State Deletes Controversial Textbook Photo, and covered in books already in circulation

[The Straight Story]

State Deletes Controversial Textbook Photo

California State Board of Education meeting

The California State Board of Education Thursday voted to delete a controversial photograph used in some middle school textbooks that Sikhs consider offensive. The photograph depicts Sikh founder Guru Nanak wearing a golden crown and short beard, instead of the turban and long beard worn by modern day Sikhs. Some in the Sikh community argue the book's photograph does not accurately reflect their current practices and beliefs.

The picture is contained in a history book titled "An Age of Voyages: 1350-1600," published by Oxford University Press. The publisher and Sikh leaders haven't been able to agree on a picture both consider acceptable, so today the education board recommended the picture be deleted from future textbooks and covered in books already in circulation.

The state approved the original textbook in 2006. Since then, the board said less than 600 copies have been sold to California schools.

http://www.news10.net/display_story.aspx?storyid=25231

[Kutjara]

1. There has to be more to this story.

Guru Nanak died in 1539, so nobody would expect his appearance to "accurately reflect...current practices and beliefs." If we delete every picture of a historical figure that isn't wearing board shorts and a hoodie, our textbooks would be even duller than they are. "Napoleon? Nah, nobody wears pointy hats and jodhpurs any more." "Charlemagne? You've got to be kidding; I wouldn't be caught dead in those robes."

I'm sure this article is some sort of veiled dig at "them evil ferners" and their "whacky religions" but it's unlikely we'll ever know the full story.

[Igel]

3. California has a regulation or law that

forbids ridiculing any religion or group, or saying any group is inferior. This is apparently taken to avoid offending them.

Hindus have sued and controversy arose over a number of statements in one textbook a few years back. Hindutva objects to the Indo-European migration *into* S. Asia, preferring to believe that Harappans spoke an Indo-European language and the current Indians are the descendants of the people that spread out and became the Greeks and Latins, bestowing "civilization" on the world, they're indigenous to S. Asia, and didn't conquer or assimilate another culture, Dravidian or otherwise; the reverse means that the 'ethnos' of the current N. Indians is unrelated to the Harappan civilization, and insults their sense of dignity because then they're immigrants, mere interlopers. Similarly in saying the the Dalits (untouchables) were treated badly, women were discriminated against, or that Hinduism is polytheistic.

I thought this was absurd when I heard about it. The part of me that values sanity decided that I couldn't face following the story in real time (so I had to look it up just now).

Jews and others have also raised issues, we can't have a textbook calling something in the Tanakh a 'story', now can we? Might mean the state is saying the Tanakh isn't the word of God. The BOE often finds it easier to placate groups than to tell them that they're wrong.

If Nanak wore a crown, and current Sikh teaching is that he didn't, to say otherwise is to say the Sikhs are deceived. Can't have that, now can we? They might feel inferior.

Too bad California is a big factor in the determination of textbook content nationwide.

[Kutjara]

4. Thanks for the information.

I didn't know anything about these battles.

Just when I thought America couldn't get any crazier, stuff like this comes along and raises the bar yet again. It's like truth is what people are allowed to hear once all the special interests have been appeased. No wonder it so rarely sees the light of day.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. Start watching for those textbooks that have placed a cover over the photo

on eBay!


Some Google images:
(have no idea what is in the CA tetbooks)