The great numerals panic of 2025
In a stunning display of historical ignorance, right-wing influencers and white Christian nationalists recently erupted in outrage at claims that New York City would require primary school students to learn “Arabic numerals.” The viral controversy, sparked by a social media post about newly elected New York official Zohran Mamdani, revealed profound ironies about cultural prejudice […]
In a stunning display of historical ignorance, right-wing influencers and white Christian nationalists recently erupted in outrage at claims that New York City would require primary school students to learn “Arabic numerals.” The viral controversy, sparked by a social media post about newly elected New York official Zohran Mamdani, revealed profound ironies about cultural prejudice and historical knowledge. As American right-wing figures like Laura Loomer and influencer Asmongold mobilised followers against what they perceived as Islamic imposition, they apparently failed to recognise that Arabic numerals refer to the very numerical system—0,1,2,3,4,5—that Western civilisation has used for centuries.
This reaction exemplifies a growing pattern where anti-Muslim sentiment leads to self-defeating rejection of valuable knowledge, mirroring the same destructive dynamics that fueled Boko Haram’s rise in Nigeria. The alarming parallel suggests that segments of the Western world, particularly white Christian nationalists, may be embracing the same anti-intellectualism and cultural self-sabotage that contributed to historical declines in Muslim societies, potentially heralding a concerning role reversal in global intellectual leadership.
The American outrage over Arabic numerals represents more than mere ignorance—it signals a dangerous susceptibility to manipulation by provocateurs who monetise anti-Muslim sentiment. The recent meltdown followed a viral tweet that was read more than 18 million times, with prominent right-wing voices expressing horror at what they perceived as forced Islamic indoctrination in schools. This phenomenon mirrors tactics observed in Dearborn, Michigan, where right-wing influencers have recently staged anti-Islam rallies, attempted to burn Qur’an, and shouted racist abuse at city council members—all while racking up hundreds of thousands of social media views and soliciting campaign donations.
As Dawud Walid of CAIR-Michigan explained, “Anti-Muslim bigotry is the only acceptable form of overt bigotry in America and it can reward people monetarily. People can monetise anti-Muslim bigotry through clicks and donations, so it’s not just something that is an issue of hate—hating Muslims pays financial dividends”. This ecosystem of manufactured outrage creates perverse incentives that increasingly detach political discourse from historical reality and rational deliberation.
Tragically, this rejection of knowledge based on religious and cultural prejudice directly parallels the ideology behind Boko Haram, whose name literally translates as “Western education [is] forbidden”.
Founded in 2002 in northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram emerged as a jihadist militant group opposing Western influence and education, which they viewed as contradictory to Islamic values. The profound irony, of course, is that much Western knowledge—including mathematics, astronomy, and medicine—actually built upon foundational work by classical Muslim scholars during Islam’s Golden Age. The Arabic numeral system itself originated from Indian mathematicians… but was developed and transmitted to Europe by Muslim scholars, revolutionising mathematics and enabling scientific advances that shaped the modern world.
Just as Boko Haram rejected valuable knowledge because of its association with Western culture, American Christian nationalists now reject knowledge because of its association with Islamic culture—both cases representing self-defeating cultural purism that ultimately impoverishes their own societies. To me and those like me, the great numerals panic of “2025” speaks volumes in the language of deja vu.
This pattern reflects the broader rise of Christian nationalism in the United States, a movement that increasingly privileges cultural identity over factual accuracy and historical truth. According to research from the Public Religion Research Institute, approximately 10 per cent of Americans adhere to Christian nationalism while another 19 per cent sympathise with its aspects. This worldview explicitly seeks to blend Christian and American identities, with adherents believing that “the U.S. government should declare America a Christian nation” and that “U.S. laws should be based on Christian values”. The movement has grown increasingly assertive in places like Texas, where lawmakers have recently advocated for displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms and introducing school prayer, with some explicitly stating they have a “duty to bring kids to Christ” through public education. This ideological framework creates fertile ground for rejecting any knowledge perceived as non-Christian, regardless of its utility or truth value. The consequences of this knowledge rejection are potentially devastating for American competitiveness and social cohesion. Boko Haram’s violent opposition to Western education in Nigeria provides a sobering case study of how such dynamics can escalate, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths, widespread displacement, and the destruction of educational infrastructure. The group has specifically targeted schools, burned villages, and abducted students—most famously the 276 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped in 2014—as part of its campaign against Western education.
While American opposition has not turned violent on this scale, the underlying mentality of rejecting valuable knowledge based on cultural animosity shares disturbing similarities. When education becomes viewed through a lens of cultural combat rather than collective human advancement, societies risk entering a downward spiral of intellectual isolation and stagnation.
The great irony, of course, is that this Western backlash against Arabic numerals comes as many Muslim-majority societies are gradually emerging from their own periods of educational stagnation. Meanwhile, the growing influence of Christian nationalism in America threatens to undermine the very rational foundations that enabled Western scientific and technological dominance. This potential role reversal—with Western societies embracing the same anti-intellectualism that historically hindered development in other regions—represents a worrying development in global intellectual history. The Arabic numeral controversy serves as a symbolic warning that civilisational progress is neither inevitable nor permanent, and that societies can indeed “crawl into” intellectual decline through reactionary politics and cultural chauvinism.
What makes this moment particularly perilous is how readily ignorance can be weaponised through modern media ecosystems. The same far-right news outlets that significant numbers of Christian nationalism adherents trust—including One America News Network, Newsmax, and Fox News—likely amplified the Arabic numerals controversy, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of outrage and misinformation.
This dynamic mirrors the “outrage cycle” observed in Dearborn, where right-wing media framed legitimate push-back against provocateurs as religious discrimination, willfully ignoring context about years of evangelical efforts to convert Muslim children. When political and religious identity becomes tied to rejecting factual reality, societies lose the common ground necessary for rational discourse and evidence-based policy.
The path forward requires reaffirming education as a universal human enterprise rather than a cultural battleground. The historical development of knowledge—including the essential contributions of Muslim scholars to Western civilization—should be celebrated rather than erased or denied.
As the Arabic numerals episode demonstrates, failure to acknowledge these interconnected intellectual histories ultimately leaves societies poorer, both culturally and practically. If the Western world, particularly the United States, wishes to maintain its competitive edge and democratic resilience, it must resist the temptation to sacrifice truth at the altar of cultural purity.
The alternative—a downward spiral of anti-intellectualism and cultural self-sabotage—has already been witnessed in other contexts, with devastating consequences for human development and social stability. The choice between embracing our shared intellectual heritage or retreating into cultural fortresses may well determine whether Western societies follow the same path of decline that they have historically criticised in others.