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 US School Removes Islam’s Golden Era
Posted: Thursday April 07, 2005 10:09 PM EST
 The removed book was the only textbook rightfully crediting the gold age of Islam.
Washington—A school in Arizona removed a seventh-grade textbook on medieval times on claims the book focuses on the portrayal of Islam. The book has eight various units, with the first on the legacy of the Roman Empire and the second on the rise of Islam and the contribution of Muslims to world civilization. Other chapters cover other different aspects. The Islamic civilization was in its heyday at the time, which also witnessed the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century and a legacy of feudalism in Europe, known as the Dark Ages, before the Age of Enlightenment. The book, “History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond,” was being used on a trial basis at Mohave Middle School in Scottsdale in Tucson, according to The Tucson Citizen Wednesday, April 6, quoting the Associated Press. The paper said 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 district governing board member Christine Schild. In a January 25 e-mail to Superintendent John Baracy, 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 in the book, students read and learn about the contributions of Muslims to world civilization in such areas as science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature. Medieval Richness The book also covers the richness of Islam at the time, in addition to the rich heritage of storytelling and poetry in the Muslim world. Students also learn how Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, enriched Muslim literature. The book cites as example Omar Khayyam, whose collection of Sufi poems is one of the most widely translated pieces of literature in the world. Khayyam was not just a poet. He was also a mathematician, scientist, and astronomer. He made significant contributions in each of those areas, according to the book. 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, included in one of the book’s eight units. The titles of other lessons cover areas such as “the Byzantine Empire” and “From the Crusades to the Rise of New Muslim Empires”. Students also learn about the causes and effects of the crusades through role playing. Western Muslim analysts have long complained of discrimination or at least ignorance in American and European school curricula. In December, a number of European experts recommended in a conference that countries in the continent 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.
Source: http://www.islam-online.net/
Reproduced with permission from Islam Online.
©2005 Islam Online. All Rights Reserved. |
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