Texas Textbook Massacre: State Board Suggests Books 'Tainted' With 'Pro-Islamic, Anti-Christian Distortions'

The Texas State Board of Education is expected to consider next week a measure that would prohibit textbooks from pushing Islam over Christianity, as they claim has happened in the past.

The Dallas Morning News reports:

A preliminary draft of the resolution states that "diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts" across the U.S. and that past social studies textbooks in Texas also have been "tainted" with pro-Islamic, anti-Christian views.

The resolution cites examples in past world history books -- no longer used in Texas schools -- that devoted far more lines of text to Islamic beliefs and practices than to Christian beliefs and practices.

Kathy Miller, a spokeswoman for the religious-liberty group Texas Freedom Network, said textbooks currently used in the state's public schools offer a balanced treatment of the world's religions.

"This is another example of board members putting politics ahead of just educating our kids," Miller said. "Once again, without consulting any real experts, the board's politicians are manufacturing a bogus controversy."

Earlier this year, ultraconservative members of the state education board succeeded in approving a series of extremely controversial changes to school texts, dramatically reshaping core curricula in social studies, history and economics taught to millions of students.

The Huffington Post reported at the time on the drastic revisions, including the following:

• The board removed Thomas Jefferson from the Texas curriculum's world history standards on Enlightenment thinking, "replacing him with religious-right icon John Calvin."

• "Teachers in Texas will be required to cover the Judeo-Christian influences of the nation's Founding Fathers, but not highlight the philosophical rationale for the separation of church and state."

• Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic," and students will be required to study the decline in value of the U.S. dollar, including the abandonment of the gold standard.

The latest measure being considered by the board is no less controversial. The Morning News reports:

Sponsors of the resolution cautioned that "more such discriminatory treatment of religion may occur as Middle Easterners buy into the U.S. public school textbook oligopoly, as they are doing now." They offered no specific evidence of such investments.

The resolution concludes with the warning to publishers that the "State Board of Education will look to reject future prejudicial social studies submissions that continue to offend Texas law with respect to treatment of the world's major religious groups by significant inequalities of coverage space-wise and by demonizing or lionizing one or more of them over others."

Comments

[merwoman]

01:11 PM on 09/26/2010

One of the many reasons I left Texas. What an embarrassment.

[zafari]

10:54 PM on 09/23/2010

Houghton Mifflin, the text book publisher’s 1999 History books have caused considerable grief for some members of the Texas school board. Especially since 2009 HM and parent company are now owned by the Dubai royal family. Houghton Mifflin’s religious biases and leanings toward Islam are indeed most disturbing.
Randy Rives and Don McLeroy should also worry about another US Publication and Media company which is under threat of Muslim ownership. Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal a member of the Saudi Royal Family owns 7% of News Corporation, parent of Fox. Incidentally that makes him part owner of FoxFaith. http://www.foxconnect.com/faith
I shudder to think what will happen to my favorite Fox News hosts. Hijab clad news casters….
http://www.silentconscience.org/
more……

[Laura CordovaJames]

02:22 AM on 11/01/2010

Of course its owned by a Muslim family. But, remember that they are in business with the Christian families that own a huge chunk of the oil, so they are partners not against each other. I think its time to look at what is really going on in politics and follow the money trail rather than the short term symptoms. I am not in fear but rather, angered by the elite who make psychopathic decisions to keep us dumbed down so that we don't realized we are being swindled and sending our poor to war so that they can keep getting richer.

[wendyshyersayles]

12:28 PM on 09/23/2010

We called it her story many moon ago. Don't mess with Tex as.

[Nicholas Cowling]

10:23 AM on 09/23/2010

People claiming a "pro-Islamic, anti-Christian" bias say they have plenty of evidence. For example, text books say Muslims invented coffee. But Christians invented coffee. Without coffee, how could Christians have been so alert enough in the morning to kill Muslims during the Crusades? http://www.onelineheadline.com

[Rockwell]

11:48 PM on 09/19/2010

Always good to hear from the Texas Ministry of Propaganda. Protecting Texas children from the dangers of education since 1950.

[GenosseJoe]

09:39 PM on 09/19/2010

Curriculum standards also will describe the U.S. government as a "constitutional republic," rather than "democratic,"

This is cited as wrong. Well, try to find words like "democracy" or "democratic" in US Constitution.
They are not there. And it is not by accident. There are many writing by Founding Fathers where democracy was considered and rejected as unstable form of government leading to tirany.

Texas is absolutely correct.

[okami]

01:37 AM on 09/20/2010

as i understand it, the United States was formed as a federated republic with limited democratic representation. this was due to the fact that pure democracy would lead to mob rule, which the Founders sought to minimize.

such as many demagogues here would just looooooove to have.

if we make the formal transition from 'republic' to 'democracy', we've had it. populism takes over, with the next step an authoritarian government, most likely fascist.

but then again, some claim that's what we've had for ten years, under the present and preceding Presidents, deppending on the side of the fence.

neither side really understands how bad it can be; both project their fears far out of proportion.

the fact is that for all of the crap people suffer in this country, the United States has been sheltered from much of the effects of suffering, such as has occurred in other parts of the world.

[okami]

01:41 AM on 09/20/2010

in that, anyway.

[llstudent]

07:14 PM on 09/19/2010

Texas should secede from the United States and take Arizona with it.

[GenosseJoe]

09:35 PM on 09/19/2010

I heard that historicaly Texas books in a couple of years become national standard textbooks.

Have some patience.

[LaPlacaRifa48619]

07:01 PM on 09/19/2010

If anyone remembers the history of Texas' fight to "sanitize textbooks for our kids' protection," the wellspring of THAT cesspool is none other than Mel and Norma Gabler. Thanks to the meddling of these two doddering old geezers, Texas-approved textbooks have grown worse in quality with each year!

And what Texas approves...much of the country uses. This is because Texas is the biggest consumer of educational textbooks in the nation. They set the trend...and the sheeple on other school boards nationwide follow it!

Time to break the chain, and tell Texas "We want no truck with your ignorance--take these books and shove 'em up your arses...one page at a time!"

--RKJ

[Rockwell]

11:54 PM on 09/19/2010

Ironic isn't it? That Texas should be the nations biggest consumer of textbooks. Especially since they seem to have developed an immunity from the effects of an education.

[firefly echo]

09:29 PM on 09/23/2010

Actually, not at all. There is a direct correlation there. As it turns out, presenting duplicate copies of the teacher key to the teacher educates neither teacher nor student. Whoops!

[JLTorres]

06:32 PM on 09/19/2010

School boards across the nation really need to look at this issue seriously and find other alternatives for their textbooks.

[Belle Starr]

05:41 PM on 09/19/2010

I guess the Texas BOE doesn't quite get that without Jefferson and the 1st Amendment they'd all be Anglicans?

Are their beliefs so fragile that they can't be questioned? Perhaps it's just me but I believe and belief worth having is a belief that can stand up to scrutiny.

Congrats Texas. You're raising a new generation of Americans who will not be equipped with the knowledge of where we have been so to be able to make informed decisions as to where we will go.

[kb7834]

05:25 PM on 09/19/2010

This is one of the main problems with public schools. We allow elected officials to chose whats in a text book, which usually leads to a history class that is light on the history, in which many facts are conveniently omitted, and heavy on, America F*** YEA WE'RE #1 blind nationalism. To make problems even worse many private schools are forced to use these garbage text books because the public schools are such a large purchaser of these books that there are relatively few alternatives.

[synchronicity2]

02:34 PM on 09/19/2010

This is there attempt to breed republicans that won't disagree with them...

Fight the Crazy!

Please 'like' and help us get the word out on this facebook page to defeat John Boehner and Hold the House!

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Kick-John-Boehner-Out-Of-Congress-Hold-The-House/149196308454642”

Spread some enthusiasm! Pass it On. Thanks

[dfranz]

02:32 PM on 09/19/2010

The only book they really want in school is a Bible.

Why aren't these people simply home schooling? That way they can brainwash their children in private.

[okami]

01:40 AM on 09/20/2010

one of the 'pillars' of Christianity is to envangelize, taken from Jesus' commandment to the disciples to spread the Good News throughout the world.

in other words, to shove it down everyone's throat.

[adoantarel]

12:08 PM on 09/19/2010

Something tells me that kids in Texas NEED more facts about the Islamic religion. They probably are not exposed to it in the same manner or amount as they are exposed to Christianity. It doesn't take a lot to explain Christianity and its bases to Texas children. But they probably know nothing about Muhammad or Allah, and thus will need more text to understand.

That isn't an endorsement. It's education. It's the dissemination of facts.

[timm553]

11:53 AM on 09/19/2010

In other words, don't say anything good about anyone else, but them. That kite is destined for the high voltage lines. I can't recall a time when those guys have ever been FOR anything, they always seem to be AGAINST something. It must be a real chore living a life that way.