d'urville
06-08-2008, 08:17 PM
Couldn't decide which forum to post this in, this one *transcends*:
Washington, D.C. -
A new report issued by the American Textbook Council (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-American_Textbook_Council.html) says books approved for use in local school districts for teaching middle and high school students about Islam caved in to political correctness and dumbed down the topic at a critical moment in its history.
"Textbook editors try to avoid any subject that could turn into a political grenade," wrote Gilbert Sewall (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Gilbert_Sewall.html), director of the council, who railed against five popular history texts for "adjust[ing] the definition of jihad or sharia or remov[ing] these words from lessons to avoid inconvenient truths."
Sewall complains the word jihad has gone through an "amazing cultural reorchestration" in textbooks, losing any connotation of violence. He cites Houghton Mifflin (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Houghton_Mifflin_Company.html)'s popular middle school text, "Across the Centuries," which has been approved for use in Montgomery County (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Montgomery_County.html) Schools. It defines "jihad" as a struggle "to do one's best to resist temptation and overcome evil."
"But that is, literally, the translation of jihad," said Reza Aslan (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Reza_Aslan.html), a religion scholar and acclaimed author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam." Aslan explained that the definition does not preclude a militant interpretation.
full article: link (http://www.examiner.com/a-1429570~Council__Mongtomery_schools_cave_to_pressu e_with_Islam_book.html?cid=temp-popular)
Yet ANOTHER reason to avoid public schools whenever possible. :flame:
Dhimmi, dhimmi, dhimmi
Washington, D.C. -
A new report issued by the American Textbook Council (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-American_Textbook_Council.html) says books approved for use in local school districts for teaching middle and high school students about Islam caved in to political correctness and dumbed down the topic at a critical moment in its history.
"Textbook editors try to avoid any subject that could turn into a political grenade," wrote Gilbert Sewall (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Gilbert_Sewall.html), director of the council, who railed against five popular history texts for "adjust[ing] the definition of jihad or sharia or remov[ing] these words from lessons to avoid inconvenient truths."
Sewall complains the word jihad has gone through an "amazing cultural reorchestration" in textbooks, losing any connotation of violence. He cites Houghton Mifflin (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Houghton_Mifflin_Company.html)'s popular middle school text, "Across the Centuries," which has been approved for use in Montgomery County (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Montgomery_County.html) Schools. It defines "jihad" as a struggle "to do one's best to resist temptation and overcome evil."
"But that is, literally, the translation of jihad," said Reza Aslan (http://www.examiner.com/Subject-Reza_Aslan.html), a religion scholar and acclaimed author of "No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam." Aslan explained that the definition does not preclude a militant interpretation.
full article: link (http://www.examiner.com/a-1429570~Council__Mongtomery_schools_cave_to_pressu e_with_Islam_book.html?cid=temp-popular)
Yet ANOTHER reason to avoid public schools whenever possible. :flame:
Dhimmi, dhimmi, dhimmi