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Home Front: WoT
Religion monitor: Shut Saudi school
2007-10-18
An independent government agency that monitors worldwide religious freedom will suggest today that the State Department shut down the 23-year-old Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia on the grounds it is fomenting hate and religious extremism.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which advises Congress, the State Department and the president on religious-freedom issues, has issued a 30-page document saying the Saudi Embassy, which operates the 933-student academy, is violating U.S. law. It will explain its findings at 10 a.m. today in Room 538 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Foreign governments can engage in nondiplomatic activity on American soil, the USCIRF points out, but cannot do so via their embassy, according to the 1982 Foreign Missions Act. The State Department can require an embassy to divest itself of property and close down any businesses not embassy-related.

Embassy spokesman Nail al-Jubeir did not return a call seeking comment. His brother, Saudi Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, is chairman of the bilingual English/Arabic academy's board of directors.

At issue are textbooks the USCIRF says contain "highly intolerant and discriminatory language, particularly against Jews, Christians and Shi'a Muslims." Its findings are based on a three-year study of Arabic-language textbooks, some of them from the Saudi Academy, by the Center for Religious Freedom in the District.

The textbooks instructed students to "hate" Jews, Christians, "polytheists" and other "unbelievers," praised violent jihad as a "religious duty" and to believe as fact the anti-Semitic forgeries known as "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion." Saudi officials said in response that the textbooks were being revamped and an official at the academy, who asked not to be named, said school textbooks were revised in 2006.

The USCIRF was rebuffed when it asked the embassy this summer to see copies of the new textbooks, spokeswoman Judith Ingram said. "We've simply gotten nowhere with our requests," she added.

The Saudi Academy is one of 20 international Saudi schools around the world. The Virginia academy's main campus is on Richmond Highway in Alexandria and a west campus for young children is on Popes Head Road in Fairfax. Twenty-eight percent of its students are Saudi citizens.

The USCIRF has long been critical of Saudi Arabia, and in 2004 it named the kingdom a "country of particular concern" in terms of religious-freedom violations. As a result, the Saudi government promised the State Department it would allow greater religious tolerance within its borders. During a visit there this spring, USCIRF officials said they were stonewalled by the Saudis on several issues, including the content of current school textbooks.
Posted by:ed

#20  Saudi aRabida is the enemy of the freedom-loving world, regardless of where it is, or under what kind of government it exists. The only way to stop this enemy is a nice, 10Mt nuke over Riyadh when all the house of saud is in one place. Might need to take out a few other places to ensure you've got all the vermin - Mecca, Medina, Jedda, and Dahran come to mind. There's also some place where one of the "brothers" goes to commune with the sand and his ancestors that might also need a good whack. I don't think there are any other places where there are large gatherings of wahabbi preachers, but if such a place exists, it should be whacked, too. Close the US embassy, expel all Soddy "diplomats" for plotting to overthrow the US government, and take possession of all the uncontaminated sand. Directional drilling will allow full production without jeopardizing anyone. Tell the ruskies we've learned how to drill directionally as far as 5000 miles, and if they don't keep their pieholes closed, we'll tap THEIR fields, too. Also tell them they won't know we've done it until their fields run dry earlier than predicted, or they start belching pure chlorine gas. Give those paranoid bas$$$$s something to be paranoid about.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-10-18 21:23  

#19  Another thing I remember about that school, they were using the same curriculum as used in Saudi -- so the "diplomats'" kids would be on the same learning curve when they returned home.

Posted by: Sherry   2007-10-18 15:00  

#18  You might want to look at the 14th amendment, Icerigger.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2007-10-18 14:50  

#17  For the record LH, the Bill of Rights restricks the Federal Congress from touching religion but allow States Rights on the issue. Virginia could legally and rightly shut down that terrorist nest.
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-10-18 14:47  

#16  I was attempting to change that word Weid to strange
Posted by: Sherry   2007-10-18 12:49  

#15  LH - roger, I'm not familiar w/that particular area. Not sure about the hate speech thing wrt shutting down private schools either. Maybe something to do w/it being foreign funded?
Posted by: Broadhead6   2007-10-18 12:45  

#14  Oppss -- don't press ENTER when editing a word in spell check -- you get posted immediately, leaving no chance to re-read and edit what you have just written!

Pardon all the mistakes in the above post!
Posted by: Sherry   2007-10-18 12:44  

#13  I've been to this school. The visit left a lasting impression. I was truly frightened when we left, my partner and I practically running to get to the car.

This was in about 1997-98. I was doing school consulting work, on teaching teachers how to use the Internet.

We have a "request" card, asking for an appointment with us. We responded and set up the meeting with their IT guy.

I've walked into thousands of schools, all over the USA (missed North and South Dakota) and have always gotten a "feel" of the school, usually within 2-3 minutes of being inside. How you are greeted, what's in the hallways, faces of kids, etc.

This was just the strangest feeling I have ever had, walking into this building. It's built in a V shape, with girls to the right, the boys to the left. My partner was male.

We were led through the boy's side -- no students were present. There was nothing colorful in these halls -- no sign that kids had ever been present -- just posters that I could tell were of a religious bent. At the time, I don't think I even knew a thing about Islam -- probably wasn't even aware it exited.

Whenever working with a school, you first have to know what is the need and that only comes from asking good questions.

This guy didn't want to answer most of my questions. I was so curious about this whole concept they had.

I did learn, that there are lots of Saudi's here in government work. This school was built and funded for the children of these "diplomats." Money was not an object, and that's about all I learned.

The meeting was short. The administration guy and I soon arrived at the same decision, there wasn't much I could do for them. Short meeting. And escorted directly out of the building!

Whenever I hear or read anything about that school, I still get that same Weid feeling I had as we left, practically running to the school. It was a frightening experience.
Posted by: Sherry   2007-10-18 12:42  

#12  there was no ideological point. Just noting a coincidence is all. Perhaps I didnt make the picture clear. This isnt in a built up area, its on a largely un-built up road (Shirley Gate) west of GMU. Its not a jewish school and a christian church among lots of homes and shops and churches. Its basically a ONLY the ISA, the big Church (we're talking megachurch) and the Jewish School out among woods, and maybe one new residential subdivision. The three religious bodies are all out there for the same reason, there are relatively large parcels of land relatively close in.

as to the subtance here, I dont know exactly what their curriculum currently is. Id be delighted as hell if the kiddies there switched to public schools, or to NON saudi funded muslim schools (if there are any around here, which I doubt). AFAIK the commission has no authority to close anything, and I dont think know that theres any law, Federal or Commonwealth (we're in VA) that allows for the shutting of a private school for preaching hate.

If someone suggest such a law, I promise to look at it with an open mind.
Posted by: Liberalhawk   2007-10-18 12:17  

#11  ANA, I think you meant to say intolerant but intolerable works too.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305   2007-10-18 11:44  

#10  Saudi hate strikes again!!!!
Posted by: Paul   2007-10-18 11:44  

#9  Liberalhawk, you may be a hawk, but your comment illustrates exactly the nature of the mental disorder that is associted with today's liberalism.
Hope that you are feeling fine, otherwise.
Posted by: twobyfour   2007-10-18 11:38  

#8  the 23-year-old Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia

I wonder how many other Saudi-funded schools are in the U.S. that are similar to the Saudi Academy? I would be for shutting them all down as long as there is religious intolerance sponsored by the house of Saud and as long as they keep funding terrorism.
Posted by: JohnQC   2007-10-18 11:21  

#7  All I know there are NOT CHURCHES, SINAGOGUES IN SAUDI ARABIA.Our "friendS" the Saudis are one of them most intolerable people on Earth..

Indeed, Ana. Also, it's illegal to organize Christian worship within the Magic Kingdom -- plenty of expatriots have been jailed and tortured for worshipping in their own homes -- or to be Jewish. One of the vice presidents of Mr. Wife's company was stopped at the passport check when he got off the airplane because when they asked his religion, for some reason he decided not to lie. As far as the Saudis are concerned, their prophet expelled the Jews from Arabia, and that ends it.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-10-18 11:05  

#6  JFM: I don't know about Huiltzilopochtli followers. They tend to be extremely Camaxtliphobic.
Posted by: Excalibur   2007-10-18 10:17  

#5  All I know there are NOT CHURCHES, SINAGOGUES IN SAUDI ARABIA.Our "friendS" the Saudis are one of them most intolerable people on Earth...
Posted by: ANA   2007-10-18 10:02  

#4  A few of the graduates: Teaching Hate
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was apprehended for allegedly planning to assassinate President Bush and trying to establish an al Qaeda cell in the United States. He was not the first Islamic Saudi Academy graduate to attempt to carry out a terrorist attack. About three years ago, two Fairfax County men, Mohammad Osman Idris and Mohammad El-Yacoubi, both graduates of the school, were turned away from Israel after authorities found a letter in Arabic inside their bags that FBI officials say was a farewell note in preparation for a suicide mission. Mr. El-Yacoubi was not charged, but Mr. Idris was convicted of lying on a passport application.
Posted by: ed   2007-10-18 10:01  

#3  Could you tell me how many muders have been prepetrated by the products of that eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeevil fundie christian school?

BTW, if someone tried to recreate the cult to
Huiltzilopochtli do you consider it should be allowed?
Posted by: JFM   2007-10-18 09:52  

#2  LH - okay, point being?
Posted by: Broadhead6   2007-10-18 09:50  

#1  theres a jewish school, and big fundie Christian church down the road about a quarter of a mile.


Posted by: Liberalhawk   2007-10-18 09:44  

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