The rush to rewrite history

It's also a problem knowing where to pin blame. To fail to mention Osama bin Laden would seem a serious omission, yet prematurely labeling him as the mastermind could prove inaccurate. In addition, events of the next weeks and months will rapidly render obsolete any text assembled today.

Despite such concerns, Rogalin says, there's no avoiding the topic. "It's an event that changed the country," he says. "We want to make sure that it will be in there."

Many educators say students are hungry for a more global perspective. Corrow was impressed with the eagerness of his students to focus on world religions. "When the kids critiqued the course, they all wanted more of that," he recalls.

Such teaching has become imperative now, he adds: "We became so comfortable here in the US living in our own bubble. But that bubble burst on Sept. 11."

E-mail marjorie@csmonitor.com.

Some experts stress that there is excellent material readily available for teachers interested in introducing their students to Islam and the Arab world. Possible sources include:

www.amideast.org

America-Mideast Educational and Training Services Inc.: Educational tools such as a video introducing Arab culture through the eyes of Arab teens.

www.cie.org

The Council on Islamic Education: Curriculum materials on Islam and speakers who visit classrooms to teach about the religion and its traditions.

www.telegraphave.com/awair productinfo.html

The Arab World and Islamic Resources: Recommended reading.

www.aaiusa.org

Arab American Institute: Bibliographic and census information on Arab-Americans.

www.adc.org

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: Resources covering such topics as "Anti-Arab Discrimination: What Teachers Can Do" and "The Life and Work of Khalil Gibran."

Here are a handful of books recommended for use in school by The Arab World and Islamic Resources and School Services in Berkeley, Calif.

Sami and the Time of Troubles

Florence Perry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliard (Clarion Books)

Story about 10-year-old Sami, who lives in Beirut. Suggested for K-6

The Life of the Prophet Muhammed

Leila Azzam and Aisha Gouveneur

(Islamic Text Society)

Biography intertwined with passages from the Koran. Grades 6 and up

The Crusades through Arab Eyes

Amin Maalouf (Schocken Books)

History of the Crusades from an Arab viewpoint. Grades 7-12

The World of Islam Up to 1500

Fiona McDonald (HarperCollins)

History course written for the British school system. Grades 7-12

The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century

Ross E. Dunn (University of California Press)

The travels - illustrated with maps - of a Muslim contemporary of Marco Polo through the Middle East and Central Asia. Grades 7-12

Afghan Caravan

Collected by Idries Shah (Octagon Press)

Collection of writings about Afghan history and culture. Grades 7-12

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