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| Arabia |
| Saudi textbooks 'demonise west' |
| 2004-07-14 |
| Saudi schoolchildren are being taught to disparage Christianity and Judaism in a textbook issued by the education ministry, a report said yesterday. The book forms part of the kingdom's revised curriculum - supposedly cleaned up after complaints that demonising the west had become endemic in Saudi schools. A lesson for six-year-olds reads: "All religions other than Islam are false." A note for teachers says they should "ensure to explain" this point. The Saudi Institute, a Washington-based pro-reform group, said yesterday the book, Monotheism and Fiqh, contradicted the Koran. "The Saudi contention that Judaism and Christianity are false religions is clearly refuted by the Koran," it says in a report, quoting a verse. The kingdom reviewed its textbooks after revelations that 15 of the September 11 hijackers had been Saudi-educated. One textbook had urged teenagers not to befriend Christians or Jews: "Emulation of the infidels leads to loving them, glorifying them and raising their status in the eyes of the Muslim, and that is forbidden." Damn cult! Last year the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, said there was "no room in our schools for hatred, intolerance or for anti-western thinking". Officials announced two pilot programmes to develop new teaching methods. Rubbish! But the Saudi Institute said yesterday there was no evidence the pilot programmes had taken place. The new curriculum, it said, had "the same authors and the same ideas" as the old one, but in different language. The sooner the so-called House of Sa'ud falls, the better for mankind! |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #7 The new curriculum, it said, had "the same authors and the same ideas" as the old one, but in different language. Ah, yes. An old trick, but a good one. They must have the same publisher that the "holy men" use for their "sermons". |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-07-14 9:42:15 PM |
| #6 thank you, Johnny One Note |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-07-14 9:18:09 PM |
| #5 Come on, Mike, say it: the Sauds own President Bush, which explains why he has NEVER done anything contrary to Saud wishes. I was attacking the Bush-Saud family business here, long before Michael Moore jumped in. Bush-slavery jeopardizes Americans and those who deny it, rhetorically spit on the graves of the war dead. |
| Posted by: Dog Bites Trolls 2004-07-14 9:14:04 PM |
| #4 If the house of Saud falls, who else but Al Qaeda will take control? They, and the Wahabis are already the center of power. So, we have AQ owning the Saudi oilfields. How long will the U.S. tolerate this? |
| Posted by: Grunter 2004-07-14 8:50:57 PM |
| #3 However worse the follow-ups are they will not be so western savy as the Sauds and thus less treacherous. The problem, of course, is the oil. Hopefully we'll have all the oil in Russia, Venezuela and Iraq running at full flow before the Saudi's fall. |
| Posted by: Yank 2004-07-14 8:29:06 PM |
| #2 I am sure that the Bush Administration has been grappling with the issue that Kathy K brings up. If we can get Iraq going forward, even if not on all cylinders toward something other then dictatorship or Mullocracy, then we have a wedge for change for the good. News will spread around and the idea may bear good fruit. It will take time and patience, which we collectively have a limited amount shown, but who knows? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-07-14 8:28:58 PM |
| #1 I agree with your opinion of the Sa'ud tribe but if they fall now the most likely successors will be even worse. |
| Posted by: Kathy K 2004-07-14 7:49:09 PM |