Read! In the name of your
Lord who created.
Created man from a clot
congealed blood.
Read! And your Lord is the Most
Bountiful.
He who has taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he
knew not.

8. "From Jerusalem, both Muhammad and Gabriel ascended into heaven, where Muhammad spoke to God." (new paragraph) "These revelations confirmed both Muhammad's belief in one God, or monotheism, and his role as the last messenger in a long line of prophets sent by God. The God he believed in - Allah - is the same God of other monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity." (pg 59)
9. "The angel told him [Muhammad] to recite in the name of God." (pg 59)
10. "The...mosque...allowed Muslims to feel Allah's invisible presence..." (pg 97)
11. "Muhammad's revelations occurred from 610 until his death in 632." (pg 61)
12. "Today pilgrims visit the Prophet's Cave on Mount Hira." (pg 58)
13. "Why did Muhammad think he was a messenger of God?" (pg 70)
    (Are they looking for our children to reply, "Because of greed, lust for power, hallucinations? (not once hinted in the text). Or are they trying to compel our children to answer as fact what the text should have taught as a belief. Predetermined questions. My gosh! THINK about what they are leading our children to answer here!
14. "Since the Muslims did not necessarily encourage people to convert to Islam, why did they bother expanding their empire?" (pg 84)
15. Further, I object to Muhammad's wife, Aisha, (she was age 9 when he married her), describing in length what she believes Muhammad experienced as revelation. Though the textbook qualifies it as her version, it is still testimony presented as fact. (pg 58) Conversely, does the Gospel of John, where John gives the story of Jesus, qualify as textbook material?"

1. Why is it never asked in what ways are they different? I can give you PAGES, but that information is not offered anywhere that I can find in this book.

2. "Interview your classmates or use the encyclopedia to find out what these rituals have in common: Yom Kippur (among Jews), Lent (among Christians), and Ramadan (among Muslims)."
   
   1. WHY the repeated comparisons? Especially to modern day traditions? Fails to mention that if a Muslim converts to Christianity they are beaten, kidnapped, tortured, and openly pronounced the death sentence. Apparently Islam does not feel beliefs are similar!

3. "Why are the Quran and Sunna important to Muslims?"
   
   1. The answer leads children to focus on Muslim faith.

4. "Muhammad’s success in spreading Islam was due in large part to his strong character. His followers were attracted to his morality, courage, and compassion, perhaps as much as they were attracted to his teaching." Pg 65
   1. Are we painting Muhammad as a hero here or what? How do the writers of this book know that converts were attracted to Muhammad’s morality, courage and compassion? Compassion? He wrote to kill all infidels in the Quran!

5. "Find details to support the statement, "Islam, like other religions, is not only a system of beliefs but also a way of life." (Pg 64)
   1. Do not tell my son to "find details to support," i.e. prove, Islam is a way of life. He does not know that way of life and no one has the right to force him to seek it.

6. "The differences between Sunnis and Shiites have become public knowledge today, but all Muslims remain united by their common faith in Allah. They also share a reverence for the Quran as Allah’s word and recognize Muhammad as Allah’s prophet." (Pg 68)
   1. These words paint a lovely picture of faith and reverence of Muslims. The Muslims I see today are either claiming they are a peaceful religion or screaming for the Jihad, holy war against Americans. The peaceful Muslims claim that the fundamental Muslims are terrorist fanatics and not true Islam. Yet this textbook paints them all as "united by their common faith in Allah" and a shared reverence.
   2. Conversely, rather than whitewash the differences of Catholics and Protestants and present them as "united by their common faith in God and reverence", the split is analyzed most coldly with reasons given of financial gain and readiness for a change. No shared faith nor reverence for the Bible is afforded the Christian faith that I could find so far.

7. Most Muslim scholars agreed that creating images of living things like humans and animals, which have souls, is forbidden." (does not say "which they believe have souls" rather states it as fact). Pg 89

1. They want our kids to answer with what they have been feeding them! Do they expect our kids to remember to write "because Muslims believe…" when the text can’t seem to remember to do that? "Why do they still go there today?" hmmm, I wonder if its DEATH if a Muslim doesn’t go. I am sure there are dire consequences that the text didn’t cover.

4. (end of the medical section) …"Interest in treating illness went back to the earliest days of Muslim history. It was the prophet Muhammad himself who stated that Allah had provided a cure for every illness." Pg 92
   1. Muhammad himself? Are we supposed to take keen note? Why is this sentence here? To add an "all glory to Allah" at the end of the section that gives credit to medical contributions of Islam? "Muhammad himself" implies his word carries more weight. Calling Muhammad a prophet also states he actually heard from God.