Texas Education Board approves more conservative approach to radical Islamic Fundamentalism

Wow -- it seems that the Texas State Board of Education has voted to adopt a more conservative approach in the standards they will be using in their new textbooks. And, since Texas is such a large state, the standards adopted by Texas are adopted by many other state school boards throughout the country. The overall change is significant.

One area that has been beefed up considerably is Islamic fundamentalism and Palestinian terrorism. The final version, approved on May 21, 2010, reads as follows:

Section 113.42, World History Studies (14), "History. The student understands the development of radical Islamic fundamentalism, and the subsequent use of terrorism by some of its adherents. The student is expected to:

(A) summarize the development and impact of radical Islamic fundamentalism on events in the second half of the 20th century, including Palestinian terrorism and the growth of al Qaeda;

(B) explain the U.S. response to terrorism from September 11, 2001, to the present."

[Source: The Weekly Standard, June 7, 2010, pp. 3-4.]