Pakistanis ask: Do US history textbooks give opposing views on Hiroshima?

January 20, 2009

Reporters on the Job: One of the interesting things about reporting about portrayals of India in Pakistan’s textbooks was the reactions of various Pakistanis. Many said that it was unfair to raise the issue when other nations routinely engage in similar practices. I was asked, for example, do American high school history texts include detailed discussions and opposing views on the bombing of Hiroshima?

When the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) came to power in India, they, too, were accused of revising textbooks to play down the role of Muslims in Indian history or to glorify the then-ruling party. These changes were later undone by the Congress Party.