American students are alarmingly ignorant about U.S. history and world events. --- according to jewish history revisionists
On Aug 7, 9:16 am, Bear Bear <[email protected]> wrote: > Watch Low Band Watch High Band > > Several recent studies have shown that American students are alarmingly > ignorant about U.S. history and world events. > > Experts have attributed the problem to everything from failing schools to > substandard teachers. > > But what about content? > > *Who Discovered America?* > > For instance, did you know that Muslims discovered America? Or that > Jerusalem is an Arab city? That's just some of the "history" that students > in America's K-12 classrooms have been taught in recent years--with the > help of taxpayer money. > > A new report by the non-profit Institute for Jewish and Community Research > finds that American high school and elementary textbooks contain countless > inaccuracies about Christianity, Judaism, Israel and the Middle East. > > The Institute examined 28 of the most widely-used history, geography and > social studies textbooks in America. It found at least 500 errors. > > One book ignored the Jewish roots of Christianity, saying the faith was > founded by a "young Palestinian" named Jesus. > > Another stated as fact that the Koran was revealed to Mohammed from God. > > Yet another said ancient Jewish civilization contributed "very little" to > to the arts and sciences. > > *The Stealth Curriculum* > > Textbooks like these are used by millions of schoolchildren in all 50 > states. Sandra Stotsky--now an endowed chair at the University of > Arkansas--has seen some of them firsthand. > > Stotsky was a commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Education > from 1999 until 2003. In that role, she helped set standards for students > and teachers on the K thru 12 level. Stotsky wrote a book about her > experience developing standards and professional development for history > teachers called *The Stealth Curriculum*. > > "We heard from a number of groups who were outraged because they didn't > want what they called a 'Euro-centric' version of history," said Stotsky. > "They literally wanted an Islamo-centric version of history. Which means > you look at the world from the perspective of Islam and you don't talk > about any negative aspects of Islam." > > *Islamic Seminar* > > After the 9/11 attacks, the Massachusetts Board of Education funded a > special seminar for K-12 teachers to learn about Islamic history and the > Middle East. > > The outreach coordinator at Harvard University's Center for Middle Eastern > Studies helped organize the seminar. Stotsky said she was shocked by the > teachers' lesson plans that came out of the week-long seminar. > > "They ranged from having students make prayer rugs; describe what it would > be like to go on a hajj--a pilgrimage; learn and memorize the five pillars > of Islam; listen to and learn how to recite passages from the Koran; dress > like a Muslim from a particular country.it was, to me, a clear violation of > ethics involved in how one would expect children to learn about another > culture. That they would literally go through the memorization and the > learning of religious beliefs." > > "These are unacceptable practices in a public school," she added. "In fact, > they would be unacceptable academic practices in any school." > > *Title VI* > > Harvard is one of 18 universities that receives government funding under > Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965. To qualify for that funding, > the universities are required to conduct outreach to K-12 teachers, helping > them to shape lessons for schoolchildren. Elementary and secondary teachers > have taken full advantage of the arrangement: after all, they believe > they're getting expert insight on Islam and the Middle East from > distinguished university scholars. > > "You have a lot of politically naive teachers--well intentioned teachers > who do want their students to learn more about Islamic history," says > Stotsky. "It has not been well covered in most history courses they've ever > taken, so they do genuinely want to learn more for themselves and teach > their students more." > > In some cases they may be getting more than they bargained for: the Saudi > government has donated millions of dollars to Middle East Centers at > universities that receive Title VI funding. > > The Harvard Middle Eastern Studies Center--whose proposed lesson plans for > K-12 history teachers originally drew Stosky's concern--is one of them. As > CBN News reported earlier this year, the Harvard Center received a $20 > million donation from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in 2005. Georgetown > University--another title VI recipient--also received $ 20 million from the > Prince that same year. > > It's through these Title VI university centers--all of them > government-sanctioned and taxpayer supported--that Saudi-funded materials > find their way into K-12 classrooms. > > *Education or Islamic Propoganda?* > > "Saudi donations to American universities should be seen in a much larger > picture of Saudi promotion of a Saudi point of view," said Daniel Pipes, > Director of the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia. "Whether it be Islamic > or political, the Saudis have a point of view. And they have been very > clever and very generous over the decades to promote that point of view." > > Among the textbooks the Saudi-funded Harvard Center recommends for > schoolchildren is the Arab World Studies Notebook. The book is published by > a New Mexico-based group called Arab World and Islamic Resources , which > was founded in 1990 with funding from organizations that include Saudi > Aramco, a Saudi government-owned oil company. > > *'The Notebook'* > > *The Notebook* has come under fire for negatively portraying America and > Israel while whitewashing Islam. It's been banned by some school districts. > > "It's very difficult to find any discussion of ancient Israel--that it > actually existed in time as a country,' Stotsky said of the *Notebook*. > "That it had a king, that it had kings. That King Solomon existed, that > Jerusalem was established as their capital city. It would discredit even > the founding of the state of Israel by claiming that it was imposed by > European or Western powers." > > One of the *Notebook's* most controversial claims was that Muslim explorers > beat Columbus to the New World. Older versions state that some Native > American chiefs even had Muslim names, like Abdul-Rahim. These passages > were eventually removed after widespread criticism from scholars and Native > American groups. *The Notebook's* editor, Audrey Shabbas, did not respond > to our requests for an interview. > > The Middle East Policy Council--a pro-Arab advocacy group in Washington, > D.C.--also conducts teacher training programs for K-12 teachers and has > promoted the Arab World Studies Notebook as an ideal educational tool. > > Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal donated $1 million towards the Council's > teacher training programs last year. The group did not respond to repeated > requests for an interview. > > *Stronger Curriculum Standards Needed* > > Stosky says there needs to be stronger standards for K-12 curriculums to > help offset the influence of outside pressure groups. That's traditionally > been a job for local governments. > > "State governments have not been given the power to set curriculum," she > said. "No, this is a local responsibility. It was devised this way by our > framers. You know, the local governments, local communities, would develop > their own curricula, decide what they would want to teach their children. > State governments could assess, as they now do, but they can't prescribe > curriculum for local communities. And the federal government certainly > can't prescribe a curriculum. That's why we're having a battle over where > national standards are going to come from." > > The standards Stotsky helped craft for Massachusetts schools include what > she calls "politically incorrect but historically accurate" objectives > about the Islamic slave trade, Islamic expansionism and treatment of women > in Islam. > > "What state governments can do--which to me, is the path we were taking in > Massachusetts--is to make sure that the standards you create for a subject > have been thoroughly vetted by first rate scholars--and a range of first > rate scholars," said Stotsky. > > *Title VI Battle Hits Capitol Hill* > The battle over Title VI has also reached Capitol Hill. In August, Congress > approved revisions to the Higher Education Act of 1965--which includes > Title VI. Universities must now explain how their Title VI funds will be > used--and K-12 schools are now required to reflect a wide range of views on > global issues in their lesson plans. 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