The Fallacy of Textbooks

The fallacy of Textbooks

Malaysia has joined the exclusive club in the falsification of history textbooks similar to Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the Nazis of Germany. In Saudi Arabia children are taught from the very young that all who adhere to a religion different from them are dogs and pigs. They are never taught to recognize the dignity of humans other than their kind, whom they call to be converted or be eradicated. This education system is exported to Pakistan, Afghanistan India and all their communities in Western Europe and the Americas. This system of hatred is incorporated in their school curriculum which has been the cradle for  terrorism and militancy. Nearly ninety present of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters are students of these Saudi sponsored schools.

The Pakistani text books after 1980’s started the distortion of their textbooks with new virility as per whims and fancy of the changing ruling Military juntas. Their county’s history starts from the first Islamic Arab conqueror Mohammad bin Qasim or after the birth of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. Their history teaches that the Indian subcontinent is devoid of any culture or civilization prior to the conquest of the region by the Muslim warriors. India’s contribution in art, philosophy science and mathematics were just ignored. Aurangzeb the Muslim Emperor was immortalized as the pinnacle in greatness of Islamic history from Hindu Kush to the Bay of Bengal and the Deccan Plateau. Fierce anti Hindu, Sikh and Christian propaganda is unleashed among the people from a tender age; the non Muslims are always portrayed as subhuman, pagans, and believers of multiple gods and immoral. As the majority of the Pakistani Muslims are the Sunni sect, under the influence of the Deobandi Salafi doctrine other minority sects like the Shiites, Ahmadis the Sufis are degraded and sometimes called as heretics. This is one the main reason for the sectarian violence against the Islamic religious minorities, where their places of worship are defiled and maimed especially during their religious festivals like Ashura, or on their Friday congregations.

The Jewish Regime propagates through their history textbooks that people of Israel are the chosen people of God, discounting the existence of Palestinians in the occupied land, and instrumental in creating the Palestinians Diaspora; made them the unwelcomed refugees in all the surrounding Arab States. And likewise the Palestinian propagates a policy of extreme hatred and the extermination of the Jewish people in their history textbooks. And Japan with all the atrocities and war crimes, still glorifies their war in Asia Pacific in their text books.

And in Malaysia the history was rewritten to serve the agenda of Malay ethno religious nationalism which started, after the Iranian Revolution in 1979.Dr.Mahathir to counter the Islamic resurgence among the Muslims expounded by Pas during the 80’s, played the Islamic card for his political survival, unwittingly competed with Islamists and he out shown them. Even though it was started to reform Muslims and instill Islamic values among them and not directed at non Muslims, it was hijacked by ethnoreligous fanatics. He feverishly started implementing policies in Islamic education, Islamic Banking, Islamic Architecture, Islamic dietary and dress code, Governance,and empowerments of the Sharia Jurisprudence. And this climaxed with the controversial declaration of Malaysia as an Islamic State. This implementation of the Islamic policies coupled with extreme views of the (BTN) Biro Tata Negara (National Civic policy) is a policy similar to the Nazis’ chosen race created and deliberately poisoned the minds of Malays as superior race.
 As such it is not surprising to see our new history textbooks are written in belittling anything else than Islam and Malays. The number of pages allocated to other races, culture and religion are minimum and unbalanced, and it’s deliberately written for non Muslims to appreciate Islam, the Sharia and the holy Prophet only. My intention is not to belittle the Great religion of Islam or their esteem Prophet. Our history syllabus must be inclusive encompassing all the contribution of multiculturalism of the nation. Our education Minister’s latest announcement that history will be a compulsory subject in SPM examinations only makes this an important matter to ponder and where a solution must be envisaged to solve this matter. As our Honorable Prime Minister’s 1 Malaysia policy which he fervently defends and propagates, this will be a test, whether his policy is desperate policy to hoodwink the non Malays to get their support by branding their coexistence and well being as nation as 1Malaysia for his political expediency or otherwise.. He has not stated his stand on this matter to date, not to exaberate his Perkasa which is preaching hatred and Umno a party which survives with fodder of Racial Supremacy ethos. Dear Prime Minister, you cannot talk of holistic policies of unity and goodwill, and allow it be dismantled brick by brick, piece by piece to appease your racialist party. Malaysians must oppose this hagemonistic policies on the education our children. A strong message must be given through the ballot box.