Dana, a Palestinian-American student at Lowery Freshman Center in Allen, Texas, was immediately taken aback by the multiple choice quiz question in her classroom this January. “What is an important cause of terrorism in the Middle East?” Options included that “Israelis believe terrorist acts are needed to defend settlements in the West Bank,” “Iranians use terrorism to collect uranium for nuclear weapons,” and “radical groups in Egypt wish to give control of the Suez Canal to Britain.” The correct answer, according to a lesson plan designed to address Texas education standards: “Many Palestinians believe terrorism is justified against Israeli occupation.”
Dana, the only Muslim student in her 9th grade World Geography class, says the quiz was the latest in several instances just that month where she felt villainized by how the curriculum approached conflict in the Middle East. In one case, Dana says her teacher taught the class that 9/11 was caused by a Muslim group that was angry with the United States for its relationship with Israel. In another, a textbook depicted the “Palestinian viewpoint” with intimidating images of Hamas, a militant fundamentalist resistance group, in dark masks and assault rifles, while the “Israeli viewpoint” was shown with far more humanizing photos of Israeli soldiers.
“I’m wearing the headscarf, everyone knows I’m Muslim and Palestinian, and in that moment I felt like they were demonizing my people,” she said of the quiz question. According to her father, Luay, in order for Dana to get the answer right, she would essentially have to label herself a terrorist. The family requested that only their first names be used to protect Dana’s privacy.
