Kuwait revises text books to combat militancy

Reuters ^ | 28 Dec 2003 11:36:39 GMT

[miltonim]

KUWAIT, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Kuwait is revising text books used at state schools to remove references that could encourage religious extremism, the Gulf state's education minister said on Sunday.

The decision comes on the heels of an agreement between Gulf states to combat the roots of Islamic militancy in a region that has suffered a spate of attacks believed to be linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Education Minister Rashid al-Hamad told Reuters the aim of the revision was to "promote tolerance and ensure respect for other religions and opinions".

"The objective is not to change the curricula, but to develop them," he said.

Local newspapers quoted Hamad as saying the new books would "take into account what we present of Quranic verses and should not make the young generation adopt extremist mentalities that lead them into taking aggressive initiatives".

Kuwait, a pro-Western Gulf state, hosted last week's Gulf Cooperation Council summit that called on member states to overhaul their education systems as a preliminary step towards regional stability.

Gulf powerhouse Saudi Arabia has started redrafting its text books, which have been accused in the West of promoting hatred against Jews and Christians.

The Muslim kingdom's religion-based education system came under pressure after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. cities, which were carried out mostly by Saudi nationals.

Saudi Arabia is battling a surge in militant attacks against foreign residents and Saudis, which have killed at least 50 people since May.

Kuwait has also witnessed assaults by Islamists with suspected al Qaeda links against U.S. and foreign targets.

Hamad defended the ministry's decision, saying it was not the result of foreign pressure on Kuwait. The country's vocal Islamist parliamentary deputies have criticised the revision as catering to U.S.-interests.

[DannyTN]

"The decision comes on the heels of an agreement between Gulf states to combat the roots of Islamic militancy in a region that has suffered a spate of attacks believed to be linked to Saudi-born Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network. "

It would be great if this was done in all of the gulf states.

On the otherhand, do I want to see a false religion reformed into something less hateful, less obviously wrong?

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[polemikos]

An entire generation has been raised with a warped world view and hatred for "dajooz". Changing textbooks now might (and I stress "might") payoff only after that generation has passed from the scene. More likely the seeds planted in the last few decades will bear fruit for over a century.

[Conservative_Nationalist]

This might be coming late but at least it happening. This is just the start though. They need to start teaching all the good things the United States has down for them and others so maybe they will stop trying to attack the Nation that had down the most for them(More than their own government in many cases).

[polemikos]

They need to start teaching all the good things the United States has down for them

There may be two very large hurdles to overcome before that happens:

1 - There is a very significant presumption in Islam that it represents the only valid structure for society. As such, a "good" from a non-Islamic group is often interpreted as either a weakness of the non-muslims (the non-muslim is 'stoopid' to do it), or a divine right for the muslim (we deserved it anyway).

2 - Tribal societies often demonize an outsider (a "great satan") to minimize internal discords. Without such an external enemy, the society breaks down into internecine fighting.

[TheDon]

A positive step. A baby step, but in the right direction.