Report: Textbooks in Turkish Public Schools Justify 9/11

A modern-history textbook used for high school seniors in Turkish public schools contains anti-American and anti-European Union references that seemingly mirror rhetoric from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a report by Nordic Monitor, a Sweden-based website covering extremism and radical movements. Notably, the material appears to justify the 9/11 attacks in the United States, carried out in New York City and Washington in 2001 by al-Qaida. It also labels the EU a “Christian club” and criticizes NATO. In addition, it features a photo of EU leaders and the pope in March 2017 as they gathered in Rome to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, with a caption from British-Polish historian Norman Davies: “I am talking about the common tradition of Christianity, which has made Europe what it is.” In April 2017, Erdogan said the picture was evidence that the West was “hostile to Islam” and the EU a “Christian bloc.” Critics of the textbook say students are being forced to absorb Erdogan’s rhetoric.