Activists, Muslim groups outraged over Rajasthan textbooks’ contents

Social activists and Muslim groups in Rajasthan have expressed outrage over some contents of the school textbooks and guidebooks on political science, which have sought to link religion with terrorism. The activists have demanded immediate action for the removal of “objectionable contents”.

The textbooks published by the State government for Class XII and the students’ guidebooks brought out by a private publisher stated that “Islamic terrorism” was a strand of the religion, which had brought havoc to the world by “suicide attacks, unlimited barbarity, blackmail, demand for ransom and heinous killings”.

The answer to a question, “What do you understand by Islamic terrorism?”, stated that terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir was “purely religious” and could be put in the category of separatism. Another multiple choice question on the “objectives of Islamic terrorism” gave the options of establishing a Muslim nation, implementing Islamic principles and fighting non-Muslims with violence.

The Rajasthan Muslim Forum, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Muslim Parishad Sansthan have demanded that the textbooks be withdrawn and the criminal cases be registered against the writers and publishers for insulting the religion and outraging the religious feelings of Muslims.

Some activists allegedly attacked the publisher’s office situated in the Walled City of Jaipur and ransacked the furniture and bookshelves on Wednesday evening. Police have detained three youth in connection with the incident.