Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

[ScottSA]

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

By LAURA CLARK - More by this author »

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...770&ito=newsnow

[Liam]

I would say this was merely a disgrace if it wasn't such an outrage.

[M.Dancer]

This school board must think like the Japanese....

[Borg]

Somehow this news does not surprise me. Disappointing but to be expected in today's "avoid the truth if it may hurt somone" society.

Borg

[Wilber]

Scary, more than scary.

[stignasty]

Well considering how teachers are routinely shat upon, can you blame them for being "unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

They teach the holocaust or crusades to the wrong class and the parents will be at their doorstep with torches, they change the curriculum and the Daily Mail is writing a feature on it.

It's a Lose/Lose situation for the teachers.

[Liam]

Well considering how teachers are routinely shat upon, can you blame them for being "unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

They teach the holocaust or crusades to the wrong class and the parents will be at their doorstep with torches, they change the curriculum and the Daily Mail is writing a feature on it.

It's a Lose/Lose situation for the teachers.

Agreed... to an extent. I think it's a sad state of affairs when parents in our society are so sensitive to certain things (evolution, the holocaust, Huck Finn, etc.) that schools can't even teach an honest and intellectually challenging curriculum. But I also think the schools are being complicit in this scheme by not standing up to do the right thing.

[Remiel]

I think the root of the problem certainly lies in the new culture of " teacher hate " . If society is unwilling to go to bat for the teachers, then why should the teachers be willing to go to bat for society?

The report said teachers feared confronting 'anti-Semitic sentiment and Holocaust denial among some Muslim pupils'.

It added: "In another department, the Holocaust was taught despite anti-Semitic sentiment among some pupils.

"But the same department deliberately avoided teaching the Crusades at Key Stage 3 (11- to 14-year-olds) because their balanced treatment of the topic would have challenged what was taught in some local mosques."

While the Holocaust must be taught, I fail to see the reason why 11-14 year olds need to be studying the Crusades as part of the standard curriculum. That is something that should be left for older students, in my opinion. Besides, I suspect that the reason they originally starting teaching it was as some sort of pointless glorification of " Christian piety " or some garbage like that.

Shouldn't this be is World Politics though? This article is from the UK...

[White Doors]

So much for learning histopry to learn from our mistakes...

unbelieveable and sickening cowardice.

[ScottSA]

I fail to see the reason why 11-14 year olds need to be studying the Crusades as part of the standard curriculum. That is something that should be left for older students, in my opinion. Besides, I suspect that the reason they originally starting teaching it was as some sort of pointless glorification of " Christian piety " or some garbage like that.

Yeah, God forbid that we actually take our own side in the interpretation of history. No one else does...Islamic countries are well known for their objectivity in teaching opposing opinions in madrassas...

[DogOnPorch]

Yeah, God forbid that we actually take our own side in the interpretation of history. No one else does...Islamic countries are well known for their objectivity in teaching opposing opinions in madrassas...

Indeed. This is the same religion that built its mosques on the ruins of The People of the Book's temple, claiming it was some obscure spot in the Koran where Mohammed accended to heaven. Fairly opportune, I always thought. Teaching about the Crusades might bring that l'il fact to light. A 'sticky wicket'...

As for the Holocaust...

When you think of the role the popular Grand Mufti of Jerusalem + friends had in the Holocaust, you'd think that was proof enough for many Muslims that it happened. But apparently not.

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There must be people who remember World War II and the Holocaust who can help us get out of this rut.

---Martin Scorsese

[Wilber]

While the Holocaust must be taught, I fail to see the reason why 11-14 year olds need to be studying the Crusades as part of the standard curriculum. That is something that should be left for older students, in my opinion. Besides, I suspect that the reason they originally starting teaching it was as some sort of pointless glorification of " Christian piety " or some garbage like that.

The Crusades must also be taught. They are at least as important in defining the would we live in as the Holocaust. An objective history of the period will not shed much credit on anyone, Christian or Muslim.

[GostHacked]

All history should be taught. It is called challenging the mind and the person on how they think and feel. Don't want to teach it?? Doomed to repeat it? It is the Muslims who should just leave the class if they don't want to hear it. Or go to another school I guess.

I want people to be challenged. Have thier beliefs challenged, their world view challenged, everything. Only then can a student grow and understand and make up thier own minds about how the world works. Although I think there is much in the classroom that should be left up to the parents, just because a holocaust offends you, does not mean it does not have a place in history and should be taught objectivley.

[DogOnPorch]

Wilber: The Crusades must also be taught. They are at least as important in defining the would we live in as the Holocaust. An objective history of the period will not shed much credit on anyone, Christian or Muslim.

I agree the Crusades are very important to both culture's combined history. But it might indeed raise some tough questions amoungst the Muslim students if it is pointed out that Mohammed couldn't possibly have been to Jerusalem in his lifetime...unless they do infact believe a winged beast transported him there...rather than that passage just being a metaphor for a spiritual journey.

As historians know, Islam didn't reach Byzantine Jerusalem until 636 AD...well after Mohammed's death...and it came with a sword in its hand.

http://www.snunit.k12.il/njeru/ee31.htm

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You ought to let the Jews have Jerusalem; it was they who made it famous.

---Sir Winston Churchill

[Jerry Galinda]

Who was the first in Spain - Muslims or Christians ?

Who was the invader ?

What and where was it – reconquista ?

Who was the first in Palestina ?

Who was the first in Egypt ?

The Christian Coptic Church of Egypt or muslims ?

And so on , and so on

[Jerry Galinda]

Who was the first in Spain - Muslims or Christians ?

Who was the invader ?

What and where was it – reconquista ?

Who was the first in Palestina ?

Who was the first in Egypt ?

The Christian Coptic Church of Egypt or muslims ?

And so on , and so on

[Mad_Michael]

Who was the first in Spain - Muslims or Christians ?

Who was the invader ?

What and where was it – reconquista ?

Bemused giggles.

The Pre-Celtic peoples, of which the Basque are the modern descendants are the 'first' inhabitants of Spain to the best of our knowledge. Then came the Celts, then the Romans, then the Vandals, then the Visigoths, then the Muslims, then the Christians.

Who was the first in Palestina ?

Tough one... got a time frame for me to work with? There is evidence of Homo Erectus, Homo Habilis and Homo Sapiens all passing through this region circa 50,000 to 1,000,000 years ago.

Who was the first in Egypt ?

The Christian Coptic Church of Egypt or muslims ?

Well, first in Egypt is highly debatable, but as for the choice between the Coptics and the Muslims, clearly the Coptic Church predates the Muslims.

And so on , and so on

Indeed, this argument appears extremely arbitrary.

[Mad_Michael]

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

By LAURA CLARK - More by this author »

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

This says nothing substantive. Some teachers are reluctant to cover all kinds of topics for fear of upsetting anything.

Indeed, some teachers in the USA are reluctant to cover evolution for fear of upsetting Christain fundamentalists (whether they are in the school or not).

[guyser]

And this is different to Kansas how?

Oh right , Muslims are involved.

[Rue]

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

By LAURA CLARK - More by this author »

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...770&ito=newsnow

The above is intellectual cowardice and unacceptable. Anyone who denies the holocaust and thinks they can hide behind religion as an excuse to deny it is mistaken.

More to the point I can not possibly imagine the majority of Muslims in the free world agreeing with this. Thsi reflects a minority of Muslims and whether they want to hear it or not their personal opinions are not relevant to what history needs to be taught.

When we start to censor history because some people don't want to hear it, this becomes an absurd joke.

I personally believe this story is turning into an ugly anti-Muslim thing and I do not think it reflects on Muslims as a people and I am Jewish. It is an isolated incident.

The school where those teachers work needs to grow some balls quickly.

[Rue]

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

By LAURA CLARK - More by this author »

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

This says nothing substantive. Some teachers are reluctant to cover all kinds of topics for fear of upsetting anything.

Indeed, some teachers in the USA are reluctant to cover evolution for fear of upsetting Christain fundamentalists (whether they are in the school or not).

That is the point. I agree and I am a Jew. This is really about teachers afraid to upset students. In this case this case the subject was the holocaust so it has the ability to inflame already over-heated negative preconceptions about Muslims and as you say this b.s. goes on all the time about a lot of subjects.

I am fully confident the vast majority of Muslim people in North America would not allow their children to deny the holocaust and yes this fear of upsetting students is going to far in a lot of areas. That is the real issue-avoiding contraversy because teachers do not feel they can control the students.

Whether that student is Muslim, Christian, Jewish, atheist, they all should be required to study the same curriculum and conform to the same rules or get their prissy little attitudes readjusted.

[DogOnPorch]

This says nothing substantive. Some teachers are reluctant to cover all kinds of topics for fear of upsetting anything.

This clip is pretty funny re: teaching evolution in schools... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj1KGZSFmfs

And this is different to Kansas how?

Oh right , Muslims are involved.

Actually...it's due to Holocaust denial. They haven't done that in Kansas public schools...yet, at least. But, face it...Holocaust denial in the Middle-East is a real thing. You might recall the so-called Holocaust conference involving David Duke amoungst other clowns. Now, it's apparently surfacing even in English schools in this latest, off-hand way. Great...

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The Revisionist's Guide To Holocaust Debate

[Rue]

Well considering how teachers are routinely shat upon, can you blame them for being "unwilling to challenge highly contentious or charged versions of history in which pupils are steeped at home, in their community or in a place of worship."

They teach the holocaust or crusades to the wrong class and the parents will be at their doorstep with torches, they change the curriculum and the Daily Mail is writing a feature on it.

It's a Lose/Lose situation for the teachers.

You make a point I would not disagree with. I do not blame the teachers. I pin the blame directly on wussy school boards with no balls and idiot parents who have brought their children up to be prissy little twits and its not particular to Muslims by any means although this story incites precisely because it deals with Muslims and it plays on the theme that all Muslims are close minded bigots which is not true. If there is a group of Muslims acting in a closed minded manner it reflects on them not all Muslims just like I do not blame all Christians for those including those on this post who like to pretend they are discussing the holocaust when in fact they simply want to deny it and disguise it as discussion.

It is intellectual cowardice no more no less.

[Canadian Blue]

History should be taught as it is. Or at the very least students should be allowed to debate history, since unfortunately the interpetation's can change due to new perspectives [doesn't include outright denial of the holocaust]. It's unfortunate, but we in the west seem to be more than willing to forget our history, but it will unfortunately only result in making the same mistakes with regards to war, poverty, racism, and social injustice.

If we were to teach history as it is, then it will challenge many students religious beliefs, which in, and of itself will cause friction from students, parents, and teachers.

This article includes fears that Christian's could be offended.

A third school found itself 'strongly challenged by some Christian parents for their treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict-and the history of the state of Israel that did not accord with the teachings of their denomination'.

[guyser]

Actually...it's due to Holocaust denial. They haven't done that in Kansas public schools...yet, at least.

Well you did throw in the "...yet , at least" thing. They just might in our lifetime

My point was Kansas wants to teach creationism stemming from religious belief , and the UK teachers dont want to teach something stemming from religious belief.