Dear Team of Eight,

I hope to bring your attention to a curriculum that is anti-Palestinian and is being taught at Lowery Freshmen Center that is part of Allen ISD.

In the curriculum, there is an assignment that discusses the creation of the State of Israel. The section includes:  

• A quiz question that asks, “Which is an important cause of terrorism in the Middle East”. The correct answer being, “Many Palestinians believe terrorism is justified against Israeli occupation.”  
• In the section titled, “The Palestinian Viewpoint” there is a large black and white picture of a Hamas member wearing white gloves, holding an assault weapon, and wearing a black mask with Arabic calligraphy. While the section showing “the Israeli viewpoint” shows casual soldiers standing outside.  
• Repeatedly refers to Palestinians who support peace as “moderate Palestinians,” while Israelis are never referred to as “moderate.”
  • Example: “Other Israelis, however, feel that some compromise with moderate Palestinians is vital”.  
  • Example: “Moderate Palestinians hope to reach a compromise with Israel.”  

The curriculum is from Jarrett Publishing Company and it titled, “Mastering the TEKS in World Geography.”

Luay, the father of a Palestinian American Muslim student who participated in this curriculum said:

“My daughter felt targeted, bullied, humiliated, and dehumanized by her teacher and the school after being subjected to this course. Imagine your children being taught that because they have the wrong race that they inherently believe terrorism is justified. Imagine, your children sitting in a classroom that demonizes their history, identity, and origins.”

CAIR-TX DFW, a chapter of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization for Muslims in America, is also advocating for the removal of this curriculum.

“This so-called school curriculum is nothing more than a propaganda piece to dehumanize Palestinians and show a skewed version of history,” said Faizan Syed, executive director of CAIR-TX DFW. “When the correct answer to a quiz question is that terrorism exists because a specific ethnic group ‘believe terrorism is justified’ you’ve successfully dehumanized that group and justified violence against them.”

Other Organizations that Support This Petition:

- American Muslims for Palestine - Dallas Chapter

I and the family are calling on Allen ISD to apologize to Luay's daughter and drop the curriculum from your school's course.