This blog has lamented on numerous occasions that Marxist interpretation of Indian history passed off as authentic Indian history at the hands of Communist party workers “historians” ever since a Marxist became the first Indian Prime Minister.

I can only feel sorry for Arun Shourie who went to great lengths to unearth the Red Mischief at ICHR. For what he dug out pales in comparison with this monumental piece of academic apology for Islam.

If your child is unfortunate enough to study in California, he or she will be taught Islam is a fountain of modernity, liberty, and feminism. More importantly, he will be taught every aspect of the Islamic faith is historically accurate.

(Italics in original)

So there! Without shedding a drop of blood, Islam is fast achieving what it wants: an unsuspecting, liberal society fed with half-truths and outright lies about its true nature. What better way to accomplish this than catching ‘em young.

The Houghton-Mifflin textbook, currently in use in many schools, lists one Shabbir Mansuri, Founding Director of Council on Islamic Education, as its consultant. Mansuri is a businessman with a degree in chemical engineering, and not an academic. That did not prevent the California State Board of Education (SBE) from inviting Mansuri to a closed-door meeting, apparently to advise the board on Hindu edits, on January 6, 2006.

(Ed: URL in original)

Anybody ever heard of a Hindu sitting on the board of a textbook committee on Islam? Kalavai Venkat throws more light on what’s being fed to the poor children and the cocksure outcome of such indoctrination:

As the text progresses, the authors are absolutely convinced that revelations to Muhammad were indeed historical events: “Muhammad’s revelations occurred from 610 until his death in 632.” [p. 61] For the followers of Islam, the Quran completes the earlier revelations of Old Testament prophets and Jesus. The Quran is the final revelation, just as Muhammad is the final prophet…But Muslims considered these other religions [Christianity and Judaism] to be less correct. That is because the Quran teaches that the Bible has suffered loss and change with time. [p. 62]

As a result,

California children will now grow up assured that revelations are a historically verifiable phenomenon – and other faiths (perhaps those of their families for generations) are inferior.

Exactly what has happened to thousands of “educated” Hindus out here who despise Hinduism–and actually believe that monotheistic religions are superior–thanks to Marxist indoctrination–to an extent, this was but a vigorous and state-sponsored continuation of colonial domestication. While I don’t doubt the good intent of many of this class, I’m simultaneously amazed that they seek to “reform” Hinduism in a fashion that appeals to their intellectual mold. And their thoughts don’t go beyond the “evil” caste system and sundry other things like male-female equality. Their source of information to arrive at whatever they conclude is almost entirely based on media reports, whose credentials are dubitable at best and fraudulent at worst. Why is it that out of tens of blogs that I read each day, not one focuses on the fundamental aspect that you need to understand Hinduism: the primary sources? Of all the blogs, I’m yet to see–correct me on this one–one, but one which discusses at least one primary source.

I’ve digressed quite a bit.

However, it is quite some consolation that the damage our Marxists have done is limited: I remember reading in my school history that pre-Mohammad Arabia was populated by savages and that Islam brought order and discipline. But California scores over this big time:

Textbook authors portray Prophet Muhammad as a righteous and just man and demonize those who refused to follow the diktats of Muhammad – even if these people may never have existed:
Failing to convince Muhammad and his followers to give up their beliefs, the Quraysh leaders refused to trade with them, causing the Muslims great suffering…Quraysh leaders plotted to kill Muhammad. [p. 59]
The basis for this “fact” is a 16th century Islamic hagiographic text written by chronicler, Ibn al Dayba`, who accuses the Quraysh of treachery after admitting that the Quraysh feared violence at the hands of Muslims. [Motzki, Harald: The Biography of Muhammad – the Issue of the Sources, p. 163]. Textbook writers did not bother to ascertain facts when they decided to demonize the Quraysh, solely based on this dubious claim.

The demonizing of the Quraysh is contrasted with the complete sanitizing of Muhammad’s conduct, after he seized Mecca in 630 A.D.:

One of the first things Muhammad did was to forgive all those who had opposed Muslims for long. He also removed the idols from the Kabah. [p. 60]

Muhammad “forgave” these less powerful people by invading their shrines and desecrating their idols. Likewise, a proposed textbook from Prentice-Hall depicts Muhammad as a virtuous man who militated against “depraved” pre-Islamic society:
But he [Muhammad] was critical of Meccan society. All around him, he saw greed, corruption and violence. Arab traditions of honor and duty were being ignored. [p. 69]

Historical facts about how Muhammad and his party raided caravans and butchered defenseless people are now interpreted as the struggle of a righteous man against the knave.

Read the complete dissection article and pray for the Californian school children.