US School Removes Islam’s Golden Era

IslamOnline.net ^ | April 7, 2005

[gandalftb]

A school in Arizona removed a seventh-grade textbook on claims the book focuses on the portrayal of Islam. The book's second unit of eight, is on the rise of Islam and the contribution of Muslims to world civilization. The Islamic civilization was in its heyday during the Dark Ages. “History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond,” was being used on a trial basis at Mohave Middle School in Scottsdale in Tucson.

The removal came allegedly after angry e-mails to the school district and entries on conservative Web logs. “I received a significant number of e-mails saying (the book) was Islamic propaganda and we shouldn’t use it,” said board member Christine Schild. In an e-mail, Parent Janie White objected to what she believed was “religious bias, dogma, myth and proselytizing.” Similar letters were carried by hard-line Web sites, including the one of Daniel Pipes known for his scathing attacks on Islam.

In the only one unit covering Islam, students read and learn about the contributions of Muslims to world civilization. The book also covers the richness of Islam, in addition to the rich heritage of storytelling and poetry.

The district had not yet invited members of the Islamic community to discuss the book by the time it was pulled in March. The book devotes 33 pages to Christianity and 42 pages to Islam.

The titles of other lessons cover areas such as “From the Crusades to the Rise of New Muslim Empires”.

Western Muslim analysts have long complained of discrimination or at least ignorance in American school curricula. Experts recommended that countries should review its schoolbooks on Islam as a good start for introducing the true image of the Muslims’ faith. Several countries have allowed teaching Islam at schools in an attempt to further integrate Muslim minorities and raise awareness about Islam.

[gandalftb]

Are we becoming too sensitive to the Islamic culture? I don't know what the content of this book is, what say you Tucson freepers? Propaganda in schools, censorship, what's going on here?

[Borges]

That period of Islamic culture is certainly their Golden Age by comparison to what came afterwords. It should be studied as one of the precursors to Catholic Scholasticism.

[AdrianR]

Here is a post from LGF about this book.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=14885&only=yes
Sounds like propoganda to me.

[DaiHuy]

Well the last time I looked Scottsdale was a suburb of Phoenix, not Tuscon.

[Mears]

Islamic culture would have to be covered for a good education regarding The Middle Ages.

I learned more about Islam on a visit to Spain than I ever did in my schools.

The Moorish architecture was jaw-dropping georgeous.

[HamiltonJay]

I haven't read the book, but to claim that Islam had its heyday when the West going through the dark/middle ages, is historically correct.

[Just another Joe]

Without knowing the content of the book I can't comment except to say that Muslim countries have contributed to the sciences, the arts, etc.
It was a loooong time ago and it seems that the caliphates didn't worry about where the information came from, they imported and bankrolled people from other cultures also, but they did contribute.

[gridlock]

Western Muslim analysts have long complained of discrimination or at least ignorance in American school curricula.

What can I say. Living amongst the Infidel is a b!tch!

I say, let's look at what the Muslim World has done for the last 50 years or so, and leave what happened 1300 years ago for more advanced study.

If the Muslim World was relatively advanced in the Dark Ages, it is because Europe was in a more backward time. They call it "The Dark Ages" for a reason, after all.

[joebuck]

"The book's second unit of eight, is on the rise of Islam and the contribution of Muslims to world civilization."

Seems to me you could cover those "contributions" in a sentence or two.

[stuartcr]

Now we can be just like those we hate!!!

[stuartcr]

Yeah, and while we're at it, we can dig holes in the sand, for our heads.

[kalee]

From the littlegreenfootballs entry. The students read the Koran, learned Islamic prayers and possibly saw an "Islamic fashion show"

I have to laugh, I mean how much "fashion" is there to show, black burkahs or black burkahs?
Add this to the list of reasons I HOMESCHOOL!

[Sertorius]

From what I understand the work was done by Christians who were forbidden to sculpt people or christian symbols. If you look real close to the centers of the flowers in the decorations you will see tiny crosses and faces in the art. This was done by christian artists in protest.

[Physicist]

Hard to make sense of this story without having the textbook's content in front of us, and without the school district's side of the story.

[kalee]

But what have they contributed since that heyday?

[Blzbba]

What's the Golden Age of Islam's greatest contribution to humanity?


ZERO!!!


Literally, the number '0'.

[mike182d]

The Islamic civilization was in its heyday during the Dark Ages.

And, unlike the rise of Christianity, how did Islam reach such prominence? Was it by the sword by any chance?

[skeeter]

Now we can be just like those we hate!

can you be more specific? Those we 'hate' glorify the death cult of Islam and have all but outlawed christianity in their schools.

[Blzbba]

"But what have they contributed since that heyday?"


Amazing advances in personal explosive devices!!

[gridlock]

Yeah, and while we're at it, we can dig holes in the sand, for our heads.

Well, I'm sure if we want to have a section of a textbook devoted to Islam, we can use as a model the fair and sensitive treatment of the rise of Christian Europe in the textbooks of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan or the Palestinian Authority.