In its 2026-2027 school resource guide, the Council on American-Islamic Relations devotes 26% of its text to Gaza and Palestinian advocacy while making no mention of Israel, Hamas, the Oct. 7 massacre or the hostages, according to an analysis released by the Combat Antisemitism Movement on Monday.
CAIR describes the guide as a resource for Muslim students, families and educators that addresses bullying and Islamophobia, religious accommodations and classroom discussions about the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the war in Gaza.
The analysis, titled “Rewriting the War: How CAIR’s ‘Back to School Resource Guide 2026–2027’ Distorts History for American Students,” examined the guide’s language and framing of Gaza, Palestinian advocacy, antisemitism and Sept. 11.
According to CAM’s Antisemitism Research Center, which released the report, 845 of the guide’s 3,249 words concern Gaza and Palestinian advocacy. The analysis found that “Palestinian” appears eight times, “advocacy” seven times and “human rights” five times. “Gaza” appears four times, while “genocide” appears twice and “apartheid” once.
By comparison, the terms “Israel,” “Israeli,” “Zionism,” “Zionist,” “Hamas,” “Oct. 7,” “hostages,” “massacre,” “rockets” and “human shields” do not appear in the document, according to the analysis.
The guide suggests approaches for discussing Gaza with children as young as 5-years-old, telling parents and educators to have “safe, honest and age-appropriate” conversations about the subject.
CAM says the guide also tells educators to teach about the Sept. 11 attacks with “accuracy and empathy” but focuses on their aftermath, including the war in Afghanistan, changes to national security and what it calls a rise in anti-Muslim hate, without naming al-Qaeda or referring to the 2,977 people killed in the attacks.
In its single reference to antisemitism, the guide presents the term in the context of rejecting accusations of Jew-hatred against “peaceful advocacy for Palestinian freedom,” the CAM analysis states. CAM adds that the guide does not define antisemitism or provide procedures for protecting Jewish students from harassment and discrimination.
CAM’s analysis says the guide gives students language for discussing Palestinian advocacy and accusations including “genocide,” “apartheid” and “terrorism,” but does not provide “the broader history of the conflict” or mention Hamas and its designation by the United States and European Union as a terrorist organization.
