Arabic-speaking Christians generally
use the word "Allah" for the God of the Bible, but this curriculum
doesn't seem to be talking about Arabic-speaking Christians: it seems fairly
clear that it is trying to portray Islam in a benign and positive light, without
any reference to the violent texts and teachings that jihadis and Islamic
supremacists point to in order to justify their actions.
What a coincidence that this curriculum
would be in use in Texas, where Governor Rick Perry partnered with the Aga Khan
Foundation to develop a severely whitewashed, Islam-friendly curriculum. When Pamela
Geller and I broke the story of that curriculum in 2011, the reaction was
furious: one blogger demanded I stop linking him; another claimed that the curriculum material we had uncovered
was not really the curriculum at all, and tried to pass off one teacher's private notes as the real
curriculum; and former friends and associates denounced us with a cult-like fervor that I still
find hard to believe that a compromised nonentity like Rick Perry could have
inspired.
Now, lo and behold, we find that Texas
has a severely whitewashed Islam curriculum, just as we said. Today one of the
bloggers who was most furiously and frenziedly denouncing us last year for
daring to suggest that Perry was opening Texas schools to a biased and whitewashed
presentation of Islam posted this WND story without the slightest reference to
the Perry controversy, about which he was so spectacularly wrong. That's
chutzpah.
"Texas teaching 'Allah is the
Almighty God,'" by John Griffing for WND, December 13 (thanks to all who sent this in):
In
the 70 percent of Texas public schools where a private curriculum has been
installed, students are learning the “fact” that “Allah is the Almighty God,”
charge critics of a new online curriculum that already is facing condemnation
for its secrecy and restrictions on oversight.
The
program, called CSCOPE, is a private venture operating under the umbrella of
the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative, whose
incorporation documents state its independence from the State Board of
Education of the Texas Education Agency.
Other
reports previously have raised alarm over the curriculum’s depiction of the
Boston Tea Party as a terrorist act on par with the 9/11 attack.
According
to documentation that has leaked out, the program describes the Boston Tea
Party this way: “A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization,
attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port.
Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise,
considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was
destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were
able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these
fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities. It is believed
that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the
occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the
local citizens.”
There
also have been reports that the curriculum – contrary to recent Supreme Court
rulings – says the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the right to bear
arms, is limited to state-run organizations.
“The
collective right’s advocates believed that the Second Amendment did not apply
to individuals; rather it recognized the right of a state to arm its militia.
It recognized limited individual rights only when it was exercised by members
of a functioning, organized militia while actively participating in the
militia’s activities.”
Now
come concerns about what critics describe as a definitively pro-Islam bias.
The
critics say the studies border on proselytizing.
In
one scenario, students are asked to study the tenets of Islam, and critics say
the materials provided exceed impartial review of another faith, extending into
requirements of conversion and moral imperatives.
A
computer presentation utilized as part of a study of Islam includes information
on how to convert, as well as verses denigrating other faiths.
According
to excerpts, under the heading, “Who Is Allah?,” students are told:
“Allah
is the Almighty God.”
“Allah
alone is the Creator. He alone deserves our devout love and worship.”
Muhammad
is described as having become “disillusioned with the corruption in the city
and the growing gap between the urban dwellers and the Bedouins (nomadic
herders).”
But
there is no mention of his documented sex activities with a child or his
penchant for beheading entire indigenous people groups....
Posted
by Robert
on December 14, 2012
