CAIR-Philadelphia

A series of children's textbooks on Islam contains misleading and inflammatory rhetoric about the religion, inaccurately portraying its followers as inherently violent and deserving of suspicion, according to a Muslim civil liberties group. The Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations began what it calls a public awareness campaign Wednesday against the "World of Islam" books by Mason Crest Publishing.

Khawaja said the problem goes beyond isolated sentences to what he described as the series' overarching anti-Muslim tone and message. "A book isn't just a set of quotes — it's a conclusion you walk away with," Khawaja said. He noted that a chronology in the book "Islam in Europe" starts with 1988 and lists 10 events, seven of which involve extremist Muslims participating in bombings, hijackings or other violence. "This is ridiculous," said Khawaja, noting Muslims have been in Europe for hundreds of years.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has begun what it calls a public awareness campaign against the World of Islam books by Mason Crest Publishing. "The overall theme of the books is that Muslims are inherently violent, that Islam is a second-rate religion and that one should be wary of Muslims in any society," said Moein Khawaja, the chapter's civil rights director. "These books do not fulfil the mission of a school, which is to educate."