Chapter 9: Curriculum Wars Regarding Islam: Dissent in the Academy

John Dewey, writing in Human Nature and Conduct asserted, “To foresee future alternatives and to be able to choose one of them and thereby weigh its chances in the struggle for future existence measures our freedom” (Dewey, 1922, p. 311). Important curriculum decision making reflects not only our freedom to make choices that define our institutions and help guide the direction of our country, but also our collective responsibility for the consequences of those choices. Today, American curriculum designers, along with scholars in the social sciences and policymakers, have the freedom and the responsibility to develop a comprehensive curriculum regarding Islam. What we choose to teach our students about this religion—its role in history and in contemporary international affairs, its contributions to human civilizations, and the compatibility of Islam with Western societies—will have a profound impact on American attitudes and behaviors toward Islamic countries and American Muslims.