A school in the US apologises in response to pressure by a Muslim organisation's outrage over a test question.

Students at Schuyler Colfax High School in the US state of New Jersey on a multiple-choice test were asked to select one answer for each statement that fit the description. One statement read „This is a terrorist organisation that commits acts of violence, destroys cultural artefacts and encourages loss of lives in order to achieve its goal of global domination under strict Islamic Sharia law”.

The answers included the Islamic State, the Peruvian Shining Path (the Peruvian Communist Party), al-Qaeda and the Palestine Liberation Organization, with the correct answer being the Islamic State.

The test question prompted the Muslim group Teaching While Muslim (TWM) to formulate the accusation „We have seen anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian sentiments, teachers, and content in our schools over and over again. But we must not allow it to continue.”

The group’s social media post ended with the hashtags „anti-Muslim racism” and „Islamophobia”.

In a further statement, the group claimed that the test “wrongly implies that terrorism is a fundamental part of an ‘Islamic State,’ and has a ‘goal of achieving global rule under strict sharia law.’”

The group also claimed that this was “anti-Muslim hate” and “factually inaccurate,” asserting “This is a continuation of US and Zionist propaganda aimed at fear mongering against Muslims AND Palestinians.”

The school in Wayne, New Jersey caved and issued an apology, the American portal Modernity News points out.

School apologizes for teaching that ISIS is a terrorist group:

Islamist group @muslimteach launched a harassment campaign against Schuyler Colfax Middle School in Wayne, N.J. @WayneSchoolsNJ over a lesson that taught ISIS is a terrorist organization with a strict enforcement of… pic.twitter.com/Ev5brygoZh

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) June 20, 2024

“The question was offensive and contrary to values of respect, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity that we foster at Schuyler,” the statement read, adding “A priority is always to cultivate safe learning environments for all students regardless of background or belief.”

“We apologize for this incident and understand the impact and deep concern,”

the school stated.