board denied him the opportunity to properly defend himself during his appeal and singled him out for punishment.

Still, Escamilla's supporters have portrayed him as a persecuted Christian, and Escamilla's attorney, Billy J. Strickland II of Goldsboro, has argued the school system tolerates those who put down Christianity and punishes those who speak negatively of other faiths -- a charge evangelicals have been making for years.

This is not the first time Escamilla has sought the help of Christian advocates. Earlier this year, two of the nation's most powerful Christian advocacy law firms -- the American Center for Law and Justice and the Alliance Defense Fund -- rejected his case.

"The problem was that since I didn't get fired they felt there wasn't a strong case," Escamilla said.

Recently, he said, he consulted with David C. Gibbs III of the Christian Law Association. Gibbs, a Florida lawyer, represented Terry Schiavo's parents in their unsuccessful bid to keep their daughter alive.

At the invitation of Chuck Campbell, a local television show host, Escamilla attended the National Conference on Christian Apologetics at Calvary Church in Charlotte two weeks ago.

The event featured nationally recognized evangelical leaders. About 4,000 people attended sessions titled "Defending Truth in the Clash of Civilizations" and "Jesus and the Bible vs. Muhammad and the Quran."

On the second day, Escamilla was given a 10-minute stage appearance to tell his story. He said he got a standing ovation. "I was quite honored they gave me the limelight for a few minutes," Escamilla said.

He also returned home with business cards from key Christian advocates.