FBI powerpoint taught agents that Islam ‘transforms’ culture to 7th-century

Wired's Spencer Ackerman obtained a copy of an FBI training powerpoint on the Middle East, which taught agents that the "Arabic mind" is "swayed more by words than ideas and more by ideas than facts."

The powerpoint also said that Islam "transforms [a] country's culture into 7th-century Arabian ways."

Muslim civil rights leaders told Ackerman they were concerned that the presentation painted all Muslims with a broad brush.

The FBI told Ackerman the powerpoint was a "rudimentary version" of a presentation that is no longer in use.

"The FBI new agent population at Quantico is exposed to a diverse curriculum in many specific areas, including Islam and Muslim culture," the agency said.

The recommended reading list in the presentation included Robert Spencer's "The Truth About Mohammed: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion." Spencer collaborated with anti-Islam activist Pamela Geller in an anti-Park51 advertising campaign that urged Muslims to leave "the falsity of Islam." The book is no longer on the agency's reading list, according to Ackerman.

You can see the whole presentation here.