US state of Texas rewrites school curriculum to demonize Islam and promote Israel as 'ancestral Jewish homeland' Texas’ Republican-controlled State Board of Education has approved new high school social studies standards that require students to learn about early Islam through what the curriculum describes as "brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes." The board approved the changes 8-4 on 4 September, with the standards set to take effect in the 2030-31 school year. According to the Texas Tribune, the curriculum also requires students to learn that “radical Islam” motivated the 11 September 2001 attacks, while rejecting efforts to restore a requirement covering Muslim contributions to algebra and astronomy. It also directs students to understand Israel’s establishment in the context of the “ancestral homeland of the Jews.” The changes were promoted in part by Proclaiming Justice to the Nations (PJTN), a pro-Israel evangelical organization led by Laurie Cardoza-Moore. Cardoza-Moore lobbied the Texas State Board of Education during the curriculum rewrite, and PJTN later said the board had adopted several of its recommendations. #USpol #Islamophobi #Texas