The infamously conservative Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is considering a resolution to warn publishers not to push what they view as a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in World History textbooks.
The SBOE is throwing a hissy fit over history books they feel favor Islam over Christianity -- even though the books cited in the resolution are no longer used!
The SBOE complains that some books have more lines covering Islamic beliefs and practices than Christian ones. The resolution also grips on "half-truths," like a definition of "jihad" that excludes references to religious intolerance and terrorism.
Once again, the ultra-conservatives of the Texas SBOE, an unfortunately influential group since Texas is one of the largest textbook markets in the country, is putting politics ahead of education.
Tell the textbook publishers not to let the Texas State Board of Education dictate how religious history is portrayed in our children's textbooks.
Dear textbook publishers,
The infamously conservative Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) is considering a resolution to warn publishers not to push what they view as a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian viewpoint in World History textbooks. The SBOE already tried to re-write history by omitting "unimportant" information -- like the separation of church and state -- from textbooks.
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Now, the SBOE is throwing a hissy fit over history books they feel favor Islam over Christianity -- even though the books cited in the resolution are no longer used!
The SBOE complains that some books have more lines covering Islamic beliefs and practices than Christian ones, and that they dwell on the Christian crusaders' massacre of Muslims in Jerusalem in 1099, but not the Muslim massacres of Christians in later years. The resolution also grips on "half-truths," like a definition of "jihad" that excludes references to religious intolerance and terrorism.
Once again, the ultra-conservatives of the Texas SBOE, an unfortunately influential group since Texas is one of the largest textbook markets in the country, is putting politics ahead of education.
Don't let the Texas SBOE warp your sense of what stands for balanced religious coverage in World History textbooks. Keep children's education -- not politics -- as your first priority.
