A Virginia school district has instructed its teachers to avoid referencing Islam when discussing the 9/11 terror attacks.
According to guidance from Fairfax County Public Schools, teachers must confront “anti-Muslim bias” in classrooms and refrain from linking the terror attacks with radical religious motivation. The material, obtained by Fox News, contains directives for creating “safe spaces for Muslim and Middle Eastern students,” and provides tips for educators to manage “emotional responses” to the lesson.
The material only references first responders once, the report said, in which the guidance reads, “Many families of military personnel and first responders experienced loss and hardship.” It does, however, contain 30 references to Islam, “Muslim families,” “Muslim students,” “anti-Muslim racism,” “anti-Middle Eastern” rhetoric, “Islamophobic rhetoric,” and “Middle Eastern students” and families.
Addressing the material in a statement to Fox News, the school district said, “On the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we remember the nearly 3,000 people who were killed, including 184 at the Pentagon. We remember the victims, their families, the survivors, and everyone whose lives were forever changed. We honor the first responders whose courage and sacrifice continue to inspire us.”
“FCPS remains committed to creating an inclusive environment in our schools where all students feel welcome and respected as we strive to provide a world-class education and workplace.”
Meanwhile, educational material in Texas specifically calls out radical Islam as the motivator behind 9/11. It states that students will “identify the significance of September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks motivated by radical Islam, including the roles of George W. Bush, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice, the launch of the Global War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the decline of civil liberties due to the PATRIOT Act.”
Students will also separately learn about the “teachings of jihad and how these teachings led to the expansion of Islam and the conquest of Christian lands including Jerusalem, Syria, and Egypt,” and explain the “rise of radical Islam, including Iranian proxies, terrorism, Al Qaeda, September 11, 2001, and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).”
