03-25-2006, 11:04 PM
Good. Positions will be hardened, defined, documented and lines drawn. Welcome step, regardless of the temp. outcome.
<b>Education board prepares for final textbook edits</b>
<i>Meeting comes after lawsuit filed by Hindu groups claiming inaccuracies in history books</i>
By Jonathan Jones, STAFF WRITER
<b>Members of the California Board of Education began meetings with publishers Thursday for final editing sessions of sixth-grade history textbooks.
The Sacramento meeting comes despite lawsuits filed against the state by two Hindu groups, who challenge the way Hinduism is presented in the books and who say they take issue with the way the state went about its approval process. </b>
Like many other religions, Hinduism encompasses a diversity of belief and practice.
Among scholars and the Indian diaspora, the debate over Indian history has resulted in conflicting interpretations and allegations that groups are attempting to distort the truth with regard to such things as the role of women, the caste system, divinity and the origins of the faith.
Suhag Shukla, legal counsel for the Hindu American Foundation, said the textbooks do not meet state standards for fairness, balance and sensitivity when comparing Hinduism to Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
"We have problems with the portrayal of the status of women and statements of caste discrimination, which is a social practice that is prevalent throughout all South Asian societies and communities," Shukla said. "It's plain wrong to equate it with Hinduism. You don't see slavery or anti-Semitism discussed with Christianity."
The foundation also says the state violated the law by holding private meetingswithout issuing a public notice or taking public comment.
"The way the state has gone about trying to fix things is a reflection of their limited knowledge," Shukla said. "They held closed-door meetings to glean off opinions about Hinduism. That's not the way to do things."
Liz Russell of Teachers Curriculum Institute publishers in Palo Alto said the current dispute is one of the most drawn-out approval processes she's seen in her 25 years in textbook development.
"I feel the state has bent and to ensure that all groups have been heard," Russell said. "I appreciate the input from different (Hindu) groups; they've made us all much more sensitive and much more knowledgeable about Hinduism, and much smarter about the process."
Russell, who will meet with state officials today to discuss the changes, said she's concerned that a protracted legal battle might prevent publishers from getting the textbooks distributed to schools in time for the beginning of the new school year.
<b>Michael Witzel, a professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University who was hired as one of the content experts after sending a letter to the board opposing the proposed edits, refused to comment on the lawsuits. </b>
But he reiterated that the textbooks are about ancient history, and "only to a very small amount" about ancient religion.
"The description of ancient Hinduism in the current edits and the revised textbooks is historically correct and also no longer insensitive," Witzel said in an e-mail. "The same is true with regard to the description (of) women, (which) is clearly referred to as inferior to that of men."
Attorneys for the state have declined to comment on the litigation. Messages left with state Board of Education members were not returned.
Meanwhile, another Hindu group called the California Parents for Equalization of Educational Materials, has filed a federal lawsuit, contending the state violated the civil rights of Hindu schoolchildren.
Murali Menon, an attorney in Los Angeles and a spokesman for the group, said it formed in December for the sole purpose of filing a federal lawsuit, contending there is a better chance of winning in federal court.
"This case is really about civil rights, equal protection and establishing one religion over another," Menon said. "That's really the crux of our complaint."
<b>Anu Mandavilli, a spokeswoman for the Friends of South Asia and the Coalition Against Communalism,</b> said the decision by the Hindu groups to base their case on procedural violations reflects the lack of scholarly support for their historical interpretations.
"We believe that scholars of history are best positioned to capture the multiple voices and histories at stake in the writing of the textbooks, and understand the attempts by (Hindu groups) to involve the courts as a direct result of their having been spectacularly unsuccessful in gaining any support from the community of scholars," Mandavilli said in a written statement.
Mandavilli added that examination of the textbooks by her organizations found other references to the inferior status of women in Ancient Greece and the Samurai era in Japan, challenging the notion that the textbooks present Indian history and Hinduism as inferior to other civilizations.
"We sincerely believe that sensitizing children to social injustice through an honest examination of the past is crucial to creating a progressive society," Mandavilli said.
Earlier this week, a Sacramento Superior Court judge declined to impose a temporary restraining order to keep the textbooks from going to press, and scheduled a hearing for April 21.
Meanwhile, some publishers say they may go ahead with printing and binding the textbooks to ensure they meet the state's deadline for finalized editions to be ready for consideration by school districts by the end of May.
<i>Staff writer Jonathan Jones can be reached at (510) 353-7005 or jjones@angnewspapers.com. </i>
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3634817
<b>Education board prepares for final textbook edits</b>
<i>Meeting comes after lawsuit filed by Hindu groups claiming inaccuracies in history books</i>
By Jonathan Jones, STAFF WRITER
<b>Members of the California Board of Education began meetings with publishers Thursday for final editing sessions of sixth-grade history textbooks.
The Sacramento meeting comes despite lawsuits filed against the state by two Hindu groups, who challenge the way Hinduism is presented in the books and who say they take issue with the way the state went about its approval process. </b>
Like many other religions, Hinduism encompasses a diversity of belief and practice.
Among scholars and the Indian diaspora, the debate over Indian history has resulted in conflicting interpretations and allegations that groups are attempting to distort the truth with regard to such things as the role of women, the caste system, divinity and the origins of the faith.
Suhag Shukla, legal counsel for the Hindu American Foundation, said the textbooks do not meet state standards for fairness, balance and sensitivity when comparing Hinduism to Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
"We have problems with the portrayal of the status of women and statements of caste discrimination, which is a social practice that is prevalent throughout all South Asian societies and communities," Shukla said. "It's plain wrong to equate it with Hinduism. You don't see slavery or anti-Semitism discussed with Christianity."
The foundation also says the state violated the law by holding private meetingswithout issuing a public notice or taking public comment.
"The way the state has gone about trying to fix things is a reflection of their limited knowledge," Shukla said. "They held closed-door meetings to glean off opinions about Hinduism. That's not the way to do things."
Liz Russell of Teachers Curriculum Institute publishers in Palo Alto said the current dispute is one of the most drawn-out approval processes she's seen in her 25 years in textbook development.
"I feel the state has bent and to ensure that all groups have been heard," Russell said. "I appreciate the input from different (Hindu) groups; they've made us all much more sensitive and much more knowledgeable about Hinduism, and much smarter about the process."
Russell, who will meet with state officials today to discuss the changes, said she's concerned that a protracted legal battle might prevent publishers from getting the textbooks distributed to schools in time for the beginning of the new school year.
<b>Michael Witzel, a professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University who was hired as one of the content experts after sending a letter to the board opposing the proposed edits, refused to comment on the lawsuits. </b>
But he reiterated that the textbooks are about ancient history, and "only to a very small amount" about ancient religion.
"The description of ancient Hinduism in the current edits and the revised textbooks is historically correct and also no longer insensitive," Witzel said in an e-mail. "The same is true with regard to the description (of) women, (which) is clearly referred to as inferior to that of men."
Attorneys for the state have declined to comment on the litigation. Messages left with state Board of Education members were not returned.
Meanwhile, another Hindu group called the California Parents for Equalization of Educational Materials, has filed a federal lawsuit, contending the state violated the civil rights of Hindu schoolchildren.
Murali Menon, an attorney in Los Angeles and a spokesman for the group, said it formed in December for the sole purpose of filing a federal lawsuit, contending there is a better chance of winning in federal court.
"This case is really about civil rights, equal protection and establishing one religion over another," Menon said. "That's really the crux of our complaint."
<b>Anu Mandavilli, a spokeswoman for the Friends of South Asia and the Coalition Against Communalism,</b> said the decision by the Hindu groups to base their case on procedural violations reflects the lack of scholarly support for their historical interpretations.
"We believe that scholars of history are best positioned to capture the multiple voices and histories at stake in the writing of the textbooks, and understand the attempts by (Hindu groups) to involve the courts as a direct result of their having been spectacularly unsuccessful in gaining any support from the community of scholars," Mandavilli said in a written statement.
Mandavilli added that examination of the textbooks by her organizations found other references to the inferior status of women in Ancient Greece and the Samurai era in Japan, challenging the notion that the textbooks present Indian history and Hinduism as inferior to other civilizations.
"We sincerely believe that sensitizing children to social injustice through an honest examination of the past is crucial to creating a progressive society," Mandavilli said.
Earlier this week, a Sacramento Superior Court judge declined to impose a temporary restraining order to keep the textbooks from going to press, and scheduled a hearing for April 21.
Meanwhile, some publishers say they may go ahead with printing and binding the textbooks to ensure they meet the state's deadline for finalized editions to be ready for consideration by school districts by the end of May.
<i>Staff writer Jonathan Jones can be reached at (510) 353-7005 or jjones@angnewspapers.com. </i>
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3634817