Bias, politics distort kids’ history lessons
By Robert Holland, Columnist

MODERN textbooks often shy away from presenting a positive picture of Christianity and Judaism as important influences in molding the United States of America. But thanks to multicultural activism, that caution does not hold for the way many K-12 history textbooks now present non-Western religions, particularly Islam.

For instance, “History Alive: the Medieval World and Beyond,” a middle-school text adopted by California for statewide use, offers a decidedly unbalanced characterization of jihad, a concept that may be benign in individual uses but that is invoked by radical Islamists as a rationale for warring against Americans.

“Jihad represents the human struggle to overcome difficulties and to do things that would be pleasing to God,” the textbook asserts. “Muslims strive to respond positively to personal difficulties as well as worldly challenges. For instance, they might work to become better people, reform society, or correct injustice.”

That is no isolated sugar-coating of reality. The American Textbook Council, an independent organization that has studied social-studies textbooks since 1989, recently found that many political and religious groups seek to gain favorable treatment in textbooks, but the deficiencies in Islam-related lessons are “uniquely disturbing.” (CLICK HERE TO READ MORE)