One hundred children's classic literary works of the Western World get an Islamic facelift in Turkey -- before inclusion in the 2006 Elementary School curriculum -- Islamic makeover for 100 children's books Click for Enlargement Thanks to Hürriyet Gazetesi 21 August 2006 Radikal Gazetesi reported yesterday that the State Education Ministry (under direction of the AKP religious-right government) has negotiated the publication of 100 'essential' children's literary works of Western Literature -- which, while being translated into Turkish, are also being Islam-itized. Because of the liberties taken by the publisher in translation, the books don't meet international standards, and won't carry any sort of Seal of Approval. The unaccredited publisher, Damla Yayınevi, was able to avoid the need for such Approval by printing abridgements of the books -- with page counts of less than the 96 pages required for approval. The children's books, which appear on the Ministry's Recommended Reading list for Elementary School students, contain such unlikely story and character representations as: A) A Prayerful Tom Sawyer -- In the Islam-itized abridgement of that namesake classic (which might set Mark Twain a'turning in his grave), Tom devoutly memorizes prayers that he totes around with him -- and receives a gift as reward for his efforts. B) La Fontaine's Religious Fox -- The wily fox that steals fish right off the fisherman's line doesn't forget to offer his victim a pious blessing, "May Allah keep your path free. Haydi bana eyvallah!" before he runs off with the man's catch. C) A Reverent Pinocchio -- In the translation of Carlo Collodi's children's classic, when the wooden-boy becomes real he swoons "Ben eskiden ne kadar komik bir haldeymişim. Şimdi ise Allah'a şükürler olsun ki, gerçek bir cocuğum." I used to be in such a comical condition. But now... let God be praised, I'm a real boy. D) A Moralizing Pollyanna -- The condensed version of Eleanor Porter's children's tale includes the following dialog between the incapacitated Mr. Pendleton and young Pollyanna... Pendleton: "I'm going to stay in bed till Doomsday." (Bildiğim tek şey kiyamete kadar yatacağım.) Pollyanna: "You can't, because according to the Holy Book, Doomsday will strike when you least expect it. Whether Doomsday can actually strike that swiftly is doubtful, but it surely will occur." Robin Hood, Gulliver's Travels, Heidi, Oliver Twist, Treasure Island, and Andersen's Fairy Tales are among the other famous children's books of Western Literature that have also been given an Islamic slant in preparation for the new school year.

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