Connecticut legislation aims to expand Islam education in public schools

HARTFORD, Conn. (RNS) — For nearly 25 years, education on Islam in public schools has been met largely with fears of indoctrination. Now, the state of Connecticut is leaning into the debate.

A new state provision , passed as part of a larger education bill last month, directs the Connecticut State Department of Education to develop instructional resources on Arab and Islamic studies, offering public schools optional materials designed to expand how students learn about the history, culture and contributions of Arab and Islamic civilizations.

“As with previous legislative directives on Holocaust education, Native American studies, and Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, the Connecticut State Department of Education is convening a Curriculum Design Leadership Team of educators, curriculum leaders, higher education faculty, and other content experts,” a CSDE spokesperson said. The team will identify, review and curate instructional resources before making them available to school districts.

Casey Cobb, Neag endowed professor of educational policy at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, said it is hard to predict how widely the Islamic and Arab curriculum will be…