Texas Board Approves Controversial Social Studies Overhaul
The Texas State Board of Education voted Friday to adopt a sweeping high school social studies curriculum that labels “radical Islam” as the motive behind the September 11 attacks and mandates study of early Islamic military campaigns, the “normalization of slavery,” and the taking of female captives as “harem slaves.”
Republican‑majority board members defended the changes as reflecting Texas values, while Democratic members and Muslim advocacy groups condemned the language as divisive and historically inaccurate.
Student Habiiba Quresh, 15, told the board she felt attacked, saying the new wording forces her to defend her religion in class.
Three appointed curriculum experts warned that the proposed passages lack credible scholarly support and would not survive rigorous historical scrutiny.
CAIR Texas and CAIR Action Texas issued a joint statement calling the decision an affront to education and the First Amendment, noting the board ignored warnings from its own experts.
Republican board member Julie Pickren hailed the vote as the culmination of a decade‑long effort, saying it “bookends 12 years of life’s work.”
The new curriculum will be phased into classrooms beginning with the 2030‑31 school year.
In a separate development, Rep. Mike Lawler criticized the Mamdani administration’s influencer network and announced bipartisan legislation requiring a nationwide 9/11 historical curriculum.
