Searching for Truth in Mathews County History Textbooks

MATHEWS COUNTY HISTORY TEXTBOOKS – A SEARCH FOR TRUTH       by  Marilyn Rainville

Have you read that Islam is a Judeo-Christian Tradition?  That the Prophet Mohammed promoted peace, brotherhood, unity and tolerance of all people?  That the Ottomans conquered Western countries and treated the people “kindly”?  These are just a few of the falsehoods presented as facts in the Mathews County High School “Modern World History:  Patterns of Interaction” (2003) by McDougall-Littell.

The truth is that Islam is not from the Judeo-Christian tradition.  It began in 600 AD by the Prophet Mohammed and was based on the polytheistic Moon God (Allah).  This is described in the online Apex Learning Resource, available at Mathews High School, which oddly contradicts the textbook.

Mohammed began spreading Islam in Mecca, but did not attract many converts.  It was in Medina that Mohammed began to preach violence against Christians and Jews (infidels) “Your Lord inspired the angels with the message:  I will terrorize the unbelievers.  Therefore smite them on their necks and every joint and incapacitate them.  Strike off their heads and cut off each of their fingers and toes.” (Quran 8:12)

There is no mention of the treatment of women in the history textbook. Mohammed advocated for the oppression of women in the Quran.  (“Men have authority over women because God has made the one superior to the other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them.  Good women are obedient.  They guard their unseen parts because God has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and forsake them in beds apart and beat them.”  To this day, wife beating and honor killing are acceptable under Sharia Law.

The Muslims who conquered Western countries treated their subjects worse than second class citizens.  They were denied the right to build churches and synagogues and they were routinely beaten or murdered.  Today, Muslim countries do not welcome other religions, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, and many people have been killed for their faith.  Thousands of peace-seeking Muslims have fled the tyranny of Islamic oppression to find religious freedom in the United States.  These facts have been omitted from the textbook as well.

According to a Mathews County School Board member, “the Virginia Department of Education approves textbooks, and then the county chooses them through team review.”  She said the biggest problem is the textbook companies, and that “anyone with a concern should tell the school board about it.”  Another School Board member stated he wasn’t aware of the problem and that while the school board has the final say, it typically doesn’t get involved.  He said he hadn’t read the history textbook, but would review it to “make sure it’s as straight as can be and reflects the feelings of the community”.

This problem is not limited to Virginia textbooks, but to textbooks across the country.  The group Act for America has recently sent out a Textbook Review entitled “Education or Indoctrination” to every School Board Member in the country.  The Virginia History & Geography Standards of Learning (2010) are problematic as well.  They have been increasingly influenced by Radical Islamic groups as evidenced by the 19 pages of goals on Islam.  It is time for parents in Mathews County and around the country to wake up!  Our children deserve to learn the truth!