(Washington Post) Nina Shea - A 2004 Saudi royal study group recognized the need for reform after finding that the kingdom's religious studies curriculum "encourages violence toward others, and misguides the pupils into believing that in order to safeguard their own religion, they must violently repress and even physically eliminate the 'other.'" Since then, the Saudi government has claimed repeatedly that it has revised its educational texts. The problem is: These claims are not true. A review of a sample of official Saudi textbooks for Islamic studies used during the current academic year reveals that an ideology of hatred toward Christians and Jews and Muslims who do not follow Wahhabi doctrine remains. First Grade text: "Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words (Islam): Every religion other than ____ is false." The writer is director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Freedom House.
2006-04-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive