Council on Islamic Education
Encyclopedia
The Council on Islamic Education is a research institute and resource organization in Fountain Valley California. The "Muslim academic scholars of religion, history, political science" at the Council seek to "support and strengthen American public education" by drawing upon "civic, ethical, and educational principles in Islam."
, major textbook publishers allow the Council to review material before publication, a practice which "may account for... their omission of anything that would enable students to understand conflicts between Islamic fundamentalism and Wester liberalism"
Gilbert Sewall, former education editor of Newsweek
and author of “Islam and the Textbooks” has criticized textbook publishers because they have “allowed Islamic organizations — notably the Council on Islamic Education — to strong-arm them and in effect act as censors.”
The Council has been accused of "pressuring American textbook publishers to revise their respective curricula to promote an extremist and revisionist view of Islam."
Critics have called the Council "a content gatekeeper with virtually unchecked power over publishers" and allege that "as a result, history textbooks accommodate Islam on terms that Islamists demand."
A report of the American Textbook Councilcalls the Council "an agent of contemporary censorship," and accuses it of being "in fact a political advocacy organization" that seeks to present an "Islamist" version of history.
Criticism
According to Diane RavitchDiane Ravitch
Diane Silvers Ravitch is an historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Previously, she was a U.S...
, major textbook publishers allow the Council to review material before publication, a practice which "may account for... their omission of anything that would enable students to understand conflicts between Islamic fundamentalism and Wester liberalism"
Gilbert Sewall, former education editor of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and author of “Islam and the Textbooks” has criticized textbook publishers because they have “allowed Islamic organizations — notably the Council on Islamic Education — to strong-arm them and in effect act as censors.”
The Council has been accused of "pressuring American textbook publishers to revise their respective curricula to promote an extremist and revisionist view of Islam."
Critics have called the Council "a content gatekeeper with virtually unchecked power over publishers" and allege that "as a result, history textbooks accommodate Islam on terms that Islamists demand."
A report of the American Textbook Councilcalls the Council "an agent of contemporary censorship," and accuses it of being "in fact a political advocacy organization" that seeks to present an "Islamist" version of history.