The difference between a Dwight Eisenhower and a Herman Goering is not their 100% German blood but what and how they were taught when they were being raised.
If a kid in Spain is being raised by his parents as a Muslim, it is better that he be taught the Catholic Church version of how good Muslims should behave rather than having some radical Islamist cleric at a madras school teaching him the jihad version of how good Muslims should behave.
"From what I have heard, the book is published by a publishing house owned by the Catholic Church and it seems like a pretty good idea to me."
Not sure what the standing of this publishing house actually is in the eyes of the Church. Remember, groups like Pax Christi and Catholics for a Free Choice also claim to speak for the Church but they do not.
Do not misunderstand...this book was not written by the Church - The book Discovering Islam - for primary school children - was written in Spanish by a Muslim leader.
Naive, well-meaning bridge builders have caused much damage through the years...
I think this a very bad idea...
Spain's government endorses it? I vote against it then...very socialist agenda lately.
It's a horrible idea. The book was written by the Spanish equivalent of CAIR, and the press that published it, owned by the Marists, is ultra-liberal and announced that it was doing this to encourage Islam in Spain. Catholics in Spain are, needless to say, pretty upset by this idiotic remark.
Furthermore, the government paid the entire cost of these books. Not only are there way more books than needed, but they are going to be sold through the mosques, which will be allowed to keep the entirety of the purchase price. Books for Catholic religious ed, on the other hand, are paid for mostly by the Church and are sold through school and other regular book stores, with no profit going to the Church.
Religious ed is offered as a weekly class in public schools in Spain, with an ethics option for kids who are not religious. Something like 85% of Spanish families request it for their kids; however, in the last couple of years, as an attempt to discourage kids from taking it, the Socialists have removed its grading and standing as a regular class.
Zapatero is famed for his attempts to promote Islam. He is a leftist atheist himself, but he sees Islam as a way to attack the Church, which he regards as his arch-enemy. The title of the book, by the way, is "Getting to Know Islam"(in Spanish, of course) and it is obviously designed for use not just for Muslim students but for some future "introductory" classes on Islam for non-Muslims.