Despite a report by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
that the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Va., has continued to use
textbooks that teach hatred of everyone not of their specific brand of
faith, the U.S. State Department has yet to act to close down the school.
Officials of the academy, which has about 1,000 students in pre-kindergarten
through grade 12, promised to excise passages in the textbooks that
disparage Jews and Christians, but according to an examination by The
Washington Post for the 2006-2007 school year, though "much of the
controversial material had been removed, at least one book still contained
passages that extolled jihad and martyrdom, called for victory over one's
enemies and said the killing of adulterers and apostates was 'justified.'"
Once again, Islamic Saudi Academy officials have promised to clean up the
text.
There are at least two questions that should be asked. One: are they telling
us the truth this time? Probably not. Two: why do we allow such schools in
our country when nothing close to a Christian, Jewish or even secular school
would be permitted in Saudi Arabia, whose government specifically treats as
contraband any religious text other than the Koran and prohibits even
private worship of any God but Allah?
Unfortunately, such schools and hate material are not limited to the United
States. According to Andrew Cochran, writing on the blog counterrorism.org,
"it appears to be more of a systemic effort by numerous Muslim educators
worldwide to brainwash their children. Textbooks used in Iran refer to the
United States as the 'Great Satan' and to Israel as 'the regime that
occupies Jerusalem,' according to a study released in February by the Center
for Monitoring the Impact of Peace." In a separate statement, the co-authors
write, "The books reveal an uncompromisingly hostile attitude towards the
West, especially the United States and Israel. In fact, the curriculum's
declared goal is to prepare the students for a global struggle against the
West which bears alarming Messianic-like features to the point of
self-destruction."