China `Welcomes' Apology Made by Japanese PM Koizumi on War

It was a long time coming but it's nice to see it happen. Better late than never I say. Now if they can only get the whole text book issue resolved.
 
It's about time, but china's government has no right to complain about japanese textbooks when their own just ignore chinese atrocities, japanese ones at least mention them in passing. The chinese people have a right, but not the government.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']It's about time, but china's government has no right to complain about japanese textbooks when their own just ignore chinese atrocities, japanese ones at least mention them in passing. The chinese people have a right, but not the government.[/QUOTE]

Really, where are the Chinese textbooks describing the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Cultural Revolution, the continuing occupation of Tibet and attempted suppression of Tibetans and their religion, or the crackdown on the Falun Gong movement, among other things? The Chinese government doesn't have a leg to stand on, obviously. It is disturbing about the Japanese textbooks, though, just like Palestinian textbooks that incite hatred of Israel.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']Really, where are the Chinese textbooks describing the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Cultural Revolution, the continuing occupation of Tibet and attempted suppression of Tibetans and their religion, or the crackdown on the Falun Gong movement, among other things? The Chinese government doesn't have a leg to stand on, obviously. It is disturbing about the Japanese textbooks, though, just like Palestinian textbooks that incite hatred of Israel.[/QUOTE]

I had never really heard of the falun gong movement until recently, they're all over toronto and my campus passing out fliers.

Though you really can't put all the blame on the palestinians. The palestinian texts attacks zionism, and emphasize the occupation and atrocities committed. Israeli texts emphasize atrocities committed against them, zionism, greater israel, and often use negative stereotypes of arabs as warmonger, liars etc.

Also, the palestinian texts have only been around a few years, previously they used jordanian textbooks.


Outside approval

In November 2001, the eminent Scholar Nathan Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the George Washington University, issued a detailed report on Palestinian textbooks.

He concluded, “Harsh external critics of the Palestinian curriculum and textbooks have had to rely on misleading and tendentious reports to support their claim of incitement.”

The European Union, which finances the printing of some Palestinian textbooks, has also claimed that Palestinian textbooks are not as bad as the Israelis say.

In a statement issued on 15 May 2002, the EU said, “The New Palestinian textbooks, although not perfect, are free of inciteful content and improve the previous textbooks, constituting a valuable contribution to the education of young Palestinians.”

“Therefore, all allegations against the new textbooks funded by EU members have proven unfounded,” the statement concluded.

Israeli education

While Palestinian textbooks are meticulously examined for every shred of incitement, anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, very few have paid the same attention to the Israeli books which often contain racist messages and hatred towards Palestinians and Arabs.

A few years ago, Professor Daniel Tal of Tel Aviv University, studied 124 elementary, middle-and high school textbooks on grammar and Hebrew literature, history, geography and citizenship.

He concluded that Israeli textbooks routinely portray Arabs as “hostile, deviant, cruel, immoral, unfair, having the intention to hurt Jews and to annihilate Israel”.

Dehumanised

Ari Cohen, an Israeli writer, has researched 1700 Israeli children’s books published after 1967. He found that 520 of the books contained “humiliating, negative descriptions of Palestinians”.

According to his study, 60% of the 520 books researched refer to Arabs as violent; 52% as evil; 37% as liars; and 31% as greedy; 28% as two-faced; and 27% as traitors.

Cohen said that the authors of Israeli children’s books effectively instilled hatred towards Arabs by stripping them of their humanity.

In a sampling of 86 Israeli textbooks, Cohen counted the following descriptions used to dehumanise Arabs: murderer was used 21 times, snake six times; dirty nine times; vicious animal 17 times; bloodthirsty 21 times; warmonger 17 times; killer 13 times; believer of myths nine times; and a camel’s hump twice.

Moreover, Israeli public schools’ textbooks look benign beside those used in thousands of Talmudic religious schools throughout Israel.

These books do not ascribe full humanity to non-Jews and teach that the life of a “goy” (a derogatory term for a non-Jew) has no sanctity


http://www.pcdc.edu.ps/aljazeera_textbooks_underfire.htm

Whatever you think of aljazeera, this excerpt is based on quotes by others and studies done by others, and is not an editorial.
 
[quote name='elprincipe']Really, where are the Chinese textbooks describing the Tiananmen Square massacre, the Cultural Revolution, the continuing occupation of Tibet and attempted suppression of Tibetans and their religion, or the crackdown on the Falun Gong movement, among other things? The Chinese government doesn't have a leg to stand on, obviously. It is disturbing about the Japanese textbooks, though, just like Palestinian textbooks that incite hatred of Israel.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. While what the Japanese did was atrocious, I'm surprised the Chinese government/people can be so angry about Japanese apology/textbook issues while ignoring their own wrongdoings to both other nations and their own people. It's so hypocritical. I hear Chinese folks around here rambling about how they will boycott Japanese products, though I seriously doubt they will be tossing out their Sony TVs and Toyota/Honda vehicles anytime soon.
 
[quote name='GuilewasNK']Let's not forget French history books either...[/QUOTE]

What, they only focus on French successes? So they only go into two periods of history, Joan of Arc and Napoleon? :lol:
 
[quote name='elprincipe']What, they only focus on French successes? So they only go into two periods of history, Joan of Arc and Napoleon? :lol:[/QUOTE]
Even then, Joan of Arc was executed and Napoleon was defeated and exiled. So semi success ;)
 
[quote name='dcfox']Even then, Joan of Arc was executed and Napoleon was defeated and exiled. So semi success ;)[/QUOTE]

I suppose they might try to count WWI and WWII as well, even if I would describe that was an ignorant point of view.
 
China has committed so many atrocities, from the great wall of China (built with live workers bodies' supporting many parts of it during construction) to the Tiananmen Square massacre, and none of them are in textbooks.
 
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