The ''Affront'' That Changes History
Fears of hurting the feelings of Holocaust denying Muslim students led some British schools to delete Holocaust studies from the curriculum. The Crusades have likewise been “deleted”. Forget and Don’t Remember—British style
Michal Nissenson (4/24/2007)


Political correctness is one of the most widespread social positions in local and international public discourse. In that type of cultural environment, the desire to maintain discourse boundaries respects everyone, and leaves anything hurtful or insulting unsaid. Underlying the desire to “be nice to everyone” and “not to upset minority feelings” is a good idea, a reaction to years of antisemitism, racism, and shutting out minorities just because they are minorities. But the road to hell can be paved with good intentions and the desire to treat a society’s minorities with respect can sometimes trample the boundaries of good taste. This can happen when what may be good for one minority actually harms an entire society.

One example of such absurdity came to light recently following a study conducted with British government support. The study revealed that schools up and down the country had taken political correctness too far by using history lessons as a vehicle for promoting it. The study found that increasing numbers of British schools were not teaching children about the Holocaust in the history curriculum. The reason for deliberately dropping the subject is the wish not to hurt the feelings of Muslim students for whom Holocaust denial is “part of their belief”. The schools also decided not to teach children about the eleventh century Crusades, when Christian and Muslim armies clashed over control of the Holy Land and the liberation of Jerusalem, because the historical facts did not match what children were learning in their Muslim madrasses and mosques.

Some of the schools studied had decided to reduce the number of lessons taught on the Holocaust (and sometimes dropped the subject completely) and not to allow students to do final projects on this subject. The reason was their desire not to arouse anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli, or anti-Jewish feelings among the Muslim children who believe that the Holocaust never happened. History lessons about the land of Israel and state of Israel have also run into multiple problems among British teachers. Teachers report that they had problems teaching lessons that differed factually and historically from the ideas and beliefs commonly held by some of their pupils.

Welcome to political correctness Eurabian style!