History Textbooks Promoting Islam
World Net Daily:
New report says Muslim activists ’succeeding’ in expunging criticism
History textbooks being used by hundreds of thousands of public school students across the U.S. are blatantly promoting Islam, according to a new report by an independent organization that researches and reviews textbooks.
WND has reported several times on issues involving the promotion of Islam in public school texts, including a recent situation in which California parents complained their children were being taught that “jihad” to Muslims means “doing good works.”
The new report is from the American Textbook Council, which was established in 1989 as an independent national research organization to review social studies textbooks and advance the quality of instructional materials in history.
In the two-year project, whose report was authored by Gilbert T. Sewall, the ATC reviewed five junior and five high school world and American history texts, concluding:
“Many political and religious groups try to use the textbook process to their advantage, but the deficiencies in Islam-related lessons are uniquely disturbing. History textbooks present an incomplete and confected view of Islam that misrepresents its foundations and challenges to international security.”
The report finds that the texts present “disputed definitions and claims [regarding Islam] … as established facts.”
“Islamic activists use multiculturalism and ready-made American-made political movements, especially those on campus, to advance and justify the makeover of Islam-related textbook content,” the report continued.
“Particular fault rests with the publishing corporations, boards of directors, and executives who decide what editorial policies their companies will pursue,” the report said.
Reviewed were:
Medieval and Early Modern Times by Jackson J. Spielvogal
Medieval to Early Modern Times by Stanley M. Bernstein and Richard Shek
World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times by Douglas Carnine, Carlos Cortes, Kenneth R. Curtis and Anita T. Robinson
Medieval and Early Modern Times by Dianne Hart
History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond by Bert Bower and Jim Lobdell
World History: The Modern World by Elizabeth Gaynor Ellis and Anthony Esler
World History: Modern Times by Jackson J. Spielvogel
America: Pathways to the Present by Andrew Cayton and others
The American Vision: Moder Times by Joyce Appelby and others and
The Americans: Reconstruction to the Twenty-first Century by Gerald A. Danzer
The report noted that several of the textbooks have found harsh critics among parents and others, and “History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond” published by the privately held Teachers Curriculum Institute has been criticized repeatedly.
In Lodi, Calif., parents “were not objecting to a word or two that they took out of context but to a textbook long on chapters filled with adulatory lessons on Islam.”
This was the same book cited by parents who contacted WND with their concerns about such indoctrination.
A parent whose child has been handed the text in a Sacramento district at that time accused the publisher of a pro-Muslim bias to the point that Islamic theology has been incorporated into the public school teachings.
“It makes an attempt to seem like an egalitarian world history book, but on closer inspection you find that seven (not all are titled so) of the chapters deal with Islam or Muslim subjects,” wrote the parent, whose name was being withheld, in a letter to WND.
“The upsetting part is not only do they go into the history (which would be acceptable) but also the teaching of Islam,” she said. “This book does not really go into Christianity or the teachings of Christ, nor does it address religious doctrine elsewhere to the degree it does Islam.”
She said the book’s one page referencing Jews “is only to convey that they were tortured by Crusaders to get them to convert to ‘Christianity.’ (It fails to mention that the biggest persecutors of Jews throughout history and still today are Arab Muslims). It gives four other one-liner references to the Jews being blamed for the plagues and problems in the land. It does not talk about the Jews as making a significant impact on the culture at large.”
Bert Bower, founder of TCI, told WND at that time not only did his company have experts review the book, but the state of California also reviewed it, and has approved it for use in public schools.
“Keep in mind when looking at this particular book scholars from all over California (reviewed it),” he said.
One of those experts who contributed to the text, according to the ATC, which earlier released a scathing indictment of that specific project, was Ayad Al-Qazzaz.
“Al-Qazzaz is a Muslim apologist, a frequent speaker in Northern California school districts promoting Islam and Arab causes,” the ATC review said. “Al-Qazzaz also co-wrote AWAIR’s ‘Arab World Notebook.’ AWAIR stands for Arab World and Islamic Resources, an opaque, proselytizing ‘non-profit organization’ that conducts teacher workshops and sells supplementary materials to schools.”
The newest report cited the same issue raised by parents.
“In a passage meant to explain jihad, they encountered this: ‘Muslims should fulfill jihad with the heart, tongue, and hand. Muslims use the heart in their struggle to resist evil. The tongue may convince others to take up worthy causes, such as funding medical research. Hands may perform good works and correct wrongs,’” the new report said.
The ATC report noted a complicating factor is a ban in California, to whose standards most textbook publishers align their work, on “adverse reflection” on religion in school.
“Whatever ‘adverse reflection’ is, such a mandate may be conceptually at odds with historical and geopolitical actuality,” the study said.
“None of this is accidental. Islamic organizations, willing to [provide] misinformation, are active in curriculum politics. These activists are eager to expunge any critical thought about Islam from textbook and all public discourse. They are succeeding, assisted by partisan scholars and associations… It is alarming that so many individuals with the power to shape the curriculum are willfully blind to or openly sympathetic to these efforts,” the report said.
Regarding the TCI book, the report said its lessons contain “stilted language that seem scripted or borrowed from devotional, not historical, material.” Also, the “Medieval to Early Modern Times” book features a two-page prayer to Allah “the Merciful.”
“Among the textbooks examined, the editorial caution that marks coverage of Christian and Jewish beliefs vanishes in presenting Islam’s foundations. With materials laden with angels, revelations, miracles, prayers, and sacred exclamations; the story of the Zamzam well; and the titles ‘Messenger of God’ and ‘Prophet of Islam’ the seventh-grade textbooks cross the line into something other than history, that is, scripture or myth.”
Among the lessons public school students must learn from the various books:
Muhammad “taught equality”
Fasting reminds Muslims of people who struggle to get enough food
Muhammad told his followers to make sure guests never left a table hungry
Arab traditions include being kind to strangers and helping needy
“These effusive formulations stop just short of invention and raise questions about the sources of information,” the report said.
The books’ praises of Islam continues, the report said. “TCI devotes 13 text-heavy pages to textiles, calligraphy, design, books, city building, architecture, mathematics, medicine, polo, and chess, some of it spun like cotton candy,” the report said.
For example, the book reports: “Singing was an essential part of Muslim Spain’s musical culture. … Although this music is lost today, it undoubtedly influenced later musical forms in Europe and North Africa.”
“Undoubtedly, the TCI volume declares. Yet the book acknowledges the music is lost and the claims are speculative. Empty text dilates Islamic achievements,” the report said.
Glossing over the actual physical conquering of some peoples, the “World History: Medieval and Early Modern Times” says people were converted to Islam because they were “attracted by Islam’s message of equality and hope for salvation,” the report said.
Another book teaches: “Q: How did the caliphs who expanded the Muslim Empire treat those they conquered? A: They treated them with tolerance.”
“At a time when intolerance marks Islamic cultures worldwide and multiculturalism is a ruling idea in U.S. schools, these ‘wonderland-of-tolerance’ tropes constitute a major content distortion,” the report said.
The books teach the Crusades were “religious wars launched against Muslims by European Christians.”
“When … Muslims groups attack Christian peoples, kill them, and take their lands, the process is referred to as ‘building’ an empire. Christian attempts to restore those lands are labeled as ‘violent attacks’ or ‘massacres,’” the report said.
Some of the books are rife with other errors. In the TCI book, it says the Crusaders wore red crosses. “No. Only Templars did,” said the report.
“While Christian belligerence is magnified, Islamic inequality, subjugation, and enslavement get the airbrush,” said the report, which also found inaccuracies in teaching about sharia religious law, women’s rights and terrorism, especially the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, which killed nearly 3,000.
“The Modern World” says, “On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, teams of terrorists hijacked four airplanes on the East Coast. Passengers challenged the hijackers on one flight, which they crashed on the way to its target. But one plane plunged into the Pentagon in Virginia, and two others slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York…”
“The flatness and brevity of this passage are dismaying. In terms of content, so much is left unanswered. Who were the teams of terrorists and what did they want to do? What were their political ends? Since ‘The Modern World’ avoids any hint of the connection between this unnamed terrorism and jihad, why September 11 happened is hard to understand,” the report said.
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Separation of church and state strikes again. Our nation needs to wake up fast. This nations laws are bible based and we hold that truth to be SELF EVIDENT. If you disagree with my comments you need to educate yourself on - said “separation”
May 11th, 2008 at 1:12 pmIt’s as big a myth as ALLAH (a-lie) himself.
The Frenchification of America.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:25 pm@Mark
No there is no separation of “Church” and state, only Judeo-Christian beliefs cannot be taught, as you can see here and with the numerous other examples it is just fine to preach and indoctrinate any other religion.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:32 pmSully nah, it’s your bloody communautarism system that you should incriminate
our muslims learn in our hisory books that their ancestry had blond hair and blue eyes and that they were afraid that the sky could fall on their heads, they have no other choice
May 11th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
May 11th, 2008 at 1:36 pmyeah sure
BUT of course you have better sources in your institute
May 11th, 2008 at 1:41 pmIt is appalling that Islam has its Fellow Travelers much like communism did 50 years ago. Liberals, multi-culturists, and fucktards welcome subjugation at the hands of feral, violent ideologies. Why? I honestly don’t grok the concept.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:45 pmThe founding fathers never meant that religion and State should be completely separated. They meant that they wouldn’t advertise and finance certain religions, and would allow the free practice of any religion. Not that there should be no similarities. This country was founded as a Christian Nation, but one that doesn’t finance Christianity, or have an American Church.
The libs are so accepting of violent groups because they are scared shittless of them, thus the figure out that if they become more like them then the vilent groups would want to be friends.
And in the end we’re all fucked over because of them.
May 11th, 2008 at 1:54 pmRadical Islam runs the Democratic party as we speak. The Left can NOT Identify Islam for the evil it is. However, they can call Bush Hitler while he and Cheney protect the cities (libs) from attack.
Obama wins, American men will be in chains and defenseless.
This country will turn into France. Obama will look to Mecca for Sharia law.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:20 pmThe first amendment has more to do with Gov’t. not publicly endorsing a particular (at the time, Christian) faith over all the others. The public school system kicked the God of the bible out a ong time ago. It is not surprising that the false gods of violence, drug abuse, murder, homosexuality, promiscuity and now Islam would be trying to make its way in.
Rob- not trying to echo or alter your last comment.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:29 pm“This country will turn into France.”
how could that happen? you don’t know France, your life wether from the left side or from your side will remain of America ; you haven’t the same habits for everything, you country is hudge, your spatial mind does’t resolve your problems like in France, where the dimensions are close to a familiar space. we have our ways to handle the islmist revendications, your muslims have mainly a high grade in education while we have to educate them from the base ; our educational system depends on the state where severe laws empech the deviations ; if the muslims want to study they own way, then the’ll have to create their own schools ; till now they don’t have the money, plus the state education in university is free, why the should bother to pay in a madrassa !
May 11th, 2008 at 2:42 pm“If you disagree with my comments you need to educate yourself…”
“The founding fathers never meant…”
Gentlemen, I envy you for your certitude.
May 11th, 2008 at 5:03 pmAt this rate of appeasement they’ll be replacing all history books with one - the Koran. Then any semblance of the western world as we know it will have been erased, i.e. of course if leftarded surrender monkeys have their way. Here’s hoping they don’t get their way but instead students will be asking questions like “Why is most of Iran the largest carpark in the world?” and “Wouldn’t it make more sense to build a themepark?” That’s when science teachers will then have to discuss the half life of plutonium…
May 11th, 2008 at 6:24 pmThree words: Chompsky, Zinn and Said. What do you expect when American History has been so distorted by the likes of the above three and their progeny?
When all anyone in acedemia talks about is what is wrong with America, that leaves the door open to all sorts of un-American false and weak philosophies.
If you favor Woodsonian history and are a fan of the 1892 Supreme Court decision, you’ll need to either study on your own, do home school or find another alternative.
The school boards are not accountable. The teachers unions aren’t either. Without concerned parents and legislatures that give a shit, this crap will go on.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:24 pmHere is a link to some shit that these ragheads tried starting at the grade school I went to almost 20 some years ago.
Christmas and holidays were never a problem then and we had Arabs and Muslims in school then. All of a sudden its a problem. They also arent allows to serve Jello in school anymore because it is made with Gelatin which is often made with tissue or bones of pigs or other animals.
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/242563.aspx
May 12th, 2008 at 8:43 amhttp://cbs2chicago.com/local/holiday.traditions.Oak.2.340425.html
The separation Metaphor was taken (out of context) from a letter by president Jefferson to the Baptist Association of Danbury Connecticut. It was their concern that the Episcopalians and Congregationalists were gaining an unfair voice in the influencing of our government so Jefferson sent a letter to them assuring them that no sect of Christianity would be allowed to assuage the power of the federal govt.
the letter
To messers Nehemiah Dodge, Ephraim Robbins, & Stephen S. Nelson a committee of the Danbury Baptist association in the state of Connecticut.
Gentlemen
The affectionate sentiments of esteem & approbation which you are so good as to express towards me, on behalf of the Danbury Baptist association, give me the highest satisfaction. my duties dictate a faithful & zealous pursuit of the interests of my constituents, and in proportion as they are persuaded of my fidelity to those duties, the discharge of them becomes more & more pleasing.
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man & his god, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state. [Congress thus inhibited from acts respecting religion, and the Executive authorised only to execute their acts, I have refrained from presenting even occasional performances of devotion presented indeed legally where an Executive is the legal head of a national church, but subject here, as religious exercises only to the voluntary regulations and discipline of each respective sect.] Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.
I reciprocate your kind prayers for the protection and blessing of the common Father and creator of man, and tender you for yourselves and your religious association, assurances of my high respect & esteem.
(signed) Thomas Jefferson
Jan.1.1802.
My point is this, if the Supreme Court takes a phrase out of a personal letter to make policy (citing original intent) then all the opinions of all the founding fathers should be viewed likewise and this nation will see a resurgence to foundational greatness that will eclipse our awesome past.
May 12th, 2008 at 9:10 am@Mark Tanberg
You could add the 1892 Supreme Court decision. If I remember my history it took the Supremes ten years to reach their conclusion in 1892. More references would include the Mayflower Compact, 1st - 3rd Charters of Va, Charter of All the Colonies, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, Mass. Body Of Liberties, Constitution Of Massachusetts, Lex Rex, English Bill Of Rights, etc, etc…There are many, many more references.
May 12th, 2008 at 11:24 am