A textbook deemed "pro-Islam" and "anti-Christian" is ready to be banned in Texas, United States.
The Texas Education Board will decide on a resolution urging publishers not to print "pro Islam / anti-Christian" language from textbooks in the state.
Among the complaints, the non-binding decree said printed books provided more space for Islam than Christianity and “whitened” Islamic culture.
Texas is one of the largest print book markets in the US and a decision that helps this resolution will affect the publishing industry, proponents of the resolution said.
The decision to be made by the Texas Education Agency will take place Friday (24/09/10), submitted by Randy Rives, a businessman and Republican member of the city of Odessa, Texas.
To the BBC, Rives said that his party was very worried about books containing pro-Islam and anti-Christian teachings.
He said the resolution was needed to warn publishers against printing "anti-Christian" books if they were to sell them in Texas schools.
Criticism of the resolution
Rives mentions that the book approved for use in Texas schools until 2003 contains 159 lines on Islam and only 82 for Christianity, and tells about the European Jewish crusade, but ignores the massacre of Baghdad Muslims by Muslim ruler Tamerlane.
But critics say the resolution is based solely on reading errors from disused books, and there is an element of incorporating conservative politics into the curriculum.
The Texas Freedom Network, an organization that promotes religious freedom and rejects "certain religious rights" has accused the Texas education agency of promoting this issue rather than focusing on education issues.
"This resolution is another example of the attitude of the ranks of the education body who prioritize politics rather than expertise and refuse to consider suggestions from real educators, before doing anything provocative and divisive," said the organization's statement.
"The agency clearly doesn't ask educators or other experts for advice on resolutions." (BBC News). *
