The Texas Board of Education approved sweeping changes to high school social studies curriculum that will reshape how students learn about Islam and Christianity, overriding objections from Muslim groups, students, and the board’s own appointed experts who warned the material fails historical scrutiny.
Radical Changes Over Expert Warnings
The Republican-majority board approved language requiring students to study Islam through controversial framing, including describing early Islamic history through military campaigns against religious groups and practices regarding slavery and captives. The curriculum specifically mandates teaching that radical Islam motivated the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks rather than focusing narrowly on the terrorist organizations responsible. Board members voted Friday to implement these changes despite overwhelming public testimony opposing the finalized version and warnings from at least three curriculum experts appointed by the board itself.
Andrea Hutchison, a social studies curriculum coordinator, testified the material does not hold up to close historical scrutiny. Robert Koons, a philosophy professor at the University of Texas at Austin, warned that nonreligious scholars find the sources unreliable and cautioned against including material not based on well-established secular sources. Their concerns were dismissed by the board majority.
Students and Experts Push Back
Fifteen-year-old Muslim student Habiiba Quresh told board members she feels attacked and that her religion does not belong. She expressed frustration at having to defend her faith in history class because of sentences written by board members. The Texas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the decision as an affront to education and the First Amendment, stating no credible historian validates the curriculum’s characterization of Islam. Democratic board members opposed the language changes but were outvoted by Republican colleagues.
Decade-Long Push Reaches Finish Line
Republican board member Julie Pickren celebrated the approval as the culmination of over ten years of work with the Texas House and Senate, calling it a huge accomplishment that bookends twelve years of effort. Board Chair Aaron Kinsey defended the process, arguing opponents sensationalized the topics and made them appear more divisive than they actually are. He maintained board members worked democratically on behalf of constituents and did an exceptional job overall. The approved curriculum will be phased into Texas classrooms during the 2030-2031 school year, affecting how millions of students learn about religion and history.