Saudi-Arabian textbook controversy

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Since the September 11 attacks, content in Saudi Arabian textbooks have been the subject of controversy . In the aftermath of the attacks, the United States pressured Saudi Arabia to reform its educational curriculum by eliminating educational material that demonizes Christians and Jews or that urges holy war on "the unbelievers." Senior Saudi officials have assured the United States that the reform has been completed, but a new report by the human-rights group Freedom House suggests otherwise.^{[1] [2]} Saudi officials have been trying to convince Washington that the educational curriculum has been reformed. On a recent speaking tour of American cities, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki bin Faisal, assured audiences that the Kingdom has "eliminated what might be perceived as intolerance" from its old textbooks.

Contents 1 Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) 2 Saudi community's Opinion 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP)

CMIP's 2003 publication entitled The West, Christians and Jews in Saudi Arabian Schoolbooks detailed hateful content and the glorification of violent Jihad against infidels.

[edit] Saudi community's Opinion

People in Saudi Arabia believe that changes should be from the inside not by external forces such as the United States. They also believe that the society has the rights to choose what should be taught to their children at schools. People admit that there might be some problems needed to be fixed but not in external forces ways. For example accepting Israel as a country is not tolerable at all in the country and thus the people believe that it should be named as "Occupied Palestine". Moreover, changing the people believe to be tailored according to the United States plans for the region, is not tolerable at all.

[edit] See also

• Palestinian textbooks
• Israeli textbooks

[edit] References

1. ^ This is a Saudi textbook. (After the intolerance was removed.) Washington Post, Sunday, May 21, 2006; Page B01
2. ^ Saudi Textbooks Still Teach Hate, Group Says National Public Radio

[edit] External links

• Excerpts from Saudi Ministry of Education Textbooks for Islamic Studies: Arabic with English Translation, Center for Religious Freedom of Freedom House with the Institute for Gulf Affairs
• Saudi Arabia's Curriculum Of Intolerance: With Excerpts from Saudi Ministry of Education Textbooks for Islamic Studies, Institute for Gulf Affairs
• Does Saudi Preach Intolerance? An Independent Study
• Saudi mother on what her kids learned at school