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Islam actually has a history. As a political movement, it is a major factor in the middle east.

And I don’t know when you graduated High School, or where, but when I went to school, and when my kids went to school, they actually taught history in history. Meaning they learned about China, including the religions of china and how they shaped the political landscape. They learned of the middle east and how the religions there shaped THAT landscape.

I certainly don’t want the next generation to be ignorant of the political forces at work in the middle east. The outline of the class we are speaking of was not kind to the muslim faith.

Some people confuse this with a federal program being pushed by the Obama administration, which did have a less-than attractive lesson plan. Don’t be fooled.

Islam actually has a history. As a political movement, it is a major factor in the middle east.

Nobody is arguing that, and it's been taught in Texas schools going back to my kids as teenagers, and even when I was a kid (which is a long time ago). It can't be ignored and shouldn't be ignored. What's being brought up is why Perry actively tried to expand what is being taught statewide and why he wanted to present it in a better light. It's fine and dandy if the Aga Khan wants to go around preaching about how wonderful Islam is, but I'd rather not have our Governor trying to influence school curriculum when it comes to other religions.

This is from one of the districts' curriculum based on what Perry wanted:

The Muslim Histories and Cultures Project was born out of discussions between His Highness The Aga Khan and Texas Governor Rick Perry during the Summer 2002, when The Aga Khan was in Houston for the dedication of a new Ismaili Center. Both His Highness and Governor Perry agreed on the need for Texans to have a greater understanding of Islamic culture, and subsequently brought UT-Austin President Larry Faulkner into the discussions. Located in the state capital, Faulkner’s campus is well positioned to accomplish these goals. A series of meetings followed, with the project ultimately finding a home in UT-Austin’s College of Liberal Arts, under the guidance of Dean Richard W. Lariviere, in association with UT Liberal Arts (UT-LA), the college’s teacher preparation program.

In April 2004, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and UT-Austin finalized a grant proposal that created the partnership that became known as the Muslim Histories and Cultures Program (MHC). Much has happened since the inception of the partnership. Creation and implementation of a model was of prime importance. MHC recruited and directly trained 80 teachers affecting approximately 15,150 students of World History and World Geography in ten key Texas districts during the two sessions conducted in 2005 and 2006. The purpose is two-fold 1) to fulfill Governor Rick Perry's desire to better educate Texas teachers on Muslim topics and 2) to train teachers to use a cultural lens approach to understanding other cultures. Governor Perry was instrumental in getting this program off the ground.

The curriculum for this project was developed at Harvard University and modified at the University of Texas at Austin.

The responsibilities of the participants are:

to attend the 10 seminars and complete the assigned readings.
to attend the January, April, and June meetings in Austin.
to create lessons concerning Islamic topics with a “cultural lens” approach tied to their grade level to share with other teachers.

Click on a Link Below to Visit a Session:

Session One: Sources of Tradition
Session Two: Muhammad through History
Session Three: The Qur'an
Session Four: Thr Qur'an: Major Themes
Session Five: Communities of Interpretation
Session Six: Communities of Interpretation
Session Seven: Rise and Reach of Muslim Civilizations
Session Eight: Religion, Politics & Modernity: Competing Visions of Muslim Societies from the 18th & 19th Centuries
Session Nine: Islamic Modernism
Lesson Plans and Strategies

If Obama was pushing for an expansion in teaching about Islam nationwide the way that Perry was pushing for it in Texas, people would be riled up. Instead, Perry does it and it's a good thing somehow.