The Ins and Outs of Islamic History Month

Back in '07, Bryan on Hot Air quoted David Frum re Islamic History Month:

The joyless, obscurantist, intolerant, authoritarian and often violent Islam in the ascendant today is not Islam’s only form. Islam has been other, better, things in the past. Wider understanding of Islam’s progressive past may help to create a more progressive future. When you reach a dead end, the best thing to do is retrace your steps, and return to the point at which you made your wrong turn.

If that’s what is meant by the study of Islamic history, yes, let’s have a month of it.

Bryan concurred, but was dubious that that was the way Islamic History Month would actually pan out. Presciently, he foresaw that, pace Frum, it would end up becoming little more than an annual month-long opportunity to buff up Islam's tarnished C.V. by accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative:

In: Tales of Mohammed’s magnanimity.

Out: Tales of Mohammed’s warlording ways.

In: Fallacious tales equating Christianity and Islam.

Out: Any real discussion of the actual differences between the two founders and the faiths they promoted.

In: Discussions of various suras stipulating that there is no compulsion in Islam.

Out: The Ten Commandments.

In: “Jihad is an inner struggle.”

Out: Tell that to these guys.

In: The Crusades as Christian imperialism.

Out: The Crusades as Islamic imperialism, which is actually what the Crusades were.

In: The conquest of Andalusia.

Out: The Reconquista of Spain.

Etc etc. I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own.

That’s how Islamic history month would go — it would become a month-long celebration without any discussion allowed of the, um, downsides. So I’m going to go out on a limb here and step out against Islamic history month.

In: Islam and the Environment.

Out: Islam's claims on the global, er, environment--all of it.
 
I'm against Islamic history month, too. It's nothing more than an annual opportunity to wallow in Da'wa, paid for by you and me, the Canucki taxpayer. If we can't get rid of the thing, can we at least hand over control to the Muslim Canadian Congress, an organization that stands against sharia and isn't out to gull the kafir via cunning "outreach" flimflamery?