Lefties

Education News reports on a ban by Harcourt/Steck-Vaughn on showing left-hands in text books. Diane Ravitch believes that this is probably related to dislike of lefthandedness by Muslims.

Let me give you some examples that I shared with Diane when she asked about whether the Harcourt/Steck-Vaughn "don't-depict-lefties" directive could, indeed, aim at appeasing the Muslim community.

/1/ Whenever left-hander H. Norman Schwartzkopf attends diplomatic banquets in Muslim nations, he has to make himself a rule to SIT on his own left hand so that he doesn't forget and start using it, which would seriously "gross out" his hosts.

/2/ Saudi Arabia has an actual LAW against using one's left hand in public.

I'd say "Unbelievable", but unfortunately it is not any longer.