Solana Beach, Calif. school textbook Islam coverage brings regional, religious TV coverage

Solana Beach, Calif. school textbook Islam coverage brings regional, 700 Club TV coverage...

(Editor's Note: A video and story airing today on the Christian Broadcasting Network, CBN, that broadcasts the 700 Club, also picked up by KABC-TV, Los Angeles, deals with the San Dieguito Union High School controversy that started in February over a school textbook's depiction of the practice of Islam. Complaints have focused in the past on texts used for 7th Grade and 10th Grade world history classes. Conservative critics say too much time is being used to study Islam. Muslim scholars say the depictions of Islam in the textbooks are incorrect and misleading.)

A classroom history book is causing controversy in Solana Beach over the description of Islam.

Three men have come forward to protest the book, saying it goes out of its way to portray Islam in a positive light. They say the book is full of distortions, omissions and falsehoods.

"If the school's going to bother to teach about Islam, they should do it as history is, according to the facts. If they want to romanticize it, they can put it in fairy tales," said Michael Hayutin, a textbook critic.

Hayutin and his colleagues say there are 22 errors in the book, everything from the meaning of Jihad to polygamy to slavery in Islam.

Islamic scholars are now accusing the men of having an anti-Islam agenda.

"I honestly think that they are using this world history issue as a pretext to malign and discredit Islam and Muslims," said Tehseen Lazzouni, a Muslim scholar.

The textbook is currently under review by the state Board of Education.