Texas board adopts controversial high school social studies standards on Islam

On Friday, the Texas State Board of Education voted to adopt new high school social studies standards that characterize Islam unfavorably, with implementation slated for 2030. The standards assert that "radical Islam" inspired violent actions and that "the teachings of jihad" led to the conquest of Christian lands. They also describe the early period of Islam as marked by the Prophet Mohammed's military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes, the normalization of slavery, and the taking of female captives as harem slaves.

A board content advisor criticized the wording as lacking historical rigor and inconsistent with the neutral approach used for other faiths. Earlier this year, the board rejected a proposal to include Muslim contributions to algebra and astronomy. Muslim advocacy groups have condemned the standards as discriminatory and warned they could result in mistreatment of Muslim students.