Foreign
Saudi Schoolbooks Hate-Filled
Despite an agreement to
change offensive language,
the texts still say that
Christians are “swine”
and Jews are “apes.”
By Jane Blakemore
A
NEW REPORT CO-PRODUCED BY THE
Hudson Institute’s Center for
Religious Freedom (CRF) and the
Institute for Gulf Affairs reveals that
the Saudis have largely reneged on a
2006 agreement to remove hateful
passages from Saudi schoolbooks.
Titled “Saudi Arabia’s Curriculum
of Intolerance,” the study reports that
few changes have been implemented
A BETTER APPROACH Fortunately, students at the Islamic Academy of New
despite promises the Saudis made to
England, above, are taught to “tolerate differences” and “respect others.”
the U.S. State Department.
Nina Shea, director of the CRF multiple-choice question in a fourth- loves the believers, and hates the
and author of the 90-page report, grade textbook, for example, asks unbelievers.
tells Newsmax: “It is shocking that students the following: The correct answer, according to
a nation state and member of the Is belief true in the following the textbook, is “C.” There are many
United Nations and an ally of the U.S. instances?: other examples of hate speech from
is teaching the same kind of thing A) A man prays but hates those the Saudi textbooks:
that Osama bin Laden is disseminat- who are virtuous. Children are taught that on
ing. This is the ideological foundation B) A man professes that there is Judgment Day “the rocks or the
for building tomorrow’s terrorists.” no deity other than God, but loves the trees” will call upon Muslims to kill
The textbooks are used in regular, unbelievers. Jews.
mainstream Saudi classrooms. One C) A man worships God alone, When it comes to homosexu-
TODAY’S LESSON PLAN: WHO TO HATE
SAUDI ARABIAN TEXTBOOKS, “The Jews and Christians are enemies of the believers, and they
llike many around the world, aski cannot approve of Muslims.”
sstudents to complete workbook “The punishment for homosexuality is death.”
exercises. The difference is “In Islamic law, however, [jihad] has two uses: One usage is specifi c.
that Saudi textbooks include It means to exert effort to wage war against the unbelievers and
exercises such as this one: tyrants.”
“Lesson goals: The student “The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are
OMPOSITE/ISTOCKPHOTO
notes some of thnotes some of the Jews’ condemnable qualities.” Christians, the infi dels of the communions of Jesus.”
SlSmall wonder that the U.S. State Department entered intol dththUSSt “You can hardly fi nd an example of sedition in which the Jews have
negotiations with the Saudis to have hateful passages removed. The not played a role.”
Saudis promised to do just that in 2006, but the following passages “In these verses is a call for jihad, which is the pinnacle of
remain in Saudi textbooks, according to the Hudson Institute’s Center Islam . . . Only through force and victory over the enemies is there
AP IMAGES / BOOK C
for Religious Freedom: security and repose.”
CHILDREN/
36 NEWSMAX / DECEMBER 2008
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