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Truth in California Textbooks Review Pearson California History-Social Science: myWorld Interactive, Grade 7 World History: Medieval & Early Modern Times (2017) Problem: Omission of Fact (OF), Half-Truth (HT), Factual Error (FE), Slant (S), Bias (B), Incorrect Terminology (IT) OF means that there is additional useful information to help students learn complete history. The author/publisher has not deliberately omitted material to fulfill an agenda. HT means that the author/publisher has presented "half of the story" and has omitted the other half for agenda-based reasons. HT leads to slant and bias. Location Quote Proble m Fact & Source Topic 1, Lesson 1, Page 15, Analyze Charts Making more tools and weapons required burning much more wood and far more methane FE This Reviewer suggests that the Editor remove this completely because it has nothing to do with the Topic 1 on the Roman Empire. Topic 1, Lesson 1, Page 15, Analyze Charts, paragraph 1 Human activity raised methane levels, which increased temperatures slightly during the Roman empire. Draw Conclusions: What connection might this chart have relative today’s environment? FE, Since the thermometer wasn’t invented until the 18 th Century, any discussion of temperature change or its causes in the first century is speculation. This Reviewer suggests that the Editor remove this completely because it has nothing to do with the Topic 1. Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 22, Jesus Life and Teachings, Paragraph 3 The Romans sealed the tomb and posted guards around it. FE The Jewish leadership asked Pilate to seal the tomb and post guards around it because they were concerned that Jesus’ followers would take the body 1

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Truth in California Textbooks ReviewPearson California History-Social Science: myWorld Interactive, Grade 7 World History: Medieval & Early Modern Times (2017)

Problem: Omission of Fact (OF), Half-Truth (HT), Factual Error (FE), Slant (S), Bias (B), Incorrect Terminology (IT)OF means that there is additional useful information to help students learn complete history. The author/publisher has not deliberately omitted material to fulfill an agenda. HT means that the author/publisher has presented "half of the story" and has omitted the other half for agenda-based reasons. HT leads to slant and bias.

Location Quote Problem Fact & SourceTopic 1, Lesson 1, Page 15, Analyze Charts

Making more tools and weapons required burning much more wood and far more methane

FE This Reviewer suggests that the Editor remove this completely because it has nothing to do with the Topic 1 on the Roman Empire.

Topic 1, Lesson 1, Page 15, Analyze Charts, paragraph 1

Human activity raised methane levels, which increased temperatures slightly during the Roman empire. Draw Conclusions: What connection might this chart have relative today’s environment?

FE, Since the thermometer wasn’t invented until the 18th Century, any discussion of temperature change or its causes in the first century is speculation. This Reviewer suggests that the Editor remove this completely because it has nothing to do with the Topic 1.

Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 22, Jesus Life and Teachings, Paragraph 3

The Romans sealed the tomb and posted guards around it.

FE The Jewish leadership asked Pilate to seal the tomb and post guards around it because they were concerned that Jesus’ followers would take the body and claim that he had arisen. Pilate assigned a guard and the Jews put a seal on the stone covering the entrance of the tomb.

Matthew 27:62-66Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 22, Paragraph 3.

Many claimed to have seen him after his death. OF The Gospels indicate that all the Apostles and Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw Jesus alive after his death. Paul in 1 Corinthians says more than 500 saw him at one time.

Luke 24, 1 Corinthians 15:3-9Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 22, Jesus the Teacher, paragraph 2

Word spread that he could heal sick people. OF According to the Gospels, Jesus actually healed 29 people and raised 3 dead people to life – Jairus’ daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus.

Source: http://stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=111 (Accessed 6/20/17)

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Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 23, Christians and Jews, paragraph 3

After a later rebellion Jews were forbidden to live in Jerusalem.

OF This Second Jewish Revolt (also called the Bar Kochba Rebellion) occurred 66 years after the first Zealot rebellion.

Source: http://jewishstudies.eteacherbiblical.com/jewish-revolts-rome-peter-shirokov-dr-eli-lizorkin-eyzenberg/ (Accessed 6/20/17)

Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 23, How Did Christianity Spread, Paragraph 2,

They carried their faith to many parts of the world.

OF They preached their faith to many parts of the world because of Jesus’ command to preach the Gospel to all nations and make disciples of all nations. This command is called the Great Commission, a core Christian belief.

Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:47Topic 1, Lesson 2, Page 24, Travels of the Apostle Paul, Paragraph 1, Line 1odus

Early in his life he was opposed to Christians. He had an experience that led to his conversion to Christianity.

OF Paul was a Jewish Pharisee who persecuted Christians. On his way to Damascus, he had a vision of Jesus, who asked, “Why do you persecute me?”, and was blinded. He was told to see a Christian man in Damascus who restored his sight.

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 9Topic 1, Lesson 3, Page 27, The Christian Bible, Paragraph 3, Line 1

The works that became the New Testament were written down between 50 CE and 150.

FE All of the books of the New Testament with the possible exception of Revelations were written in the first century – within 67 years of Jesus’ death.

Source: h ttps://carm.org/questions/about-bible/wasnt- new-testament-written-hundreds-years-after-christ (Accessed 6/20/17)

Topic 1, Lesson 3, Page 28, 5 Things to Know About

Paul the Apostle OF Paul’s education is significant: “a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city [Jerusalem] at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the [Jewish] law of the fathers.” Gamaliel was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court) in the early 1st century AD.

Source: Acts 22:3Topic 1, Lesson 5, Page 44, The Germans Invade, paragraph 1

By 376, some Germans had reached the Danube River, the border of the Empire.

OF There are 6 major German tribes, but the map on page 44 shows only two plus the Huns. The Goths consist of Visigoths (West Goths) and Ostrogoths (East Goths). The text and the map need to be more specific rather than merely say “some Germans.”

Source: http://www.friesian.com/germania.htm (Accessed 6/21/17)

Topic 1, Lesson 6, Page 48, The Defenses Fail, Paragraph

In 1204, soldiers from Western Europe called crusaders took the city.

In 1204, the Fourth Crusade was diverted from Jerusalem to sack Constantinople which caused a

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1, Line 2 serious break within Christianity. Story of Christianity, page 123-Price and Collins,

Tyndale House PublishersTopic 1, Lesson 6, Page 48, The Defenses Fail, Paragraph 2, Line 2

The final attack came from the Turkish Ottoman empire.

OF Important to note this was a Muslim or Islamic Empire and the last Islamic Caliphate.

Topic 1, Lesson 6, Page 49, Foreign Invaders, paragraph 2

The Turks, a Muslim Central Asian people, seized much of modern-day Turkey and other areas from the Byzantines.

OF No time-frame is provided for these foreign invasions. The beginning of the Turkish invasion of modern-day Turkey was the Battle of Manzikert in 1071. The Turks had only recently converted to Islam.

Source: http://www.historytoday.com/jasper-streater/battle-manzikert (Accessed 6/21/17)

Topic 1, Lesson 6, Page 54, Paragraph 3

Attacks on icons angered Christians in Western Europe.

FE This was an Eastern Church issue per my readings. Story of Christianity, page 98, Price and Collins,

Tyndale House PublishersTopic 1, Lesson 7, Page 55, (box) The Christian Church splits, bullet 4

Priests could not marry FE At the time of the Great Schism (1054) all priests could marry. It was only later that, as a result of the First Lateran Council in 1129, Roman Catholic priests were forbidden to marry. The issue was over inheritance rights of the priest’s children, rather than a religious issue.

Source: http://www.uscatholic.org/glad-you-asked/2009/08/why-are-priests-celibate (Accessed 6/21/17)

Topic 2, Lesson 1, Page 67, paragraph 2

a Muslim dynasty established a strong state in the 700’s

FE, HT, B This was not the establishment of a Muslim dynasty. This was a Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.

Ibn Abd-el-Hakem, History of the Conquest of Spain, trans. by John Harris Jones (Gottingen, W. Fr. Kaestner, 1858), pp. 18-22

Topic 2, Lesson 4, Page 88, Trade Goes Global, paragraph 1, Lines 1, 2

The Crusades were a series of wars fought against Muslims in the Holy Land.

HT The Crusades (1095-1291) were in response to the Muslim invasions and occupation of the Holy Land since 637. Pope Urban II responded to an appeal from Byzantine Emperor, Alexios I Komnenos, who requested Western aid to help repel the invading Seljuk Turks form Anatolia.

The Muslim conquest of the Levant (Arabic: الفتح ام للش الفتح ) or Arab conquest of the Levant (اإلسالمي ام للش occurred in the first half of the 7th (العربي

century,[1] "Syria." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Oct. 2006

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The Caliphs and Their Non-Muslim Subjects, Oxford University Press (London, 1930), PP.5-17, 113-126, 186-187.

Topic 2, Lesson 5, page 96, paragraph 4

Many works of ancient Greece had been preserved in the Byzantine empire and in lands under Islamic rule where they had been studied by Muslim, Jewish, and Christian scholars. Copies of these books traveled to Europe, along with Arabic books of science and philosophy. Such books were added to monastery libraries, which had preserved other works of classical learning.

HT They were not “preserved” by Islam. Nor were they “added to monastery libraries”.

“The oft-repeated assertion that Islam ‘preserved’ classical knowledge and then graciously passed it on to Europe is baseless. Ancient Greek texts and Greek culture were never ‘lost’ to somehow be ‘recovered’ and ‘transmitted’ by Islamic scholars: these texts were always there, preserved and studied by the monks and lay scholars of the Greek Roman Empire and passed on to Europe and to the Islamic empire at various times. . . Of the Greek classics known today, at least seventy-five percent are known through Byzantine copies.”

Source: Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, 2016, page 71.

Douglas Bush, Classical Influences in Renaissance Literature, 1952, page 5. https://archive.org/stream/classicalinfluen030619mbp/classicalinfluen030619mbp_djvu.txt (Accessed 5/24/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 127 through 129

Pages 127 through 129 OF, S, B Pages 127 through 129 appears to be a considerable amount of text devoted to Christian or Crusade atrocities and the painting of Muslims as enlightened and advanced people.

“. . .the Muslims, in their western imperialist, colonialist, bloody conquests, killed two to three times as many Christians as the Christians killed Muslims in all of the Crusades combined.”

Source: http://www1.cbn.com/churchandministry/1400-years-of-christian-islamic-struggle (Accessed 6/22/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 127, Paragraph 1, Line 3

Campaigns were soon launched against Muslims and other religious minority in Europe itself.

FE, OF, HT

The text states that the conflicts were exclusively European forces attacking Muslims and other religions. When the chronology of battles between Europeans and Muslims from 700 to 1291, it is clear there were an equal number of raids and sieges by Muslims as the other way around.

Source: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/imperialism/notes/islamchron.html (Accessed 6/22/17)

No mention is made of the extermination of close to

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200,000 Rhineland Jews along the route of the First Crusade

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-crusades Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 128, Paragraph 6

Some historians believe that the adventurous spirit of the crusades helped lead to the great European voyages of discovery that began in the late 1400’s.

S, B The Crusades helped Europeans realize that the high cost of Eastern goods was due to the Muslim middlemen who controlled the Eastern Mediterranean and access to the Middle East. The primary objective of all the explorers was the same: To find a route to the Far East bypassing the Muslim-controlled routes.

Source: http://www.historyhaven.com/worldhistory/Exploration_to_Enlightenmetn.htm

(Accessed 6/22/17)Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 128, Paragraph 7

The Crusader states were surrounded by hostile populations…

OF The Crusader states were surrounded by hostile Muslim populations…

Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 129-130

Norman Sicily has a multicultural population and tolerant rulers.

FE The multicultural harmony lasted only about 140 years. “Initially, and for over a century, the Normans' Sicilian

kingdom was the medieval epitome of multicultural tolerance. By 1200, this was beginning to change. While the Muslim-Arab influence continued well into the Norman era - particularly in art and architecture - it was not to endure. The Normans gradually "Latinized" Sicily, and this social process laid the groundwork for the introduction of Catholicism (as opposed to eastern Orthodoxy). Widespread conversion ensued, and by the 1280s there were few - if any - Muslims in Sicily.”

Source: http://www.bestofsicily.com/mag/art168.htm (Accessed 6/22/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 129, Cultural exchange grows, paragraph 1

The Crusades may have introduced Europeans to the Muslim hygienic practice of washing with soap.

FE While Crusader contact with the Middle East may have popularized “Aleppo soap,” its origin predates Islam by hundreds of years.

Source: http://www.naturalcosmeticnews.com/new-products/aleppo-soap-the-true-natural-soap/ (Accessed 6/21/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 3, Page 130- 131.

As under the Aghlabids, Jews in Sicily were allowed to practice their religion if they paid a special tax.

OF, B There are two different spellings: Aghlapids (p. 130) Jews and Christians suffered extreme hardships under

Islamic rule that went way beyond “a special tax.” The onerous Jizyah tax was meant to be punitive to force them to convert to Islam. These are outlined in the Pact of Umar.

Source:

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http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-74/pact-of-umar.html (Accessed 6/22/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 134, The Reconquista, paragraph 1

Christian kingdoms waged a long campaign against the Muslims. In 1492, Spain’s multicultural society was finally swept away

OF, B The text implies that hostility was one way – Christians against Muslims. It ignores the relentless hostility of Muslim moriscos, including stoning, dismembering, beheading, impaling, and burning alive of Christians. This is why they were finally expelled from Spain.

Source: Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, (2016), page 55.

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 134, The Reconquista, Paragraph 1, Line 1

By the early 700’s Muslims ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula…

OF By the early 700’s Muslims had conquered and ruled most of the Iberian Peninsula…

This was a conquest by Muslim Moors from North Africa.

See comment, p. 67.Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 134, The Reconquista, Paragraph 1, Line 5

Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities exchanged knowledge and customs.

FE, S There was a constant war to retake Spain from the Muslims starting at the Battle of Cavadonga in 722 AD until 1492 when the last Muslim stronghold, Granada, was defeated. Christians and Jews were considered dhimmis or second class citizens and had to pay the Jiziah tax. This statement does fit the situation of constant war fare that went on to retake Spain from the Muslims, and also does not coincide with Muslim treatment of unbelievers according to Islamic teachings.

http://listverse.com/2016/08/16/10-overlooked-facts- about-the-spanish-reconquest/

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 135, Moorish Culture in Spain and Multicultural Society Advances

Entire Page 135 – both sub-titles, Moorish Culture in Spain andMulticultural Society Advances

B, S This glowing account of the life of non-Muslims if supportable is completely out of keeping with Islamic teachings on treatment of the unbeliever. To give students the idea that unbelievers could live under Islamic rule and not be considered second class citizens (dhimmis) is not supportable in any Muslim controlled country under Islamic Sharia Law.

See comment, above.Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 135, A Multicultural Society Advances, paragraph 2

Cordoba was home to two of the most famous philosophers of the Middle Ages. One was the Muslim legal scholar and judge, Ibn Rushd.

OF/B Ibn Rushd’s (Averreos) books were burned in Cordoba in 1195, and the teaching of philosophy banned. The only reason we have those books today is that they were preserved in Western Europe by non-Muslims.

Source: Robert R. Reilly, The Closing of the Muslim Mind, (2010), page 121.

NOTE: Ibn Rushd (Averreos), Ibn Sina (Avicinna), Ibn Khaldun, and an expanded discussion of the banning of

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the teaching of philosophy are discussed in the entry comments, pp. 177, 178, 181.

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 135, A Multicultural Society Advances, paragraph 3

By medieval standards, most of Spain’s Muslim rulers were tolerant of Jews and Christians as all three religions worshiped one God.

FE Tolerance was limited to the dictates of Sharia Law, which treats Jews and Christians as dhimmi, or second class citizens. For example, musical instruments (played by Jews and Christians) were tracked down and destroyed.

Source: Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, (2016), page 107.

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 136, Military Campaigns in Iberia, paragraph 1

Cordoba’s Great Mosque became a Catholic cathedral.

OF The Great Mosque was originally the Visigoth basilica of Saint Vincent before the Muslim invasion of Spain in 711 AD.

Source: http://www.mezquitadecordoba.org/en/history-mosque-cordoba.asp (Accessed 6/23/17)

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 136, What was the Reconquista?, paragraph 2, and Military Campaigns in Iberia, paragraph 1

After the battle of Sao Mamede in 1128, Portugal became an independent kingdom ruled by the Counts of Portugal.

In 1139, a victory over the Muslims led Portugal to becoming a separate, Christian kingdom.

FE The dates in these two statements contradict each other. Alfonso Henriques defeated the Moors in the Battle of

Ourique in 1139. Source: http://www.localhistories.org/portugal.html

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 136, What was the Reconquista?, Paragraph 1, Line 4

Long before the Crusades, popes urged Christians in Spain to wage war against the Muslims.

B, S This seems to indicate that Christians did not have a right to retake their country from the Muslim invaders.

If Muslim Spain was a tolerant “multicultural society”, it seems strange that the Christians would fight as hard as they did to retake Spain from the Muslims.

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 137, Religious Persecutions, paragraph 2

The Inquisition had begun as a series of Church investigations to find and punish heretics. In Spain, it became a permanent institution.

FE The Spanish Inquisition was not permanent. It lasted from 1478 to 1834, and resulted in about 10,000 executions.

Joseph Pérez, The Spanish Inquisition – a History, (2005), page 173.

Topic 3, Lesson 4, Page 139, Religious Persecutions, paragraph 7

Later, Muslims were ordered to leave the country.

OF, B Absent any mention of the causal factors for expelling the Muslims, the text leaves the impression that the Muslims were victims of persecution. They were banished only after years of Islamic terrorism and strife. (See comment for page 134, above.)

“The Spanish authorities reasoned that these hundreds of thousands of former Muslims . . . constituted a dangerous fifth column in collusion with the enemies of Spain . . .”

Source: Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, (2016), page 56.

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Topic 3, Lesson 5, Page 142, Five things to know about Joan of Arc

In the spring of 1430 Joan was captured. After a trial for heresy, she was burned at the stake at age 19.

OF The tribunal leveled 70 charges against her, but ultimately she was punished for wearing men’s clothes, an obscure provision of canon law.

Sources: http://www.history.com/topics/saint-joan-of-arc (Accessed 6/23/17) and http://history.howstuffworks.com/history-vs-myth/joan-of-arc-trial3.htm (Accessed 6/23/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 155, Get Ready to Read

This painting shows a trader arriving in the oasis of Mecca. With him is his nephew, who would later become the grandfather of Muhammad.

OF, FE There is no archeological evidence that land trade routes through Mecca existed at this time.

“Otherwise, in the vast corpus of ancient literature, there is not a single reference to Mecca, not one.” Tom Holland, In the Shadow of the Sword (Little, Brown, 2012), p. 303.

Dan Gibson, Qur’anic Geography, (CanBooks, 2011) Patricia Crone, Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam

(Princeton, U.S.A: Princeton University Press, 1987), pp. 7, 134.

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 156, paragraph 5

The largest town, Mecca, became a trading center. It was there, around 570, that Muhammad (mu HAHM mad) was born.

FE The text claims that the largest town, Mecca, is located in the most inhospitable part of the Hijaz.

The nearest body of water is to the west and separated by a mountain range. The fertile area is hundreds of miles to the north.

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 157, paragraph 2,

At the time of Muhammad’s birth, Mecca was a religious center. It had an important shrine called the Kaaba where Arabs came to worship their gods. Every year, a religious fair attracted thousands of people.

FE The text states Muhammad was born around 570 AD. The first mention of Mecca in external literature is 741 AD. (Holland, Shadow, p. 471)

The Greek historian, Diodorus Siculus writes of a shrine, “…very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians”, but its location is far to northwest near Petra.

Translated by C H Oldfather, Diodorus Of Sicily, Volume II, William Heinemann Ltd., London & Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MCMXXXV, p. 217

Jan Retsö, The Arabs in Antiquity (2003), pages 295–300

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 157, paragraph 3

Muhammad prospered in business, but he was critical of Meccan society. All around him, he saw greed, corruption, and violence.

FE The ideology of Islam is not particularly concerned with the poor. Here is what the Quran says: “Had Allah bestowed abundance on His servants, they would have committed much injustice in the land. He gives them what he will in due measure. . . If a misfortune befalls you, it is the fruit of your own labours.” (Surah 42:27-

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30) The Quran advocates violence, particularly when

dealing with the non-believer. See Surah 9, one of the last revealed and most authoritative.

Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, page 689.Topic 4, Lesson 1, Page 157, paragraph 4

Gabriel told him [Muhammad] to recite, or say out loud, messages from God.

FE Allah and the Judeo-Christian God are two different deities. To avoid confusion, the God of Islam should be identified as Allah.

According to the Quran, these messages were not from the Judeo-Christian God, but rather the Arab, Allah. The two are not the same.

Source: http://www.ciu.edu/content/allah-islam-same-yahweh-christianity (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 157, paragraph 5

They (Muhammad’s revelations) were later recorded in the Quran (koo RAHN), Islam’s holy book.

OF The Quran was compiled from memory and fragments between 644 and 656 under Caliph Uthman.

http://www.daralislam.org/portals/0/Publications/ TheQURANHowitwasRevealedandCompiled.pdf

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 157, paragraph 6

He said this was the same God who had spoken to Abraham, Jesus, and other figures of Judaism and Christianity. For this reason, Islam is called an Abrahamic religion. Muhammad respected those two religions.

OF, HT That Muhammad said, “this was the same God…” cannot be true because this is in direct conflict with repeated Quranic claims that Allah has no partner or son and to claim that he does is blasphemy: Surahs 112:3-4, 72:1-5, 5:17, 5:72, 3:61, 9:31.

Muhammad’s respect for the People of the Book and the Quran’s acceptance of Christians and Jews vanished when he transitioned from peaceful preacher to militant warlord.

Muhammad’s last injunction from his deathbed was, “Let not two religions be left in the Arabian Peninsula.”

Source: Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, page 689. The last major Surah of the Quran includes the

following command: “Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given [i.e., Jews and Christians] as believe neither in Allah nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what Allah and His apostle have forbidden, and do not embrace the true Faith, until they pay tribute out of hand and are utterly subdued.” (Surah 9:29)

Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 158, paragraph 3

He became Medina’s political and military leader. The Muslims of Medina fought with the people of Mecca. The Meccans tried to conquer Medina, but Mohammed defeated them.

OF, FE, HT

By portraying Meccans as the aggressors, this passage ignores Muhammad’s evolution from peaceful preacher to caravan raider and ethnic cleanser.

Medina (Yathrib) was home to 2 Arab tribes. There

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were also 3 Jewish communities. The Jewish communities rejected Muhammad’s leadership. Muhammad expelled 2 of the Jewish tribes and slaughtered 600-900 men of the 3rd (the Qurayza), taking the women and children as slaves.

Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad-A Translation of Sirat Rasul Allah by ibn Ishaq (died767 AD), Oxford University Press (Oxford/New York, 1955/2006), pp. 363-364, 437-445, 461-469, 689-690.

Bernard Lewis, The Arabs in History, Harper Torchbooks/Harper & Row (New York, Cambridge, etc. 1967), pp.40-45.

Topic 4, Lesson 1, Page 159, Beliefs of Islam, paragraph 1

In Arabic you would hear, “God is great.” FE Allahu Akbar means “Allah is greater” – greater than the Judeo-Christian God.

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/allahu-akbar-definition-2352758 (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, Page 159, Beliefs of Islam, paragraph 2

They compiled them into a book called the Quran not long after Muhammad’s death. It has remained unchanged since then.

FE The Quran was compiled from memory and fragments between 644 and 656 under Caliph Uthman, about 24 years after Muhammad’s death.

The original Quran was written in Arabic without diacritical notations. The writing style changed in 685-705 rendering different interpretations of the text.

Source: https://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9599722.0 (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, page 160, paragraph 6

The Sunnah is based on accounts from people who knew Mohammad during his lifetime. They recorded his sayings and actions in a collection of writings called the Hadith.

FE The Hadith were compiled some 200 years after Muhammad’s death from stories handed down verbally from people who knew Muhammad. Their authenticity was based on the chain of narration (isnad), not on written records.

Source: http://lostislamichistory.com/imam-al-bukhari-and-the-science-of-hadith/ (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, Page 160, The Sunnah, paragraph 3

He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer -- hadith

OF This hadith is from the collection by Sunan al-Kubra, Number 19049, and it is not considered authentic.

There are nine authentic (sahih) collections of hadiths. The hadith in this text is from the collection by Sunan al-Kubra, No. 19049, which is not considered authentic.

Source : https://islam.stackexchange.com/questions/8/how-do-we-make-sure-if-a-hadith-is-sahih-or-fake (Accessed 7/1/17)

Only a few of the hadith collected 200 years after

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Muhammad’s death are considered authentic. Bukhari collected 600,000 sayings, but deemed only 2,602 non-duplicate hadith to be authentic.

Source: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Hadith/bukhari.html (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, page 161, paragraph 2

Muslims believe in the same God that Christians and Jews worship.

FE See previous comment at Page 157, paragraph 6; Page 159, paragraph 1.

Topic 4, Lesson 2, Page 161, The Soul and Afterlife, paragraph 1

Like Christianity, Islam teaches that each person has a soul that keeps living after a person dies and has the freedom to choose between good and evil…

FE The Quran is quite clear that Allah determines the choices of Muslims. Therefore, they do not have free will or freedom to choose.

“Nothing will befall us except what Allah has ordained.” (Surah 9:51)

‘Every misfortune that befalls the earth, or your own persons, is ordained before We bring it into being.” (Surah 57:22)

“[Regarding good fortune and evil] All is from Allah.” (Surah 4:78)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, page 161, What Are the Five Pillars of Islam?

Charity -- Muslims must give charity to the needy. Devout Muslims share 2.5 percent of their wealth or more each year.

HT There are eight categories of zakat (charity): the poor, those short of money, zakat workers (get 1/8th of the funds); those whose hearts are to be reconciled (i.e., bribing allies), purchasing their freedom (from captivity), those in debt, those fighting for Allah (Jihad), and travelers needing money. Normally, the money is divided equally among the qualifying categories. Zakat money may not be given to a non-Muslim.

Source: al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveller, paragraphs h8.7 to h8.24

Topic 4, Lesson 2, Page 163, Islamic Law, paragraph 1

Muhammad taught that everyday life was no different from religious life.

OF, B This is what is called a “theocracy.” Students should be informed that such a social structure exists today only in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the Vatican.

Source: https://www.britannica.com/topic/theocracy (Accessed 7/1/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, Page 164, Reading and Vocabulary Support, note 2

This represents the phrase “Peace be upon Him.”

OF The note references a missing, required notation following any reference to Muhammad, which is expressed as S.A.W. or P.B.U.H.

Source: https://www.quora.com/Is-it-mandatory-to-use-PBUH-after-writing-Prophet-Muhammad (Accessed 7/2/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 2, pages 159 - Beliefs of Islam, pp. 159-164. OF, HT, B During this entire lesson on Islamic Beliefs, there is no 11

164 discussion of the concept of jihad. The word jihad is never used.

Jihad is often called The Sixth Pillar of Islam and it commanded throughout the Qur’an. Mohammed taught that Jihad was the second most important activity of a Muslim, after the Shahadah (profession of faith). Sahih Bukhari 1:2:25.

Without a discussion of jihad, the student will not be able to understand the motivation of past attempts at Islamic Conquest of Western Civilization and modern day Islamic Terrorism. This also leads the student to believe that there is no theological basis in Islam for violence against unbelievers.

Islamic authorities acknowledge that so-called peaceful verses have been abrogated (cancelled) by these two verses: Surah 9:5 and 29 are most frequently quoted.

Ibn Warraq, What the Koran Really Says, Prometheus Books (Amherst, NY, 2002), pp. 67-75.

The classical Quranic definition is as follows: an armed struggle against unbelievers with the goal to force unbelievers to convert to Islam, submit to Sharia Law and pay the Jizya tax or be killed. It is meant to worldwide in scope and unending until an Islamic caliphate rules the entire world.

Umdat al Salik, Classic Manual of Islamic Law (Shafi), Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri, d. 1368.

The Distinguished Jurist's Primer (Maliki), Ibn Rushd (Averroes), d. 1198.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 165, paragraph 1 and 2

At the time of Muhammad’s death in 632, many tribes of Bedouin warriors had converted to Islam. United by Islam, these Arab tribes formed a powerful and skilled army. (sentences omitted) After Muhammad’s death, some Arab tribes rebelled against Muslim rule but the Muslims defeated them. After securing Arabia, Arab Muslim soldiers defeated larger rivals in nearby lands.

OF, HT These two paragraphs seem confusing and contradictory. The Arab tribes were converts to Islam. When Muhammad died there were the Wars of Apostasy or Ridda (632-633).  These Muslims argued that they had pledged their loyalty to Muhammad, and so they wanted to break away from Abu Bakr. The Caliphate would lose their zakat money and fought to quell the rebellions.  One battle, the Battle of Yemen, saw 10,000 casualties.  See: http://en.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/1059382

The phrase larger rivals needs explanation and clarification. The text later attributes the success of the Muslim armies to a weakened and vulnerable opponent.

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(p. 166)Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 166, paragraph 1

In 651, Muslim armies conquered the Sasanian empire. Islam replaced Zoroastrianism as the dominant religion.

OF, B This brief description omits details of severe religious persecution from Muslim conquerors. This included jizyah taxation, mistreatment as dhimmis, enslavement, forced and economically-enticed conversions, mass killings of Zoroastrians, destroying temples, burning libraries and murdering Zoroastrian priests.

On page 168, only the “sometime” destruction of “places of worship and holy books” is acknowledged.

Boyce, Mary. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, London: Routledge, 1979, p 146-158.

Eduljee K.E. Zoroastrian Heritage. http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/history/postArab.htm, (Retrieved 2017-05-23)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 166, paragraph 2

Arab Muslims armies took the region of Palestine, as well as Syria, Egypt, and much of the Byzantine empire.

OF Omitted is the fact that Muslims also conquered Jerusalem in 637. The entire Levant was under siege between 634-638AD.

“Syria”, EncyclopediaBritannica.2006.Encyclopedia BritannicaOnline.

Gil, Moshe, A History of Palestine, Cambridge, 1997, p.54.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 166, paragraphs 3 and 4, Islam Spreads

As the Arab Muslims built their empire, Islam spread peacefully as well…(4 sentences omitted)… Missionaries spreading Islam often accompanied traders to preach their faith. Over time, many people in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa turned to Islam.

HT, FE, B The text attempts to create the impression that Islam spread peacefully as people in new lands were won over by the preaching of missionaries. Again, Islam’s bloody history is ignored.

The first attempt to invade India was under Caliph Umar in 636 to pillage Thana. The first full-fledged invasion occurred in 711 under Muhammad bin Qasim. In the siege of Rawar, 6,000 defenders were massacred and the women burned themselves rather than be captured. Indians could either convert or be killed. The Indian treasures were taken as booty. There were subsequent major Muslim invasions in 977 and 1037.

K.S. Lal, The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India, 1992, pages 81-89.

Between 1000 and 1500AD some 80 million were slaughtered by Muslim invaders in India alone.

Will Durant, Story of Civilization, vol.1, Our Oriental Heritage, New York 1972, p.459.

K.S. Lal, Growth of Muslim Population of Medieval India (1000-1800).1973.

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Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 166, paragraph 6

Reasons for Success -- A second factor was the ability and devotion of Muslim warriors. They had the fighting skills needed to win battles. Their belief that they were doing God’s will may have spurred them to fight especially hard.

OF, B The text completely ignores the concept of jihad and its role in Islam. As a result, their “devotion” and “belief that they were doing God’s will may have spurred them…” is inappropriate speculation.

An honest discussion of the concept of jihad in Lesson 2 would deal with this issue and end the need to speculate.

More troubling is the overt bias of this passage in the creation of a romantic image of heroic warriors.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 167, Photo Caption

These women are wearing two different types of head covering, a custom that predates the arrival of Islam in the Mediterranean and Persia.

OF While the practice of head-covering pre-dates Islam, its Islamic purpose – to distinguish Muslim women from slaves per Surah 33:59 – became moot after slavery was abolished. It was revived again in the 1970’s as a symbol of Sharia compliance and as a “gang symbol.”

Source: https://www.racked.com/2016/12/20/13988300/head-scarves-history-hijab-gele (Accessed 7/2/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 167, paragraph 1

Religious toleration also helped the Arab Muslim empire expand. Muslims conquered lands where large numbers of Jews and Christians lived.

OF, HT, B By omitting key historical events, the text egregiously distorts and sanitizes Islamic history.

The ethnic cleansing of Christians and Jews from the Arabic peninsula during and after the life of Muhammad is a key omission. (see p. 158 entry)

These omissions/distortions occur throughout the text.Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 167, Reasons for Success, paragraph 3

After their initial conquests, Muslims did not force their religion on these monotheistic groups, though some later Muslim rulers did.

HT Although they may not have been forcefully converted to Islam, they were forced to live a very restricted life. The reason for allowing Jews and Christians to retain their religions was to allow for exacting onerous jizyah taxes from them.

Source: Journal of World History, Vol. 4, No. 1 (1993), page 49 (http://www.uhpress.hawaii.edu/journals/jwh/jwh041p047.pdf (Accessed 7/2/17))

Al-Turtushi, Siraj al-Muluk, pp. 229-230, www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/pact-umar.html

Bat Ye’or, The Dhimmi-Jews and Christians Under Islam, Fairleigh Dickenson University Press (Rutherford, NJ, 1985) p.53, 64, 188, 196-198.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, p. 167, paragraph 2

Many conquered people converted to Islam to gain political and economic power.

HT Conquered people did not convert to gain power. They converted to avoid the harsh penalties of death and/or the Jizyah. See multiple comments regarding text on

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page 166. Bat Ye’or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under

Islam, (1966), pages 112 and 139.Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 167, Reasons for Success, paragraph 4

Others were attracted to Islam’s promise of direct access to God and salvation.

FE There is no guarantee of salvation in Islam. Even Muhammad was not sure of his salvation. Bukhari, Vol. 7, Hadith No. 577.

The word “salvation” is used only once in the Quran, and that was in a conversation between Pharaoh and Joseph (approx. 1700 BC) (See Surah 40:41 and Genesis 41). There is no promise of salvation in the Quran for Muslims, except “the garden” for those killed in jihad (Surah 9:111). By contract, “salvation” is used 43 times in the New Testament.

Source: http://www.artbible.info/concordance/s/2558-2.html (Accessed 7/2/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, p. 167, paragraphs 2 and 3

Islam emphasized the equality of all Muslims and justice in human affairs.

Islam stressed the equality of all believers. .

FE These two statements are contradicted two times on this same page! Paragraph 3 says, “social divisions existed,” and Paragraph 6 says, “women had fewer rights than men.”

Paragraph 7 states that men and women have “religious equality,” but that has no bearing on human rights or social equality.

According to Sharia Law, Muslims discriminate on the basis of race -- m4.2(1), gender -- L6.7, o4.9, and o24.7(2), religion -- o4.9 and o22.12, and occupation -- m4.2(3) and o24.3(3). References above are to paragraphs in Al Misri, The Reliance of the Traveller – A Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law, (1994).

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 167, paragraph 5

Slaves were usually non-Muslims captured in war. They did not have all the rights of free people, but Islam required that they be treated kindly and encouraging the freeing of slaves.

OF, HT, B The encouragement of emancipation of slaves in Surah 90:13 (written early in his Mecca-era preaching) was abrogated by later Medina-era teachings of Muhammed in the Qur’an as referenced above. Three of the 5 verses in the Qur’an referencing emancipation of slaves are a punitive measure for Muslim slaveholders for other crimes and sins - to make atonement for sin.

The emancipation of slaves by Muslims was uncommonly practiced, usually limited to a single slave (Surah 24:33) and frequently required the payment of a ransom or redemption price to the slave owner. The re-accumulation of slaves was not forbidden in the Qur’an, Hadith or Sira (verses cited above).

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https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/slavery.aspx

This paragraph is the only discussion of slavery in Topic 4. The term enslaved people appears in a chart on page 175.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 167, paragraph 6 and 7

In general, however, women had fewer rights than men.Still, overall, Islam improved conditions for women. Before the development of Islam, Arab women had virtually no rights. They were considered “family property” and were often secluded. Under the Sharia, men and women had religious equality.

FE This passage downplays the fundamental inequality between men and women as expressed in the Qur’an and Sharia Law – child marriage, polygamy, wife-beating, rape of non-Muslim women, restriction on woman’s divorce rights, and value of her court testimony.

Surah 2:223, 282; Surah 3:14; Surah 4:3, 20, 24, 34, 129; Surah 65:4; Surah 70:29-30.

The statement is also disproven by Muhammad’s wife Khadijah who was quite wealthy prior to the arrival of Islam.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/yasmina-blackburn/7-remarkable-things-about_b_7097606.html (Accessed 7/2/17)

Bernard Lewis, The Middle East-A Brief History of the Last 2000 Years, Simon and Schuster/Touchstone (New York, 1995), p. 318.

This religious equality is not reflected in the Quran’s depiction of paradise, Surahs 55, 56.

Muhammad proclaimed that the majority of those in hell would be women. Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith No. 301.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 168, The First Caliphs, paragraph 1

The Arab empire was somewhat tolerant of Jews and Christians. Muslims regarded their scriptures as sacred, so they respected Jews and Christians as “People of the Book.” Jews and Christians were allowed to practice their faiths and govern themselves. Still, they had to pay a tax and faced other restrictions.

B The issue of respect for “People of the Book” has already been challenged. See review, p. 157, paragraph 6.

The oppressive and punitive nature of the Jizyah tax and its effect on conquered peoples should be acknowledged and discussed. The Jizyah was a primary reason for conversion. See review, pp. 130-131 and 166

Surah 9:29, Qur’an. Majid Khadduri, War and Peace in the Law of Islam,

Johns Hopkins Press (Baltimore, 1955), pp. 176 and 196.

Al-Misri, Reliance of the Traveller, p. 607.Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 168, The First Caliphs, paragraph 1

Four caliphs ruled the Arab Muslim empire in its earliest years. Because each had close ties to

OF, B The text fails to point out that three of the first four caliphs were assassinated. While students informed that

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Muhammad and was guided by Muslim principals, the Sunni Muslims called them the “rightly-guided caliphs.”

Ali “had many enemies” and was assassinated, those facts are not given for Omar or Othman.

Source: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa18 (Accessed 7/2/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 169, How Did Cultures Change?, paragraph 1

In some cases, conquered people accepted Islam because it offered social, economic, and political advantages.

HT,OF, B Muslim invaders were educationally and politically backward compared with their dhimmi subjects. The primary reason for conversion was to avoid the severe hardships of dhimmitude.

Source: Bat Ye’or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam, (1996), pages 112 and 139.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 170, A Change in Power, paragraph 3

Sufism is an Islamic lifestyle that stresses controlling one’s desires, giving up worldly attachments, and seeking nearness to God.

HT, OF The Sufi “lifestyle” is considered heretical by both Sunnis and Shiites.

“Sufism was doomed to destruction from when it first emerged, because of its deviation from the teachings of the Qur'an and Sunnah.”

Source: http://www.sullivan-county.com/wcva/sufism.htm (Accessed 7/3/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 170, paragraph 5

In the 1250’s, the Mongols invaded Muslim lands. They destroyed the city of Baghdad in 1258. There, they slaughtered tens of thousands of people and killed the Abbasid caliph.

B Islamic conquest, when acknowledged, is described in very different terms. See previous reviews.

Compare this paragraph to paragraph 4, page 191 on Timor.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 170, paragraph 6

Even though the Abbasid Caliphate had come to an end, Islam continued to spread. Merchants carried Islam across vast trade networks…

OF, HT, B Students would naturally assume that further expansion of Islam was through trade. That is not true. Militant expansion was continuous until Muslims were stopped at the gates of Vienna in 1683.

Sources: https://factreal.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/muslim-crusades-started-four-centuries-before-the-western-crusades/ and https://www.crossroad.to/Excerpts/chronologies/islam.htm (Accessed 5/19/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 171, paragraph 4

The Ottoman empire was powered by a strong military, particularly the janissary corps. Janissaries were boys taken from the Christian provinces of southeastern Europe, raised as Muslims, and trained as elite soldiers.

OF, B Janissaries soldiers were enslaved young Christian boys, age 6-14, who were taken from their families to pay the devshirme tax (blood tax) when their country was conquered by the Ottomans. Approximately 1in 10 boys were enslaved, forced to convert to Islam, denied access to family, marriage and social interaction beyond their brutal, harsh military training. They were placed on the front lines of battles to fight, often against

17

their own countryman and neighboring Christian nations.

Between 1400 and 1826 the Ottoman Muslim Empire maintained a standing Jannisary corp of 1000 to over 100,000 soldiers.

Ingvar Svanberg and David Westerlund, Islam Outside the Arab World, Routledge, 1999, p. 140

Nicolle, David, and Christa Hook. 1995. The Janissaries. Elite series, 58. London, UK: Osprey, p 9-10

Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page 171, The Ottoman Empire Begins, paragraph 2

Beginning in the 1300s the Turks had attacked the Byzantine empire in Asia and in Europe, capturing most of Anatolia and taking Constantinople in 1453. This attack was part of the Fourth Crusade.

FE The sacking of Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204 had nothing to do with the 53 day siege and capture of Constantinople the by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453.

Source: http://www.roman-empire.net/constant/1203-1204.html (Accessed 7/3/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 3, page 172, paragraph 1-2

Persia’s Safavid Empire In the 1500’s the powerful Safavid empire rose up in Persia and challenged the Ottomans.Persian culture continued to develop after the Arab conquest of the Sasanian dynasty. Most Persians converted from Zoroastrianism to Islam, but kept the Persian language.

OF, HT The conquest of the Sasanian dynasty and the extinguishing of Zoroastrianism occurred in the 600’s. See review, p. 166, paragraph 1. These were forced conversions.

Topic 4, Lesson 3, Page, 179, Construct a Timeline

622 Mohammad and his followers flee Medina FE Should read ‘flee to Medina’ or ‘flee Mecca’! Contradicts Topic 4, Lesson 1, p.158, The Hijrah, paragraph 1

Topic 4, Lesson 4, page 175, paragraph 4

Without a strong economic foundation, Muslim cities could not have grown so rapidly. Farms supplied food, wool, and other basic goods. Traders brought more exotic goods, such as fine silks, from distant lands.

OF, HT, B This “strong economic foundation” of Muslim rule was dependent on the onerous jizyah taxation on non-Muslims. The nomadic Bedouin invaders ruined the sedentary farming economy that existed before the arrival of Islam, by their open range grazing practices.

Source: Bat Ye’or, The Decline of Eastern Christianity under Islam, (1996), pages 121 and 139.

Nowhere in the description of this vast and highly regarded network of Muslim traders is a discussion of the role and extent of the Muslim slave trade – which took between 112 million and 140 million lives since the advent of Islam.

The only mention of slavery is in the fine print in the chart on p. 175. (enslaved people)

Peter Hammond, Slavery, Terrorism and Islam, (2010),

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page 2Topic 4, Lesson 4, Page 175, Trade Expands, paragraph 1

Geography helped make Muslim lands the center for trade.

OF The Muslim monopoly over land and sea routes contributed to the European “dark ages” and also prompted the voyages of discovery in search of un-blocked routes to the Far East.

See comment, p. 128, paragraph 6. Source: http://sites.austincc.edu/caddis/age-of-

exploration/ (Accessed 7/3/17) Topic 4, Lesson 4, page 176, paragraph 2

As a result of trade, goods flowed into Islamic cities from three continents. From Asia came Chinese silk and dishes as well as Indian spices, gems, coconuts, and tropical woods. Gold and salt came from Africa. Amber and furs arrived from northern Europe.

OF Although slavery has been a part of African culture for millennia, it was significantly escalated in the Ghana, Mali and Songhai Empires of W. Africa following infiltration of Arab and North African Muslim traders into the region, who were the primary traffickers of the slave trade.

14-18 million Africans were sold into slavery as part of the Muslim slave trade between the 7th and early 20th century. According to Peter Hammond (cited above), the figure was closer to between 112 milion and 140 million. The mortality rate of those sent to the Middle East was 80% due to castration of males and transport through the desert.

Baroness Caroline Cox and Dr. John Marks, This Immoral Trade – Slavery in the 21st Century, Monarch Books Oxford, UK, 2006, p. 124

80% of all black Africans enslaved and exported from the continent passed through the hands of Muslims.

K. S. Lal, Theory and Practice of Muslim State in India (“Lal, Muslim State”), Aditya Prakashan (New Delhi, 1999), pp. 176-177.

Topic 4, Lesson 4, Page 179, Astronomy, paragraph 1

They also measured the size of the earth and developed precise calendars.

FE Several statements in the Quran affirm that the earth is flat: See Surahs 15:19, 18:86, 20:53, 43:10, 50:7

“The earth is flat. Whoever claims it is round is an atheist deserving of punishment.” —Sheik Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baaz, supreme religious authority of Saudi Arabia, 1993

Source: http://www.skeptical-science.com/religion/quran-state-earth-flat/ (Accessed 7/3/17)

The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar, and so it is 11 days short of a full solar year.

Source: http://boreal.ca/Koran/Calendar.htm (Accessed

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7/3/17)Topic 4, Lesson 4, p. 177, 178, 181

Students are introduced to three prominent Muslim scholars:

Ibn Rushd (Averroes), philosopher and ancient Greek scholar

Ibn Sina (Avicinna), philosopher and physician

Ibn Khaldun, historian

OF The text fails to inform students that the Islamic scholars under the Ash’arites determined that Greek logic was incompatible with Islam. Ibn Rushd’s books were burned and the teaching of philosophy was banned. Many of his works survive only because they were preserved by those who revered him -- non-Muslims in Europe.

Robert R. Reilly, The Closing of the Muslim Mind, (2010), page 121.

al-Ghazali, a leader of the Ash’arite movement, called Ibn Sina an unbeliever (Reilly, Closing, p. 94).

Rejection of the Islamic rationalism of Averroes and Avicinna continues today. Bassam Tibi, The Challenge of Fundamentalism (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998), p. 71.

Even in the 20th century, Ibn Khaldun’s books could not be taught at at Islam’s foremost university, al-Ahzar.

Fazlur Rahman, Islam and Modernity (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1982), p. 64.

Statement by Ibraham Al-Buleihi, Saudi Shura Council, “…those exceptional individuals were not the product of Arab culture, but rather Greek culture. They are outside our cultural mainstream and we treated them as though they were foreign elements. Therefore we don’t deserve to take pride in them since we rejected them and fought their ideas.” Ibraham al-Buleihi, Ukkaz. April 23, 2009, at http://www.elaph.com/Web/NewsPapers/2009/4/433121.htm

Topic 4, Lesson 5, page 184, paragraph 1

Under later Gupta leaders, faced new invaders from the west. Parts of the empire broke away. The last Gupta leader died in the year 540.

OF Students should be told the identity of these new invaders.

Topic 4, Lesson 5, Page 187,The Poetry of Kalidasa

Kalidasa is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the Sanskrit language

OF An English translation of Sanskrit would not have rhyming couplets. The insights of the original are distorted by putting it in new poetical form.

See a direct translation here: https://books.google.com/books?id=-p7OCwAAQBAJ&dq=dynasty+of+raghu&source=gbs_navlinks_s (Accessed 7/4/17)

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Topic 4, Lesson 5, page 190, paragraph 7

Islam did not begin to spread throughout the subcontinent until after 1000 CE, when Muslim Turks arrived from Central Asia. They conquered the area and expanded their power and control.

OF, B This passage further illustrates the bias of the text in describing Islamic expansion. Historians present a dramatically different picture.

During 1000 and 1500AD some 80 million were slaughtered by Muslim invaders

To quote Will Durant's famous line: "The Islamic conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precious good, whose delicate complex of order and freedom, culture and peace, can at any moment be overthrown by barbarians invading from without or multiplying within." (Story of Civilization, vol.1, Our Oriental Heritage, New York 1972, p.459)

In K.S. Lal's 1973 book, Growth of Muslim Population of Medieval India (1000-1800), the author estimated that about 60-80 million people died in India between 1000 and 1525 as a result of Islamic invasions.

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 190, Buddhism Changes Over Time, paragraph 2

Over centuries, many Buddhists began to worship Buddha as a god

FE Buddhists do not worship Buddha as a god. Source: http://www.buddhanet.net/ans6.htm (Accessed

7/4/17)Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 190, Buddhism Changes Over Time, paragraph 2

Many later Buddhists, however, came to view nirvana as a form of heaven in the afterlife.

FE There is no concept in Buddhism of a heaven, where the soul reaches a permanent resting place after death.

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/nirvana (Accessed 7/4/17)

http://www.sptimmortalityproject.com/background/ buddhist-views-of-the-afterlife/ (Accessed 7/4/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 191, Things to Know About Akbar, paragraph 2

Showing religious tolerance, he opened government jobs to people of all faiths.

HT Akbar based his civil service on merit, so religious tolerance was not his primary concern or objective.

Source: http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part2_16.html (Accessed 7/4/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 191, Things to Know About Akbar, paragraph 4

Even though he was a Muslim, Akbar was interested in other religions and he even married a Hindu princess.

HT Akbar married numerous Hindu princesses as hostages to prevent Hindu revolts against his rule. Akbar actually had 4,000 wives.

Source: http://madmonarchist.blogspot.com/2010/09/monarch-profile-emperor-akbar-great-of.html (Accessed 7/5/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 191, Identify Main Ideas

Why do you think Akbar practiced religious tolerance?

FE, B In 1560, Akbar ordered the massacre of 40,000 peasants and 8,000 Rajputs – the Massacre of Ghara. The survivors were put into slavery. In 1568, Akbar

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ordered the Siege of Chittogarth where 30,000 civilians were massacred. Another 8,000 women self-immolated to avoid capture by Muslims. His “tolerance” was the realization he couldn’t kill all of the Hindus who refused to convert to Islam.

Source: http://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_massacres_in_India (Accessed 7/4/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 191, The Delhi Sultanate, paragraph 1

In the late 1100s Muslim Turks defeated the Hindu armies in northern India and made Delhi the capital of their state

HT, B To describe this as anything other than an armed invasion and Islamic imperialism does a disservice to the history of India.

“Mahmud of Ghazni plundered India 17 times in a short time span of around 25 years and looted India of its wealth and resources. The areas around Gujarat and Kannauj were rich and prosperous and were looted mercilessly by Mahmud. This wealth helped him consolidate his hold and power over northern India.”

Source: http://www.iloveindia.com/history/medieval-india/turkish-invasions.html#5VZvSRGMAXyj3tJF.99 (Accessed 7/4/17)

Topic 4, Lesson 6, page 191, paragraph 4

The sultanate weakened as Mongols drove into India in the late 1300’s. Timor, a Mongol leader, destroyed Delhi. Many Hindu and Muslim states formed as a result of Hindu rebellions and Mongol invasions.

OF, HT, B Timor, also known as Tamerlane, was a descendent of Ghengis Khan and devout Sunni Muslim. He considered himself a Ghazi warrior who sought to re-establish the Mongolian Empire of Genghis Khan under Islamic rule by slaying infidels and unbelievers and treating them severely, according to the Quran.

In addition to his brutal conquest of the Delhi Sultanate in1398, he also conquered large portions of Asia from the Black Sea to Moscow, from Mongolia to Damascus, including India, Persia and portions of Turkey. He killed an estimated 17 million people (5% of the world population). His empire was the precursor to the Mughal Empire.

Marozzi, Justin (2004). Tamerlane: sword of Islam, conqueror of the world. Great Britain: Harper Collins Publisher. p. 91.

J.J. Saunders , The history of the Mongol conquests, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London, 1971, p. 174.

Topic 4, Lesson 6, Page 191, Founding of Mogul Empire, paragraph 1

Scholars, writers, and artists migrated to India from the West, especially Persia, and culture flourished.

OF, B Twenty to eighty million Indian Hindus died during the Mughal rule. It became clear that Muslims could not convert or kill all of the Hindus, so the policy changed

22

to religious tolerance. During this peaceful coexistence, the culture flourished. It was that tolerance, not the arrival of scholars that allowed the culture to flourish.

Source: http://sensiblereason.com/muslim-hindu-religious-interactions-in-the-mughal-empire-the-birth-and-death-off-a-cohesive-culture/ (Accessed 7/5/17)

Topic 5, Lesson 6, Page 253, The Effect of Buddhism on Japan

The following terms: kokubunji, Tendai Buddhism, and Popular Buddhism

OF This term and these sects are not mentioned in the text.

Topic 6, opener, page 263, photo caption

The Inca people built the fortress of Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains, in the 15th century.

OF Although the opener features Machu Picchu, clearly the best known Incan landmark and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, this historic place is not mentioned in the text.

Topic 6, Civilizations of the Americas, Page 264, Interactive Topic Timeline

Descendants of the first settlers from Asia migrated southward and westward.

FE Should read migrated southward and eastward. Migrating westward would bring them back to Asia or into the Pacific Ocean!

Topic 6, Lesson 1, page 275, Update and Interpretation

Excerpt from Secondary Source…Today, scholars can read most Mayan writing. Archaeologists have uncovered more Mayan cities and artifacts. Three of their discoveries are listed below:

B While not the most egregious example, this is the first of three people groups in this chapter of this text to have their violent behaviors described in a historically accurate way.

This is in sharp contrast to descriptions of the spread of Islam, Topic 4.

Topic 6, Lesson 2, page 279, paragraphs 3 and 4

The Aztecs sacrificed thousands of victims every year, cutting out their hearts and offering them to Huitzilopochtli. (sentences deleted)The Aztecs waged war partly to capture prisoners for sacrifice. The Aztecs also hoped to terrify conquered peoples, making them easier to control.

B This bluntly honest description is a sharp contrast to the sanitized language and absence of detail when discussing Islam’s spread, Topic 4.

Violent practices are linked to the religious beliefs of the Aztecs. There is no discussion of Islamic jihad in Topic 4.

Topic 6, Lesson 3, page 285, paragraph 3

Under Pachacuti, the Incas built a powerful army. Marching into battle, soldiers often sang bloodthirsty songs to terrify their enemy. One such song began: Primary Source We’ll drink…from your skull, From your teeth we’ll make a necklace, from your bones, flutes. –Incan victory song

B This is the third people group to have their violent actions described in detail.

The actions of all people groups should be presented honestly and accurately. Doesn’t the California framework require this?

Topic 7, Lesson 1, Page 310, Why Did Ghana Decline?, paragraph 2

To make matters worse, around 1060 the Almoravids, a group of Berbers from northern Africa, expanded their empire in to Ghana.

OF, B The Almoravids were a militant, fundamentalist Islamic force much like ISIS today. They didn’t “expand,” they conquered the region.

Source: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Almoravi

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d_dynasty (Accessed 6/26/17)Topic 7, Lesson 2, Page 312, What Was Mali Like at its Peak, paragraph 1

Mansa Musa, emperor from 1312 to 1337, ruled Mali during its most prosperous period. He made the empire larger. By embracing Islam he changed the empire into a center of Muslim learning and art.

OF, B Mali should not be presented to students as an economic success story or a center of learning. It is one of the ten poorest countries in Africa, and ranks 43 of 52 African countries in literacy.

Sources: http://www.africlandpost.com/ranking-african-countries-literacy-rate-zimbabwe-1/ and http://www.africaranking.com/top-10-poorest-countries-in-africa/ (Accessed 6/27/17)

Topic 7, Lesson 2, Page 313, Muslim Culture in Mali, paragraph 1

Timbuktu became a center for Islamic scholarship, or formal study and learning.

OF, B The University of Timbuktu consisted of three madrassas (religious schools) located in mosques. At its peak in the 14th Century it served 25,000 students, but the center went into decline after 1591. There are no universities operating in Timbuktu today.

Sources: http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/university-sankore-timbuktu and http://www.4icu.org/ml/ (Accessed 6/27/17)

Topic 7, Lesson 2, Page 315, Islamic Law and Scholarship, paragraph 3

Arabic also assisted in leadership and trade. No matter where the members of the court were born, they could use Arabic as the official language of the government.

OF, B Arabic may have been used in the government in the 13th Century, but unlike English and French, it was never adopted as a national language in any of the countries mentioned in the text.

Source: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/african_languages.htm (Accessed 6/27/17)

Topic 7, Lesson 2, Page 316, Identify Supporting Details, paragraph 1

Why were Songhai’s laws written in Arabic? Legacy of Empires The powerful empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai are long gone, but their legacy remains. Millions of Africans speak the languages of Mali and Songhai.

FE The juxtaposition of these two statements implies that Arabic is the spoken language in this region. The official national language of these countries is as follows: Ghana – English, Mali – French, Songhai (Niger and Mali) – French

Source: http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/african_languages.htm (Accessed 6/27/17)

Topic 7, Lesson 4, Page 324, Slavery in West Africa, paragraph 2

Some slaves had rights in West African society. Some could marry, and families could not be separated. Slaves were also protected from harsh punishment.

OF, B No matter what “rights” slaves may enjoy, their status is defined by their lack of freedom. This statement and the text that follows is egregious.

Topic 7, Lesson 4, Page 326, What are the key features of Africa’s cultural legacy, paragraph 1

The Arabic language allowed for more teaching and learning in the African empires. Writing in Arabic allowed for faster exchange of ideas and preserved the area’s history.

OF, B There is no evidence that Arabic speeds the transfer of information more than French or English. Literacy is ultimately a function of the investment made in education.

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Topic 7, Lesson 4, Page 331, Critical Thinking and Writing, paragraph 1

Compare and Contrast: How did Islam spread in both East and West Africa?

B The compare and contrast exercise covers only Islam, while Christianity was a major influence in East Africa.

Topic 8, Lesson 1, page 343, paragraph 5

The growth of trade and commerce in Italy also promoted a free flow of ideas. People began to open their minds to new ways of thinking and doing things. For example, contact through trade gave Italy access to the Muslim world’s knowledge of science, math, and classical Greek and Roman scholarship.

The idea that Muslims had to bring classical Greek and Roman works back to Renaissance Italy seems rather preposterous. From where did this knowledge come? Cordoba ceased to be a center of learning and Muslims were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula by 1248. Baghdad, its libraries and institutes of learning destroyed by Mongols in 1258.

Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, 2016, page 54.

Matthew E. Falagas, Effie A. Zarkadoulia, George Samonis (2006), “Arab science in the golden age (750-1258 C.E.) and today”, The FASEA Journal 20, pp. 1581-1586.

Topic 8, Lesson 4, page 368, paragraph 2

In 1492, Spain forced Jews to leave the country. In 1509, the Moriscos (Muslim converts) were expelled as well.

B Expulsion of Jews and Muslims from Spain is historical fact. But no mention is made of the expulsion of Christians and Jews and the slaughter of Jews from the Arabic peninsula in Topic 4.

See review, Topic 4, Lesson 1, page 158, paragraph 3.Topic 8, Lesson 4, page 368, paragraph 5

In some places, Jews were required to wear yellow identification badges if they traveled outside the ghetto.

B No mention is made that the use of a yellow badge, a badge of shame, to identify Jews and Christians originated in Muslim countries in the 8th century and existed for centuries.

Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution, Volume 1 By Richard S. Levy P:779.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica Topic 8, Lesson 5, page 378, paragraph 2

Medieval Scholars With the fall of the Roman empire, most Europeans lost interest in Greek rationalism. In places such as Baghdad and Spain, however, Muslim and Jewish scholars studied Greek learning. They translated Greek writings into Arabic, Latin, and Hebrew. These scholars developed new ideas.

FE, HT, B The idea that works of Ancient Greek and Rome were “lost” in Europe and preserved by Muslim scholars in Baghdad and Spain is not true. Generations of monks and lay scholars worked to translate and preserve these works.

Douglas Bush, Classical Influences in Renaissance Literature, 1952, page 5. https://archive.org/stream/classicalinfluen030619mbp/classicalinfluen030619mbp_djvu.txt (Accessed 5/24/17)

Dario Fernandez-Morera, The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise, 2016, page 71.

One of the leading scholars and translators of ancient texts was Ibn Rushd (Averroes). See page 177,

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paragraph 2. Ironically, his works were burned in Cordoba in 1195. They survive today only because he was widely read and admired in the part of Europe not under Islamic control.

Robert R. Reilly, The Closing of the Muslim Mind, How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamic Crisis, ISI Books, 2010, p. 121.

Averreos /Muslim philosopher/Britannica.com https://www.britannica.com/bi8ography/Averroes

Topic 9, Global Convergence, Page 389, Topic Events Timeline

1619 – First enslaved Africans arrive in Virginia B To list the arrival of slaves as the only noteworthy event in 150 years of American history is extreme bias. More significant events include: Pilgrims landing in Massachusetts in 1620, Harvard’s first commencement in 1642, La Salle reaches the Mississippi River in 1682.

Source: http://www.math.wichita.edu/~pparker/classes/531-C17_events.html (Accessed 6/29/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 1, Page 392, Europe in the World Economy, paragraph 1

Other European nations wanted access to this trade without going through the Italians. They sought a sea route to Asia that bypassed the Italian trade routes in the Mediterranean Sea.

FE The search for a sea route was driven by the closing of the land routs after the Muslim Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453.

Source: http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/the-real-reason-columbus-sailed-the-ocean-blue/ (Accessed 6/28/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 1, Page 392, How Did Prince Henry the Navigator Encourage Exploration?, paragraph 1

Portuguese expansion began with the invasion of North Africa and the conquest of Ceuta in 1415.

B When discussing Islamic conquests (pages 165-166) the text uses such benign words as “securing, moved, spread.” Here the text uses hostile words like “invasion,” and “conquest.”

Topic 9, Lesson 1, Page 395, What Was Magellan’s Feat?, paragraph 3

Many crew members died from a lack of certain nutrients such as vitamins in their diets.

OF The specific cause of most of the deaths was scurvy due to a lack of Vitamin C. About half of the crew died from this particular ailment.

Source: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/8852139/Mayberry.html?sequence=2 (Accessed 6/28/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 1, Page 397, Improvements in Navigation (chart)

Astrolabe – This tool, borrowed from the Muslim world, helped sailors use the stars to find their location, even when out of sight of land.

FE The Astrolabe is of Greek origin before the advent of Islam. Muslims developed the instrument, but did not invent it.

Source: https://www.astrolabes.org/pages/history.htm (Accessed 6/28/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 3, Page 416, da Gama Reaches India, paragraph 2

Some historical account s claim that da Gama’s crew looted some Arab and Indian ships along the African coast.

B The text includes two gratuitous comments about da Gama attacking Arab Muslims, but similar atrocities like the Muslim genocide of the Banu Qurayza tribe in 627 or the siege and pillage of the Khaybar in 629 are

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not mentioned even once. See page 158. Source: Ibn Ishaq, The Life of Muhammad, paragraphs

690 and 764.Topic 9, Lesson 3, Page 417, Portugal Joins the Spice Trade, paragraph 2

At Goa, some accounts say that da Gama seized and Arab ship loaded with cargo and passengers. He took the ship’s cargo, locked up the passengers as hostages, and set the ship on fire.

B Second mention of a da Gama attacking an Arab Muslim ship. See comment above.

Topic 9, Lesson 3, Page 417, Portugal Joins the Spice Trade, paragraph 3

Albuquerque ousted Goa’s Muslim rulers to secure the city as a Portuguese trading center. Albuquerque then conquered Malacca in 1511 and the Persian trading center of Hormuz in 1515

B Muslims invaded India in 643 (Suhai), 1001 (Mahmud) and 1398 (Timur) causing the “bloodiest story in history” according to historian Will Durant. The population decreased by 80 million between 1000 and 1525. Those invasions are mentioned in Topic 4 on the Islamic World and South Asia in benign terms like “arrived” and “expanded.” Then the text says learning was stimulated and culture flourished. See page 191.

Source: K.S. Lal, The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India, (1992), pages 82, 95, and 132.

Source: M.A. Khan, Islamic Jihad, (2009), pp. 200-201Topic 9, Lesson 3, Page 417, Quest Connections, paragraph 1

What enemies and obstacles might people of Earth face in colonizing other planets?

FE Suggesting to 7th Grade Students that there is the possibility of colonizing other planets is ludicrous and an insult to their intelligence.

Source: https://www.universetoday.com/111462/how-can-we-live-on-mars/ (Accessed 6/29/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 3, Page 419, How Did the Portuguese Empire Decline ?, paragraph 4

The major Afroeurasian centers – China, India, and the Muslim World – remained too powerful for the Europeans to take over.

FE It was not a question of “power.” Europeans had no desire to “take over” China and the trading posts like Hong Kong and Macau were sufficient for trade; India was managed by the East India Trading Company from 1600 to 1858. The “Muslim world” in the Middle East was not attractive until the discovery of oil in the 20th Century. Egypt was occupied by France briefly in 1798.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2moumx/how_come_japan_and_china_werent_openly_colonized/ (Accessed 6/30/17)

Topic 9, Lesson 5, Page 427, Impact of Global Trade, Paragraph 5, Line 5

A rise in prices and an increase in available cash leads to a situation called inflation.

OF A rise in prices caused by overall more demand than supply…and an increase in available cash…

Topic 9, Lesson 6, Page 438, Colonial Rivalries in North America, Paragraph 2, Line 2

The French built a fort in the region, angering the British Governor of Virginia. He sent a young officer named George Washington to

OF The fort was a colonial fort. Washington set out to reinforce the Fort at what is now Pittsburg but it was turned over to the French and renamed Ft. Duquesne.

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attack the fort. Washington surrendered but the conflict was not over.

Washington surrendered at Ft. Necessity later. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-blood-

of-the-french-and-indian-warTopic 9, Lesson 7, Page 442, How Did the Triangular Trade Work?, paragraph 1

For centuries, Africans had also sold slaves to Arab Muslim traders who transported them north across the Sahara to ports on the Mediterranean Sea. There, they were purchased by Jewish and Christian slave traders.

OF There is no mention in the text about African slaves being delivered to Muslim countries in the Middle East. The text shows that 11 million slaves were shipped to the Americas and 700,000 to Europe, but none to the Middle East. There were actually 28 million African slaves transported to the Middle East by Muslim slave traders.

Source: Peter Hammond, Slavery, Terrorism and Islam, (2010), page 2.

Topic 9, Lesson 7, Page 446, Quest Findings, paragraph 1

Hold your discussion of whether the United States should invest in colonizing other planets.

FE Suggesting to 7th Grade Students that there is the possibility of colonizing other planets is ludicrous and an insult to their intelligence.

Source: https://www.universetoday.com/111462/how-can-we-live-on-mars/ (Accessed 6/29/17)

Topic 10, Lesson 1, page 455, paragraph 2

The most important writer during Spain’s golden century was Miguel de Cervantes (mee GAL day sur VAHN teez). His Don Quixote (dahn kee HOH tee) is the story…

OF The text treats this topic as entirely new information when, in fact, Don Quixote is discussed in detail on p. 355. Students should be reminded of the earlier discussion and this paragraph should build on that prior information.

Topic 10, Lesson 1, page 456, paragraph 3

Religious conflict between Catholics and Huguenots, of French Protestants, led to years of war. Then, in 1589, Henry IV became king of France.

OF Again, the text presents this as new information. Religious conflict in France and Henry of Navarre, later Henry IV, are topics discussed in detail on pp. 373-374. Students should be reminded of this.

Topic 10, Lesson 1, page 457, paragraph 6

Like other monarchs during this time period, Louis (Louis XIV) believed in the divine right of kings. Divine right is the belief that God gave monarchs the right to power.

OF, HT This extremely important concept must be accurately and fully defined for students to understand its implications. It is more appropriately introduced in a discussion of James 1 of England, who came to power earlier in 1603, but is not introduced until Lesson 3.

At minimum, students should know that the Divine Right of Kings meant that kings could not be held accountable by any early authority, including Parliament, which had been established in England. The king was not subject to the will of his people or the church, and any attempt to dispose or even restrict him would be contrary to the will of God.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/divine-right-of-kings www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/

Divine_Right_of_Kings

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Topic 10, Lesson 2, page 466, paragraph 4

Soon after Maria Theresa took power (1740) Prussia invaded Silesia, an Austrian controlled mining region. This invasion was part of a larger war.

OF This was the War of Austrian Succession, 1740-1748, which eventually involved much of Europe. Conflicts between various parties spread even to India and the Americas.

https://www.britannica.com/event/War-of-the-Austrian- Succession

Topic 10, Lesson 3, page 477, paragraph 5

Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers were the first to discuss the idea of the social contract. These philosophers imagined an earlier time when people lived without government or laws.

HT, FE A Buddhist text from the 2nd century BCE, Mahavastu, is more likely the origin of this imaginary scenario.

AL Basham, The Wonder That Was India, pp. 83. Students might better understand the concept of social

contract if it were described as a theory or philosophy.

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Evaluation of Social Studies Skills and other important issues

An evaluation of the teaching & learning devices and/or materials provided to the student.Number Questions Yes No1 Is the appropriate vocabulary relevant to

the subject matter presented to students?For example, on comparative government are terms such as monarchy, oligarchy, democracy, socialism, fascism, and communism presented?

Topic 2, Lesson 5, page 99, interpretation of a passage of Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica… This task seems age inappropriate.

2 Are the captions under pictures factual? The mosque pictured on page 180 is not identified, but is described as “a fine example of architecture at the height of the Islamic civilization.” The picture shows the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina which has been renovated numerous times – 1279, 1481, 1837, 1849, 1973. Electric lights are probably 1973 additions. Source: https://destinationksa.com/construction-history-of-the-prophets-mosque/ (Accessed 7/4/17)

Page 267 -- Students should be told the name and location of this famous landmark, Chichen Itza, another one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This is a problem throughout this Topic. See photos, pp. 270, 278, 287, and 292.

Page 276 – caption says this is the Aztec capital city, but it is actually a model. Page 295 -- Caption states “…totem poles like this one did not serve a religious

purpose.” Students should be told what the purpose of this totem pole is.4 Are the maps accurate and relevant to the

topic?

5 Are questions thought provoking? Is adequate accurate material provided so that the students can formulate appropriate answers?

P. 411 -- What did Malinche and Sor. Juanita have in common? We could not find Malinche in the text.

P. 462 -- The wording of the heading to Bossuet’s document is misleading and confusing. It simply does not prepare the student for Bossuet’s advice to kings on how to wisely exercise the power granted by God.

6 Are primary and secondary sources presented for students to examine (for bias, propaganda, point of view, and frame of reference)?*

7 Does the text present a lesson on how to evaluate the validity of a source based on language, corroboration with other sources, and information about the author? *

8 Does the textbook have a Glossary? Are key

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terms and personalities included and defined?

9 Does the textbook have accurate timelines to help the student understand chronological historical developments?

Page 389 - The Global Convergence Timeline is missing some key historical events -- Muslim Ottoman Empire conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, and the Battle of Vienna in 1683.

10 Does the textbook have an Index which includes all of the key words, historical time periods and individuals?

11 Does the textbook devote a similar number of pages to each of the world religions, philosophies, political and religious leaders?

Commendations:

Topic 5 – Civilizations of East Asia and Southeast Asia – is concise and objective.

Concerns:

Topic 4 is an unveiled attempt to exonerate Islam from many current criticisms of the ideology. It distorts facts to paint Islam as tolerant, similar to Christianity, culturally advanced, promoter of equality of women, and the opposite of imperialistic Western countries. In doing so, the text fails to explain why the Muslim world today is rife with factionalism and warfare and why, educationally and economically, those regions are among the most backward in the world. It also fails to explain why 66 nations around the world have joined in the military campaign to destroy the latest manifestation of the Islamic Caliphate – the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Topic 7 in general – by concentrating on the impoverished Muslim nations of northern Africa (namely, Ghana, Mali and Niger), the text ignores the more economically advanced non-Muslim countries of southern Africa.

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Evaluations based on template

Choices Explanations Yes No

1 This text has minor changes that need to be made

2 This text has a moderate number of changes

3 This text has substantial changes that need to be made

4 This book is so flawed that it is not recommended for adoption.X

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