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VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. —

Hundreds of people in Volusia County are preparing a protest against a textbook that's in public schools across Florida.

They believe a world history book dedicates too much material to Islam and doesn't focus equally on Christianity and other religions.

Some protest organizers want students to go home and tear the section on Islam out of their textbooks.

The controversy started unraveling after a 15-year-old Deltona high school student showed her mom her 10th-grade history book, which has an entire chapter dedicated to Islam but none of the other world religions.

A conservative activist flocked to Facebook, calling for a curriculum overhaul, and nearly 200 activists are planning a protest at tomorrow's Volusia County School Board meeting.

The mom who started the firestorm did not want to be interviewed.

District 2 Deltona commissioner Webster Barnaby said they just want balance.

"Why relegate Christianity to a footnote in an entire history book, and you give an entire chapter on the teachings of Islam?" Barnaby said.

The religion of Islam, whose followers are called Muslims, emerged in the Arabian Peninsula. There, in A.D . 570, Muhammad eas born in Mecca —a trading and religious center. Muhammad worked among nomadic herders called Bedouins.

Later, he became a successful merchant and decided to marry at 25. He was known for his honesty in business and devotion to his family. Muhammad often meditated on the moral ills of Meccan society, including greed. According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad became a prophet at 40 when he was asked by an angel to become God’s messenger. When he began teaching, a few listened, but others opposed him with threats. In 622, he and his followers fled Mecca for Yathrib, on a journey called the hijra. Later Yathrib was called Medina. In Medina, thousands adopted Islam and formed strong, peaceful communities. When Meccan leaders grew hostile, Muslims defeated them in battle. Muhammad returned to Mecca in 630, where the Kaaba, which Muhammad dedicated to Allah, became the holiest Islamic site. Muhammad died in 632.

The sacred text of Islam is the Quran, believed to be the direct word of God as told to Muhammad. All Muslims study it to learn about God’s will and living a good life. Muslims believe that priests are not necessary to mediate between people and God. Muslims gather in mosques to pray. They follow the Five Pillars of Islam, which are the following duties: declaring faith, praying five times daily, giving charity to the poor, fasting during their holy month, and making the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, if a person is able. Another duty is jihad, which means to struggle in God’s service. Because Jews and Christians worship the same God and study what are considered God’s earlier revelations, Muslims call them “People of the Book.” In most cases, they have been allowed religious freedom in Muslim societies.

The Sharia is a body of laws that interprets the Quran and applies religious principles to legal situations. According to the Quran, women are piritually equal to men but have different roles. In different places, Muslims interpret women’s roles and rights differently. In some cases, Muslims adopted practices of conquered peoples, such as requiring upper-class women to wear veils.

Focus Question:
What achievements did Muslims make in economics, art, literature, and science?

Books are constantly challenged in schools. ( ie. 365 days by Glasser... That was in my school http://www.nytimes.com/... ) That is one of the benefits of living in a free country. Personally, I don't care what book a school uses, as long as it is truthful in representing History. However, I would be cautious not to spontaneously negate or accept any views of the situation based solely on it being promoted by “right wing“ political thinkers. As in most disagreements, the truth usually lies somewhere in the middle.
Regardless of personal paradigm, in this country it is becoming increasingly more important to be cautious when dealing with Islam, or any religion that includes within it‘s foundation a canon of Theocracy. This is exactly why we found our way to this country, to escape the grasp of a ruling church doctrine. Martin Luther had it right. The Founding Fathers knew that separation of church and state was central to the sovereignty of the state and the freedoms enjoyed by the people.
Along these lines, you may be interested in the following. Read very carefully…

The problems that exist between Christians and Muslims are rooted in a historic relationship that goes back as far as the casting out of Ishmael and Hagar from the tribe of Abraham as described in the Quran and the Torah. The resulting history is a complex, convoluted, relationship, that has spawned numerous conflicts in the past. To attempt a simplification of the relationship between the Nation of Islam, the Jews, and Christians is, to say the least, a futile endeavor. However, there are certain obvious outward aspects of the modern relationship that cannot be overlooked. Trusting one faction or the other on blind acceptance based on ones singular political standard is, to put it simply, shallow and dangerous.
I have observed enough of this world to have developed a rather pragmatic view of my relationship with others. I believe it is wise to trust people for who they are, not for who you want them to be. Universal acceptance, based on a desire to be politically correct and a need to not offend, can lull one into a dangerously false sense of security…a situation in which you may become oblivious to, or just ignore, the enemy.
Do your research. Facts present themselves clearly to those who look and listen. Do not let your personal political views obscure the truth. Do not allow your propensity towards political correctness cloud your judgment. Anyone with open eyes can see who the enemy is. All one need do is take notice of the senseless killing that is taking place throughout the world. The People Of The Book are not your enemy. Their doctrine is not based on World domination. Their doctrine is based on freedom of choice. Some call it free will. If you want to see the enemy, ask yourself this question, “Who will willingly take my life if I stand up and openly profess my faith?” If you answer that question truthfully, then you have found the enemy of man.