The Maryland office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed measures by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to address significant concerns it has raised over the erasure of Palestine in recent statewide social studies curriculum revisions.
The Washington, D.C., based civil rights group is seeking additional steps and clarification, including transparency into the stakeholder recruitment process.
In a letter dated July 21, 2025, CAIR had requested the following action items:
1. Reopening the curriculum development process to also include Arab and Muslim scholars, educators, and advocates.
2. Restoring accurate historical references to Palestine and ensure the “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” is taught in its full, accurate context spanning decades, including the Israeli government’s ongoing genocide and campaign of forced famine in Gaza.
3. Establishing a formal advisory committee inclusive of impacted voices previously excluded—particularly Palestinians, Muslims, and Arabs—for all relevant curriculum revisions.
4. Publicly acknowledging this oversight and committing to prompt structural reforms that prevent similar occurrences in the future.
In MSDE’s response letter dated August 26, 2025, the agency committed to ensuring all students receive a “high-quality, inclusive and developmentally appropriate education.”
CAIR acknowledges and welcomes that MSDE has now undone the controversial revisions, and implemented the following changes in the Social Studies Framework scheduled to take effect during the 2026-27 academic year:
- Reverted from 1940-1994 CE to 1900 CE-Today in its Social Studies Framework to encompass regional developments and support geographic and historical continuity.
- Restored mention of “Palestine” in the revised objective of examining regional conflicts and diplomacy.
- Newly added addressing Islamophobia as a topic in the revised U.S. History Framework alongside antisemitism, racism, anti-Asian hate, and xenophobia, in shaping American public policy and identity.
- Recognized the importance of broad and inclusive representation on its Standards and Frameworks Validation Committee (SFVC) and is working to strengthen stakeholder outreach for future collaborative opportunities.
CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry said in a statement:
“MSDE’s acknowledgment of community concerns, reinsertion of ‘Palestine’ into the curriculum, and adding addressing Islamophobia are important and welcome steps forward. We must ensure that this is part of a comprehensive, accurate, and inclusive curriculum that recognizes the full historical and cultural identity of Palestinians. CAIR has provided additional feedback on expanding the scope of the Framework to address lingering gaps and will continue to monitor progress.
“Educators have a responsibility to teach history truthfully, even if it is uncomfortable. Historical revisionism that omits or mischaracterizes important facts to sanitize and make events more palatable causes generational harm that can take decades to undo. The miseducation of students in American classrooms through biased, one-sided narratives distorts their worldview and impacts their ability to think critically.”
CAIR is also seeking transparency into the stakeholder outreach process, including how MSDE nominates and selects participants for curriculum review and validation.
Over 3,200 letters have been sent to MSDE by community members seeking a reversal of the sweeping, controversial curriculum changes through a campaign led by CAIR and the IMAN Network.
Each year, CAIR’s Maryland office receives complaints from families that school materials misrepresent the region— labeling the entire area as “Israel,” completely erasing Palestine. It stressed that miseducation on the topic has significant adverse consequences especially for Muslim and Christian Palestinian students in school systems, and contributes to broader misunderstandings among all students, including Jewish, Catholic, and Hindu youth who express solidarity with Palestinian human rights.
CAIR has called for the creation of a formal advisory role of experts including Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim voices to ensure these perspectives are accurately reflected in curriculum development. The organization is seeking MSDE’s commitment to adopt only instructional content that accurately reflects historical facts from credible sources.
CAIR Maryland will continue to engage with community stakeholders to ensure accountability and meaningful reform in Maryland’s public education system.
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry, zchaudry@cair.com, 410-971-6062; CAIR Maryland Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Syuardi, ksyuardi@cair.com, 202-850-9293; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com