Sheldon
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- Apr 2, 2010
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http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/education/23texas.html
HOUSTON Some conservative members of the Texas Board of Education assert that the history books used in this state have a pro-Islamic bias, and they are upset about it. Never shy about wading into the culture wars, they are planning to vote Friday for a resolution that would send a blunt message to textbook publishers: Do not present a pro-Islamic, anti-Christian version of history if you want to sell books in one of the nations largest markets. The purpose of this resolution is to ensure there is balanced treatment of divergent groups, Gail Lowe, the chairwoman of the board, said. In the past, the textbooks have had some bias against Christianity.
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As evidence of Islamic influence in textbook publishing, Mr. Rives cited a 2008 decision by the Dubai royal family to invest heavily in a company that owns the publishing house Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston. Earlier this year, the familys investment arm, Istithmar World Capital, lost its stake in the publishing house after the publishing company restructured its debt, said Josef Blumenfeld, a spokesman for the publisher.
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The resolution asserts that textbook writers habitually call Christians violent attackers or invaders while playing down Muslim conquests in Europe as migrations. Dan Quinn, a spokesman for the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates religious freedom in the classroom, said the resolution amounted to political grandstanding. What it comes down to is pushing a misleading and inflammatory resolution to score political points, he said. Its as if the board cannot go one meeting without dragging classrooms down into the culture wars.
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As evidence of Islamic influence in textbook publishing, Mr. Rives cited a 2008 decision by the Dubai royal family to invest heavily in a company that owns the publishing house Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Boston. Earlier this year, the familys investment arm, Istithmar World Capital, lost its stake in the publishing house after the publishing company restructured its debt, said Josef Blumenfeld, a spokesman for the publisher.
...
The resolution asserts that textbook writers habitually call Christians violent attackers or invaders while playing down Muslim conquests in Europe as migrations. Dan Quinn, a spokesman for the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates religious freedom in the classroom, said the resolution amounted to political grandstanding. What it comes down to is pushing a misleading and inflammatory resolution to score political points, he said. Its as if the board cannot go one meeting without dragging classrooms down into the culture wars.
