In 20052006, a controversy took place concerning the portrayal of Hinduism in history textbooks in the U.S. state of California. The Texas-based Vedic Foundation (VF) and the Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) complained to California's Curriculum Commission, arguing that the coverage in sixth grade history textbooks of Indian history and Hinduism was biased against Hinduism. Their points of contention included discussions of the caste system, the Indo-Aryan migrations, and the social status of women in ancient India.
The California Department of Education (CDE) initially sought to resolve the controversy by appointing Shiva Bajpai, professor emeritus at California State University Northridge, as a one-man committee to review revisions proposed by the groups. Bajpai, who was selected by the Vedic Foundation for the task, approved nearly all the changes. While presented by the VF as an independent scholar, it later came out that he was a member of a closely affiliated organization.
Michael Witzel, professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University, organized Indologists against the objections of Hindu groups, sending a letter with some 50 signatories to the CDE to protest changes of a "religious-political nature".
Witzel, Stanley Wolpert, and a third Indologist then revisited the proposed changes on behalf of the State Board of Education and suggested reverting some of the approved changes. According to the CDE, these scholars came to either an agreement or a compromise on the majority of the edits and corrections to the textbooks in 2006, with some proposed changes accepted and others rejected. In early 2006, the Hindu American Foundation sued the State Board over matters of process. The case was settled in 2009.
A follow-up debate on California textbooks took place from 2016 to 2017, dealing with some of the same topics.
Background
California textbooks' guiding principles The California Standards for Evaluating Instructional Materials for Social Content contain the guiding principles for textbooks in public schools.Developed by the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division California Department of Education Adopted by the California State Board of Education Published by the California Department of Education (2001) Regarding topics of religion, these standards state: "The standards will be achieved by depicting, when appropriate, the diversity of religious beliefs held in the United States and California, as well as in other societies, without displaying bias toward or prejudice against any of those beliefs or religious beliefs in general."Standards for Evaluating Instructional Materials for Social Content Developed by the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division California Department of Education Adopted by the California State Board of Education Published by the California Department of Education (2001)
They also say: "No religious belief or practice may be held up to ridicule and no religious group may be portrayed as inferior," and "Any explanation or description of a religious belief or practice should be presented in a manner that does not encourage or discourage belief or indoctrinate the student in any particular religious belief."
Textbooks are reviewed regularly in California, and civic organizations participate in the revision process. Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups have done this for years, but the 2005 review was the first time Hindu groups participated.
Response to draft textbook Upon release of a draft of the textbook, Christian, Jewish, Islamic and the two Hindu groups submitted their edits in autumn 2005. After intensive scholarly discussions, over 500 changes proposed by Jewish and Christian groups and around 100 changes proposed by Muslims were accepted by the California Department of Education (CDE) and the State Board of Education (SBE); these scholarly discussions extended to January 6, 2006. Some 170 edits proposed by two Hindu foundations were initially accepted, supported by the reviewer appointed by the California's Board of Education, Shiva Bajpai, who was a professor emeritus of history, California State University Northridge.California Curriculum Commission Accepts Most Hindu Changes to Sixth Grade Textbooks Hindu Press International However, 58 of the proposed edits by Hindu groups were challenged by various groups, including Professor Michael Witzel of Harvard University.Witzel, Michael. Letter to California Board of Education (November 8, 2005). The challenge created a procedural and legal conflict.
Accepted changes According to the State Board of California, some accepted changes were: + Accepted edits and corrections Proposed Edit/Correction(by Hindu groups) Ad hoc committee action Final SBE/CDE recommendationProf Bajpai and Prof. Witzel Reference Original textbook draft: "The monkey king Hanuman loved Rama so much that it is said that he is present every time the Ramayana is told. So look around—see any monkeys?"Proposed correction: Delete "The monkey king" from the first sentence, and the entirety of the second sentence. Approve edit as written. Confirm Ad Hoc action. Original textbook draft: On page 149, a mosque was shown inside text about Hinduism.Proposed correction: Replace photograph with one having a temple in the background. This photo is of a mosque. Replace photo or crop out the mosque in the background. Remove the picture. Original textbook draft: "Hindus believed ... dharma of their class, society would be in harmony."Proposed correction: Replace class with varna. Approve edit as written. Confirm Ad Hoc action. Original textbook draft: "A group of people known as the Indo-Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley about 1500 B.C. These people developed a social structure called a caste system."Proposed correction: Add a sentence informing students that there is a lot of controversy concerning the category of people known as "Indo-Aryans" and their origin. Approve edit as written. Confirm Ad Hoc action. Add sentence, "There is controversy concerning the category of people known as the Indo- Aryans and their origins." Original textbook draft: A picture showed a Muslim offering prayer, was wrongly captioned as "A Brahman"Proposed correction: Replace picture, then correct caption to "A Brahmin." If the picture indeed depicts a Muslim, replace the illustration with an appropriate picture of a Brahmin. Confirm Ad Hoc action. Publisher should replace the illustration.
Opposed changes According to the State Board of California, some opposed changes were: + Rejected edits and corrections Proposed Edit/Correction(by Hindu groups) Ad hoc committee action Final SBE/CDE recommendationProf Bajpai and Prof. Witzel Reference Original textbook draft: "Men had many more rights than women."Proposed correction: "Men had different duties (dharma) as well as rights than women. Many women were among the sages to whom the Vedas were revealed." Approve edit as written. Defer to the original text. Original textbook draft: "Once their society had merged with the local population, a late hymn of the Rig Veda described the four castes."Proposed correction: Replace with, "A late hymn of the Rig Veda describes the interrelationship and interdependence of the four social classes." Approve edit as written. Defer to the original text. Original textbook draft: A table was titled, "The Caste System"Proposed correction: Replace table header with, "The Varnas". Approve edit as written. Replace "Caste" with "Class". Original textbook draft: "...you'll learn about dharma and the other basic Hindu beliefs: Brahman, multiple gods, karma, and samsara."Proposed correction: Replace with "...Hindu beliefs: Bhagwan, Forms of God, karma and maya." CDE: are Bhagwan and maya explained in the text? If group's edit introduces new terminology without context, this may be confusing for students. Defer to the original text. Original textbook draft: "Around 1500 B.C.E., invaders called Aryans conquered northern India."Proposed correction: Replace with, "Around 1500 B.C.E., invaders called Aryans came to northern India." Publisher is directed to add a clarifying note that the "Aryan invasion theory" has been contradicted by scholarly evidence. Change to, "In the second millennium B.C.E., invaders called Aryans came to northern India."
Claimants
Both the Vedic Foundation (VF) and the American Hindu Education Foundation (HEF) are ideologically aligned with the Hindutva (Hindu nationalism) movement in India, specifically the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The HEF operates under the auspices of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, which professes adherence to the RSS's ideological principles; the VF does not claim affiliation with other groups but cooperates closely with the VHP. Legal services for the textbook case were provided by the Hindu American Foundation. Professor Jeffery Long wrote a letter supporting the Hindu American Foundation position.
Scholarly and community opposition to proposed edits California's Curriculum Commission endorsed most of the changes pushed by Hindu groups, moving the matter along to the state Board of Education, which usually follows its advice. However, a strong objection to such changes arrived from a group of U.S. scholars, led by Michael Witzel, the Wales Professor of Sanskrit at Harvard University. Witzel, along with his colleague Steve Farmer, was informed about the edits proposed by VF and HEF by a person claiming to be a graduate student of Indian origin at a California university. Witzel wrote a letter to the California Board of Education protesting the changes. He suggested that the matter be discussed publicly, and that professional advice be taken by the Board. The letter was supported by the signatures of 47 academics in the field of Asian Studies from various countries.
Dan Golden of The Wall Street Journal described the effort of the two Hindu foundations as similar to those by Jewish, Islamic and Christian foundations. Each group, claims Golden, vie for changes in texts for elementary and secondary schools to cast their faiths in a better light or in sensitive manner before children. In case of Hindu groups, the Wall Street Journal article described part of the motivation and response to be:
In addition to this foundation, other organizations took up the matter. The president of the Dalit Freedom NetworkOn the Side of the Angels: Justice, Human Rights, and Kingdom Mission, Biblica, 2007-06-01, p. 89. Quote: "The Dalit Freedom Network (www.dalitnetwork.org) was formed in 2003 to assist the Dalits in the areas of education, social justice, economic development, and healthcare." at the time was Joseph D'souza. D'souza was also the president of the All India Christian Council. Quote: "DFN partners only with All India Christian Council (AICC) members who are actively involved in the transformation and emancipation of the Dalit-Bahujan people, not with the AICC as a whole." D'souza wrote a letter to the Board of Education on behalf of the Dalit Freedom Network. According to the Friends of South Asia (FOSA), further letters of support came from other organizations, such as the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights, the Dalit Shakti Kendra, and the Dalit Solidarity Forum in the USA. FOSA also writes that further Dalit groups that testified before the SBE in January and February 2006, and are on public record in California, include those with Buddhist backgrounds, such as the Ambedkar Centre for Justice and Peace, Indian Buddhist Association of America, New Republic India, as well as Californian Dalit Sikh temples such as the Guru Ravi Dass Gurdwara.