AUSTIN — The State Board of Education today instructed publishers to curtail positive coverage of Islam and include more favorable treatment of Christianity in future world history textbooks. 
 
 Social conservatives on the board joined to pass a resolution saying that pro-Islamic, anti-Christian bias will not be tolerated in new social studies books, which are now scheduled for approval in two years. The resolution, adopoted on a 7-6 vote, said those future textbooks must devote more coverage to Christianity and other non-Muslim faiths. 
 
 The resolution said increased investment by "Middle Easterners" in the textbook publishing industry could encourage biased treatment of religion in the texts used in Texas schools. An attachment to the resolution cited a past investment by the Dubai royal family in a major U.S. textbook publisher. 
 
 Three Democrats and three moderate Republicans voted against the resolution. 
 
 Two Democratic board members were absent. 
 
 “This resolution will ensure upfront that potential biases are taken care of before these books reach the board,” said Chairwoman Gail Lowe, R-Lampasas, who supported the resolution. 
 
 She noted that the resolution is not legally binding on publishers, but does state the will of board members to have more balanced social studies books. 
 
 Opponents, who tried to derail the resolution with a series of parliamentary maneuvers, called the proposal a waste of time that will further undermine the reputation of the board. 
 
 “This makes us look cuckoo. It’s crazy,” said board member Rick Agosto, D-San Antonio. “We are allowing ourselves to be distracted by this narrow-minded resolution, which is itself biased. We should have taken the higher ground on this.” 
 
 Board member Lawrence Allen, D-Houston, who practices Islam, called the language in the resolution “offensive.” He said supporters of the resolution were making accusations about pro-Muslim bias without any proof. 
 
 “These are baseless accusations, and this resolution is unfair,” he said. 
 
 But Terri Leo, R-Spring, said the measure was necessary to send a “clear message” to publishers that past bias against Christianity and other religions “should not happen in the future.” 
 
 While some books have credited Islam for treating women better than other religions, Leo said, there have been instances of Muslim woman getting fingers chopped off for using fingernail polish and being threatened with violence for not wear burkas in public. 
 
 The resolution states that “diverse reviewers have repeatedly documented gross pro-Islamic, anti-Christian distortions in social studies texts” across the United States, and that past social studies textbooks in Texas have been “tainted” with pro-Islamic, anti-Christian views. 
 
 It also notes that past world history books - no longer used in Texas schools - devoted far more lines of text to Islamic beliefs and practices than to Christian beliefs and practices. 
 
 The resolution concludes with a warning to publishers that the “State Board of Education will look to reject future prejudicial social studies submissions that continue to offend Texas law with respect to treatment of the world’s major religious groups by significant inequalities of coverage space-wise and by demonizing or lionizing one or more of them over others.” 
 
 Members of the board's social conservative bloc asked for the resolution after an unsuccessful candidate for a board seat called on the panel to head off any bias against Christians in new social studies books. ||||| (Sept. 24) -- The Texas State Board of Education approved a resolution today that requires publishers to correct a " pro-Islamic/anti-Christian bias " in future world history textbooks.The resolution , which narrowly passed 7-6, cites instances of an alleged emphasis on unfavorable events in Christian history as told in school textbooks, while claiming that the same textbooks gloss over similar events in Islamic history."What we're trying to do is prohibit and send a clear message to the publishers that [the bias] should not happen in the future," board member Terri Leo said.The Lone Star State has a reputation for dictating what publishers, which must abide by state policy or probably forfeit significant sales, can include in textbooks. Nevertheless, because all of the textbooks cited in the resolution have not been used in Texas schools since 2003, it is unclear what immediate effect the policy will have on publishers."This is a cosmetic exercise," board member Mavis Knight told the Austin American-Statesman Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network , a liberal organization opposed to the potential policy, said afterward that the resolution was politically motivated."Board members rejected numerous opportunities today to pass a resolution that called on publishers to treat all religions with balance and accuracy in their textbooks," Miller said in a statement . "It is hard not to conclude that the members who voted for this resolution were solely interested in playing on fear and bigotry in order to pit Christians against Muslims."
– The Texas Board of Education issued a warning to textbook publishers today: It wants future social studies books to fix what it sees as a pro-Islam and anti-Christian bias, reports the Dallas Morning News. "What we're trying to do is prohibit and send a clear message to the publishers that (the bias) should not happen in the future," said one board member who voted with the majority in the 7-6 decision. Proponents say current books whitewash negative aspects of Muslim culture, and they say it's because "Middle Easterners" have big investments in the publishing industry. As for opponents: “This makes us look cuckoo,” said a board member on the losing side. "It's crazy. We are allowing ourselves to be distracted by this narrow-minded resolution, which is itself biased. We should have taken the higher ground on this.” More details at AOL News.