"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."
Full report here.
"History textbooks promoting Islam: New report says Muslim activists 'succeeding' in expunging criticism," by Bob Unruh at WorldNetDaily, May 10 (thanks to all who sent this in):
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....
There is much more. Read it all.
This article is as relevant to the success or failure of the anti-Jihad as anything ever published here at JW. Muslim advocacy-groups are not only vetting what is taught about Islam in our schools, they are actively promoting their faith to impressionable students...with the active support of school administrators, teachers and "scholars from all over California".
What a telling example of the extent to which our educational system has been corrupted by the convoluted mores of multiculturalism, political correctness, and outright dhimmitude.
Please Email the above article to friends and family...along with your own comments about its implications. This is the front line of the war of ideas. We'll never take back the schools or the textbooks unless our people know what's going on!
PS - My own experience was with my daughter's 7th grade Social-studies text-book a few years back. The Crusader conquest of Jerusalem was retold in blood-curdling detail and honesty...but the Muslim sacking of Constantinople, in which - according to the great historian Will Durant - the "streets ran with blood", was entirely whitewashed, with no reference at all to atrocity.
The contrast was striking.
Another reason to send your child to a Christian based school, or to home school.
This material should be brought to the attention of parents, who can organize, write letters that cogently set out the objections to these easy falsifications that the timid and the lazy have been inclined simply to let pass ("what's the harm"? and "besides, I don't need to get in trouble with Muslims"). Only counter-pressure, but pressure by the well-prepared and well-informed, will work. But it can work.
And historians of Islam -- especially of those who wrote in the period before the Great Inhibition set in -- should be consulted for material that will refute these attempts to propagandize by Muslims who now find themselves deep behind enemy lines (that is, the lines that they themselves have been taught to regard as "enemy lines"), and burrowing away, "working within the system" tirelessly and cleverly, turning our own unwariness, innocence, ignorance, and naivete against us, undoing what others, the people who created over generations our civilizational legacy, did. Civilizational self-defense requires, in the first place, a defense of truthful teaching about Islam.
This is, as a poster says above, "as relevant to the success or failure of the anti-Jihad as anything ever published here at JW."
Be well-prepared. Learn what Islam is all about. Learn about the history of Muslim conquests and subjugation of vast territories, and many different non-Muslim peopoles, some of them now disappeared (what happened to all the Christians of North Africa? What has been happening to the Christians and Jews of the Middle East? Where are the Buddhists of Central Asia?), or others, such as the Hindus of India, surviving in civilizations "wounded" -- as V. S. Naipaul wrote -- by the Muslim invaders.
The report says:
"Hands may perform good works and correct wrongs,'" the new report said.
It forgot to mention that Saudi religious police, some of the most knowledgeable muslims in the world, recently stopped schoolgirls from leaving a blazing building because they were not wearing correct Islamic dress, according to Saudi newspapers.
Also, if Jihad means good deeds, where in the report is a list of any good deeds ever done by any muslims to any infidel or other muslim.
Finally, the books failed to say that to "correct wrongs" to many muslims means and is synonymous with required to kill people for "mischief" i.e. not believing in allah.
Qur'an 5:32 says: "On that account: We ordained (killing)...if anyone slew a person - unless it be in retaliation for murder or for spreading mischief in the land..." It is followed by Qur'an 5:33: "The punishment for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and who do mischief [non-Islamic behavior] in the land is only that they shall be killed or crucified, or their hands and their feet shall be cut off on opposite sides, or they shall be exiled. That is their disgrace in this world, and a dreadful torment is theirs in Hell."
So non-Islamic behavior is punishable by death. Moreover, the report fails to warn the students that Muslims routinely mete this punishment out now and today!
The report fails to describe the millions of "wrongs" muslims have righted from the time of Mohammad to the present day.
The blatant whitewashing of Islam and history are brought into the classrooms of colleges as well. It is not only a problem with high schools. When medieval European history is taught, and Islam is included, the dark side and sins of the Europeans are identified, often with condescension, but Islam is just glossed over. The muslims were so tolerant and so much more advanced,intellectually and materially,than the intolerant and backward Europeans. That is the predictable, standard story line, or maybe, talking points. Propaganda is definitely being advanced in the name of education. And we pay so much for the trash coming from these college professors.
When you realize liberals run most CA school districts its not a surprise they tolerate Islamic propaganda in school textbooks as truth.
Also given that they are mostly liberals don't expect them to tolerate text books that has Christianity in a good light. Liberals don't like Christians and most despise western culture in general.
The entire 56-page ATC report may be accessed at:
http://www.historytextbooks.org/islam.htm
As the man says, "Read it all."
Hugh,
Was wondering if the "Great Inhibition" was a phrased you yourself coined? It's dead-on.
Only the naive send their kids to a public school. Send you're kid to a Christian school (even if you're not Christian. Or a Jewish school if your a Jew), they'll get a better education generally.
They also won't be taught that putting mommy in a black sack (burka) is respect for women.
Secularism has a death wish, and don't let them inculcate your children into their belief system. Ever wonder why child suicide is on the rise, as well as mental health problems for children. There is little real hope taught in Public schools. Teachers are seen as parent figures by children, you forget that at your child's peril.
Yes, Robert, I'll "read it all". As soon as I make sure there's a tin bucket next to my shoe.
I don't know how you deal with this nefarious, frightening, depressing, alienating, and sickening material day after day after day.
"PS - My own experience was with my daughter's 7th grade Social-studies text-book a few years back. The Crusader conquest of Jerusalem was retold in blood-curdling detail and honesty...but the Muslim sacking of Constantinople, in which - according to the great historian Will Durant - the "streets ran with blood", was entirely whitewashed, with no reference at all to atrocity.
The contrast was striking."
Posted by: Cornelius
You're right Cornelius. The movie "Kingdom of Heaven" recounting the recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin's Muslim forces in 1187 was similarly biased, portraying the Knights Templar defenders in an extremely negative light as compared to the positive treatment it gave to Saladin. If Hollywood had a shred of honor it would produce a similar movie about Mahmet II's capture of Constantinople in 1453. It's a hell of a story that would make a great movie. However, given the puff treatment that Muslims get these days, such a movie would likely demonize the Byzantine defenders and treat the Muslims as conquering "liberators."
Here are two additional references on this:
Serge Trevkovic in "Defeating Jihad", chapter 20, Treason in Education. In particular he describes the mind-boggling influence of one Susan L. Douglass and her husband Usam Amer in writing and promoting white-washed Islam in high school texts across America.
Laura Mansfield in "One Nation Under Allah" devotes three chapters to the Islamic infiltration of our educational system.
She calls attention to the Islamic site "soundvision.com, describing how Muslim parents can implant Islamic values in the school system. Step 1, Lear the Law, "in the United states, one of the strongest arguments in favor of seaking religious accommodation for your [Muslim] child is the former President Bill Clinton's 1995 statement of principles addressing the extent to which religious expression and activity are "permitted in public school. this was given to every school district in the US.
She also has a chapter on Jihad and Scouting.
Incidentally, soundvision.com is worth a visit to see just what we are dealing with on the home front.
Eastview,
'Not Without My Daughter' and 'Khartoum' are the ONLY movies I can think of which portray Islam in a remotely honest way.
We can attribute the honesty in 'Khartoum' to the fact that it was produced in the 60s, before the "Great Inhibition" (as Hugh calls it) captured our culture.
'Not Without My Daughter' was made in the 80s, making its production a much more courageous undertaking. Of course there were lapses in the movie, such as the scene where the friend of Betty Mahmoud - an American Muslim convert - says that wife-beating is "un-Islamic"...an obvious subversion of Quranic Verse 4.34, which explicitly condones such punishment.
Like academia, Hollywood practices a servile dhimmitude.
There's a very good movie (albeit extremely disturbing) that I found at Blockbuster once (there was only one copy) about a young girl and her mother and gandmother living in Taliban Afghan. She cuts her hair and pretends she's a boy so she can work and feed her family. The Taliban rides in and scoops up all the boys from town to bring them to a school. When she is discovered to be a girl, she is sentenced to death, but "saved" by an elderly man who takes her home to be another wife. The girl appears to be about 11 years old. Very disturbing.
I wrote to my favourite director and enclosed a copy of James Jackson's magnificent article about the Knights of St John defending Malta against the Turkish Muslim assault in 1565; pointing out that behind the gate that the Knights barely managed to hold, lay all the richness and beauty of High Renaissance Europe, from Italy to Scotland, everything that had already been created, everything that was yet to be - including the infant Shakespeare in his cradle, just a year old. Everything that would have been annihilated, had the Knights failed.
I told him that the story cried out to be told.
There must be *one* director, somewhere, who has got the requisite amount of courage.
"'Not Without My Daughter' and 'Khartoum' are the ONLY movies I can think of which portray Islam in a remotely honest way."
Posted by: Cornelius
"There's a very good movie (albeit extremely disturbing) that I found at Blockbuster once (there was only one copy) about a young girl and her mother and grandmother living in Taliban Afghan. She cuts her hair and pretends she's a boy so she can work and feed her family."
Posted by: mary
I read the book by Betty Mahmoud when it originally came out, many years ago. I remember being very skeptical at the time about many of her claims of mistreatment, and more or less dismissed it as a sensationalized account of her experiences. But, of course, that was before I got out into the world and learned the truth. I suspect many people fall into this same category. I didn't know a movie had been made, but will check it out and can now watch it with eyes I didn't possess back then.
I also saw the movie about the young girl posing as a boy in a madrassa, but don't recall the title. The scene where the teacher was instructing the boys on the proper way to wash their genitals especially stood out, because it addressed an aspect of Islam that one doesn't see discussed very often, i.e., the minute details with which Islam prescribes every little action in the lives of Muslims.
Could one also include "El Cid" as being among movies that depicts the clash of Christians against Muslims in a remotely honest way? It, too, was made in the 60's before the dead hand of PC had started strangling the West.
"I wrote to my favourite director and enclosed a copy of James Jackson's magnificent article about the Knights of St John defending Malta against the Turkish Muslim assault in 1565; pointing out that behind the gate that the Knights barely managed to hold, lay all the richness and beauty of High Renaissance Europe, from Italy to Scotland, everything that had already been created, everything that was yet to be - including the infant Shakespeare in his cradle, just a year old. Everything that would have been annihilated, had the Knights failed."
Posted by: dumbledoresarmy
Dumbledore, do you have a title and place of publication for James Jackson's article? I was unaware of this fascinating piece of history.
While we're on this topic, other epic battles that would make great movies are:
The Siege of Vienna in 1529
The naval Battle of Lepanto in 1571
The Battle of Vienna in 1683
All of these were crucial battles that help blunt Ottoman encroachments into Europe.
One of the lost battles that would make a great movie is the defeat of the Serbs to the Muslims on the Field of Blackbirds in Kosovo, in 1389.
But, of course, making such movies would of necessity involve showing conflict between Islam and Christendom. But they might be very useful in helping to remind Europeans about their own history. Of course, this would also greatly offend Turkish sensibilities, unless they could be the glorious victors, and since the EU is courting Turkey, such movies could never be made in Europe.
We need some new filmmakers. I wonder if Bollywood could be interested in undertaking the making of such movies. They could be a part of a series, and include similar kinds of movies depicting Islam's bloody history in India.
Oh, I forgot another one that would be especially interesting - the sacking of Baghdad by Hulagu, Grandson of Genghis Khan, in 1258. Christians didn't play such a big role in this drama, but a particularly fascinating wrinkle in this story is the part played by the Shi'ites in betraying the Sunnis into surrendering and the resultant destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate and the killing of up to 1,000,000 people. This little known fact (at least in the West) was one of the rallying cries of Abu Massab al-Zarqawi justifying the murder of Shi'ites in Iraq - until he was dispatched to meet his 72 virgins by one of our 500 lb bombs.
eastview
Jackson wrote a historical novel 'Blood Rock' based on the story of the Knights of St John vs. the Turkish Muslim fleet; but also published a newspaper article outlining the basic details of the battle (which was truly epic) - someone posted the link here in the comments field, ages ago. I kept a copy of both the link and of the article in full.
The link still works, so here it is, with the headline.
THE KNIGHTS OF ST JOHN OF MALTA
History's bloodiest siege used human heads as cannonballs
By JAMES JACKSON.
In the Daily Mail, UK, 1:40am on 7th July 2007
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=466818&in_page_id=1770