Florida Rep. Ritch Workman Claims High School Textbook Has Pro-Islam Bias

[marmar]

A textbook used in Advanced Placement history classes in Florida is under scrutiny by Rep. Ritch Workman (R-Melbourne) and a group of parents who think the book displays a pro-Islam bias.

According to Workman and the parents, the book’s partiality to Islam is apparent when compared to its coverage of Christianity and Judaism. Workman and several others criticized the textbook at a Brevard County School Board meeting last week, saying that information in the book is incorrect.

“Our children deserve facts and accuracy, not history being revised for our own failure or desire to not offend one culture or another,” said Workman to the school board, according to Florida Today.

In a video for local outlet WESH-TV, Workman explains that the book, titled “World History,” dedicates 36 pages to Islam and only several paragraphs to Christianity. He also says the book “sugar-coats the rise of Islam.” ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/ritch-workman-islam-textbook_n_3678927.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

[exboyfil]

1. I have not read the textbook

but I have read the summary portions on the publisher website. In this particular case they may have a point. Christianity is barely mentioned while Islam commands several chapters. Islam is described as the "first global civilization (forgetting Rome). Given that Islam never established a foothold in all of the Americas, most of Asia, most of Europe, Australia, and most of the southern portion of the African continent, it is a ridiculous thing to say.

The European expansion into the Americas is described as an invasion (which it was). No such negative word is used for Islam (which was also an invasion). They use the phrase "spread of Islam" for three different chapters.

They don't even describe Genghis Khan or Timur as invaders. They reserve the word invasion for only the Americas.

http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wcap_4/

[kestrel91316]

4. School books should not be biased in favor of or against ANY religious group.

They should report the FACTS in an unbiased way.

I think this is asking too much of most Christians AND most Muslims AND most Jews. Everybody has an agenda, and the more religiously conservative, the more aggressive the agenda.

[exboyfil]

5. I agree so why

use the word "spread" when it comes to Islam and "invade" when it comes to Western European Christianity. Note - I think both should be classified as invasions.

[kestrel91316]

6. Christians are so prickly when they get a taste of their own medicine.

[exboyfil]

9. The AP World History text

should be an academic exercise like you said detailing world history without an agenda. Based on what I can find on the publisher's website, this does not appear to be the case. Islam and other religions (along with states and cultures) should all be held to with a critical eye.

Let me give you another example. My daughter's English class required her to study the formation of the Bible and other religious texts. Virtually all especially modern criticisms in her university library critically decide that many of the books of the Bible were attributed to the wrong individuals (and actually many of the individuals did not exist). I happen to mostly agree with that assessment, but many literature sources argue that the authors are as stated (for example the Gospels). I actually had to purchase books for her critical analysis to be complete.

When you consider Islam the situation is reversed. Very few books use critical techniques to examine the Qur'an. I know very few books of this nature exist (I have looked for them) and the library did not have any of them except Ibn Warraq which is limited because of his unwillingness to abandon his pseudonym and open up his credentials to examination. He also has a key essay in one of the books he edited which also uses a psueudonym. That is it for the library. Several books including Mattson's virtual love letter to Islam are what is available.

[kestrel91316]

2. Failure to slander Islam = "pro-Islamic bias" to these morans.

[exboyfil]

3. Read my response

I would like your opinion.

[rurallib]

7. I am duly impressed that a Florida Republican can read

[delrem]

8. Islamic scholars and mathematicians saved Europe's butt.

Those scholars and mathematicians provided the lever for hoisting Europe from the dark ages.
This at a time when Europeans tended to think "hey, lets mount a crusade to slaughter the infidels."

It's about time people stopped being so fucking petty and realize that the world is one.

[exboyfil]

10. And Islam wasn't expansionist as well?

Jan III Sobieski or Charles Martel as well as Gurjar Emperor Nagabhata I and Vikramaditya II may argue with this.

I do agree with you that Islamic scholars preserved much knowledge and that preservation and additional contributions were a key component of the technological development in Western Europe. Unfortunately they abandoned that scholarship in favor of a fundamentalist religion and only now is starting to recover.

[JHB]

11. I'm a bit more interested in the real context...

Was this book the main (or only) textbook used by the class, or one of several (where the teacher uses several so that different emphases and perspectives of the authors complement each other)? Was it intended to do so, but for budgetary reasons ended up as the sole textbook?

Is the information actually incorrect, or more a case of disagreement with how the authors frame these periods. Just how many things also qualify as "sugar coated"?

[exboyfil]

13. It appears to be a comprehensive text

Whether they use supplemental texts for individuals classes I am not sure. See my other posts. This textbook, based upon the publisher's website, needs some work to make it more balanced.

[JHB]

15. Yes, I checked the TOC and some of the summaries via your link

I was a little short of time when I made my post above, but I agree with your critiques. If this is the sole or primary text I'd have a problem with it too, but if it were one of several texts used I might have a different answer.

And using different texts with different emphases would certainly help alleviate the "when I was a kid textbooks were Gospel" attitude the so bothers the Rep in question.

[burnodo]

12. He's right

If they don't cover all the horrible things done in the name of Christianity, it's not much of a textbook.

[reformist2]

14. He appears to have moved on from his previous pet issue, to legalize dwarf-tossing.

[jessie04]

16. Nothing like offending an entire religion.

A few bad apples and lets try to smear and entire religion.

What a jerk.