�Nazi� row over Indian textbooks

'Nazi' row over Indian textbooks

Critics say schoolchildren are being taught historical inaccuracies
Human rights campaigners in India's Gujarat state have condemned school textbooks which they say praise Hitler.

The books are issued by the Hindu nationalist state government. One includes a chapter on the "internal achievements of Nazism".

A Jesuit priest and social activist, Cedric Prakash, says the books contain more than 300 factual errors and make little mention of the holocaust.

The Gujarat government has dismissed the charges as baseless.

A senior official from the state education department told the BBC that anomalies arose when the book was translated from Gujarati into English, and are being quoted out of context.

Gujarat is led by Chief Minister Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi
Troubled state

The books, used to teach students aged 13 to 15, were introduced last year and have been reissued for the current school year.

Father Prakash told AFP news agency: "We first researched the textbooks in 2004 and pointed out some glaringly distorted historical facts to the state education board.

"Despite protests from parents, peace activists and educationists, the updated school books still contain the same objectionable text this academic year."

He said it was time to take the matter to court.

In the chapter entitled "Internal achievements of Nazism," one textbook quoted by AFP states: "Hitler lent dignity and prestige to the German government within a short time, establishing a strong administrative set-up."

Communal feelings run high in Gujarat - the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi.

Religious riots in 2002 officially killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims. Human rights groups place the figure much higher.
source : BBC
i wonder what false information about Muslims is been taught to Indian children in their schools


Edited by ak_m_f

Social studies was replaced with history and geography this year

The United States has described some of the material contained in Pakistani textbooks as "inciteful" and said it was an issue of "serious concern".

The US said it feared the material might "cause people to... lash out with violent actions".

Despite two government reviews of the textbooks, a leading Pakistan NGO says little has changed.

Pakistan's school curriculum has been in the spotlight since the 11 September attacks in the US.

Pakistan and the US are key allies in the latter's war on terror.

US State Department spokesman, Sean McCormack, was commenting on media reports that jihad, or holy war, was still a part of school curriculum in Pakistan.

"We have engaged the Pakistani government on... the issue of textbooks and language that... was clearly, clearly unacceptable and inciteful or would cause people to perhaps lash out with violent actions," he told a press briefing on Thursday.

He said the US had raised the matter with the Pakistani education minister during his visit to Washington in March.

Independent review

The administration of President Pervez Musharraf asked the education ministry in March 2002 to undertake a comprehensive review of all textbooks.

Textbooks have been accused of glorifying war

But the review recommended that no major changes were required in the existing curriculum.

This prompted one of Pakistan's most respected non-government organisations, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), to undertake an independent review.

It examined textbooks for Urdu, English, Social Studies and Civics from grades one to 12 (5-18 years) and came out with its report a few months after the ministry's review. The findings created a furore.

It found "falsehoods, distortions and omissions" in all the textbooks, which it said defied Pakistan's declared objective of turning into a modern, dynamic state.

I don't think anything has changed in substance Ahmed Salim, Sustainable Development Policy Institute

It also found the books "full" of material "encouraging or justifying discrimination against women, religious and ethnic minorities and other nations".

The report said that most of the textbooks incited "militancy and violence, including encouragement of holy war and martyrdom".

There were repeated instances of "glorification of war and the use of force".

The religious parties in particular were incensed at the report and labelled it "paid Western propaganda".

Curriculum change

The report was taken seriously by the government which ordered another review.

Religious parties called the SDPI report 'Western propaganda'

The second review, completed in mid-2004, recommended that references to holy war and the use of force be deleted.

The ministry also recommended that the social studies subject be scrapped.

The recommendations were implemented for the school year starting 2005.

"I don't think anything has changed in substance," co-editor of the SDPI report Ahmed Salim told the BBC news website.

The SDPI is planning to undertake another review which it expects to complete in a month's time.

Source: BBC

ak_m_f wrote: s666 wrote: what do you have to say about this? Maybe If India stops killing civlians in Kashmir then I guess this will stop too. The ones who attack army & military targets are fighting for their freedom.

oh, so pakistanis do not have a mind of their own. interesting!

we agree that kashmir was a blunder, but what did all those minorities in pakistan do?  aren't the christians, parsis etc. innocent?  why do you want to kill all of them by using so called 'anti-blasphemy laws'.

and when would you stop killing shias and ahmadiyyas and the mohajirs from india?

fatima wrote: We are taught about almost all major religions and it is thought to be a good thing to understand others to minimize the misconceptions. Whats the fuss about anyway?

sister fatima, i find this guy to be interesting.  just look at his posts and you will find most of them have no relevance to this forum and are posted just to show a country in bad light.  and whenever i ask him about the situation of minorities and shi'its, ahmadiyyas etc in muslim countries he remains silent and posts another irrelevant post.  and most interesting of all is that he openly attacked me calling me satan yet no moderator ever warned him.