Florida school under fire for pro-Islam, anti-Christian history book

Advanced Placement history students at one Florida school have plenty of course materials on Islam, including 36 pages in the textbook devoted to the religion. But not so much on Christianity or Judaism — and that has one state lawmaker in an uproar.

“The book has a 36-page chapter on Islam but no chapters on Christianity or Judaism,” said Rep. Ritch Workman, in Townhall, about the Prentice World History textbook. “It’s remarkably one-sided.

Mr. Workman said the textbook, which has been on the Brevard County schools’ approved course list for three years, also rewrites the history of Islam. He looked through it and found the authors “make a very obvious attempt not to insult Islam by reshaping history,” Townhall reported.

“If you don’t see it from the eyes of a parent, kids are going to take this book as gospel and believe that Christians and Jews were murderous barbarians and thank God the Muslims came along and the world is great,” he said, as Townhall reported.

Here’s an example: Muhammad and his armies’ take-over of Medina states depicted “people happily accept[ing of] Islam as their way of life. It leaves out that tens of thousands of Jews and non-believers were massacred by [Muhammad’s] armies. It’s a blatant deception.”

At the same time, the book depicts Jesus as claiming to be the Messiah — but writes as fact that Muhammad was the prophet, Mr. Workman said in the Townhall article. Students in the class are also taught about the Koran and pillars of Islam.

“They don’t do that for Christianity,” he said, as Townhall reported. “That is offensive to me.”

At least one member of the school board is similarly alarmed.

“Some of the descriptions of the battles use the word ’massacre’ when it’s a Christian battle and ’takeover’ when it’s a Muslim battle,” said Amy Kneessy to Fox News. “In young minds, massacre paints a very different visual picture than a takeover or occupation — when in fact both battles were very bloody.”

The publisher, Pearson, denied any bias. But Mr. Workman said he was told by a spokesperson for the publisher that a Muslim cleric was hired to write the sections on Islam.