The Council on Islamic Education is a research institute and resource organization in Fountain Valley, California. The "Muslim academic scholars of religion, history, political science" at the Council seek to "support and strengthen American public education" by drawing upon "civic, ethical, and educational principles in Islam."[1]

Criticism

According to Diane Ravitch, major textbook publishers allow the Council to review material before publication, a practice which "may account for... their omission of anything that would enable students to understand conflicts between Islamic fundamentalism and Western liberalism" [2]

Gilbert Sewall, former education editor of Newsweek and author of “Islam and the Textbooks” has criticized textbook publishers because they have “allowed Islamic organizations — notably the Council on Islamic Education — to strong-arm them and in effect act as censors.”[3]

Critics have called the Council "a content gatekeeper with virtually unchecked power over publishers" and allege that "as a result, history textbooks accommodate Islam on terms that Islamists demand."[4]

A report of the American Textbook Council[5] calls the Council "an agent of contemporary censorship," and accuses it of being "in fact a political advocacy organization" that seeks to present an "Islamist" version of history.[6]

Reception

Others praise the Council for publishing "new materials have recently appeared to enable educators to teach more effectively."[7]

References

  1. ↑ "CIE - Our Mission, Philosophy and Approach". Council on Islamic Education. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  2. ↑ Ravitch, Diane, Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn (2003), New York, p. 147
  3. ↑ The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
  4. ↑ Islam and the Textbooks, by Gilbert T. Sewall, Family Security Matters, October 23, 2007 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-11-02. Retrieved 2008-02-20.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "American Textbook Council - Islam in the Classroom".
  6. ↑ Islam and the Textbooks; A Report of the American Textbook Council,Middle East Quarterly, Summer 2003
  7. ↑ Education: Ramadan: A Teachable Moment


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.