Posted on 05/21/2006 7:56:26 AM PDT by floridaobserver
S audi Arabia's public schools have long been cited for demonizing the West as well as Christians, Jews and other "unbelievers." But after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis -- that was all supposed to change.
A 2004 Saudi royal study group recognized the need for reform after finding that the kingdom's religious studies curriculum "encourages violence toward others, and misguides the pupils into believing that in order to safeguard their own religion, they must violently repress and even physically eliminate the 'other.' " Since then, the Saudi government has claimed repeatedly that it has revised its educational texts.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to the United States, has worked aggressively to spread this message. "The kingdom has reviewed all of its education practices and materials, and has removed any element that is inconsistent with the needs of a modern education," he said on a recent speaking tour to several U.S. cities. "Not only have we eliminated what might be perceived as intolerance from old textbooks that were in our system, we have implemented a comprehensive internal revision and modernization plan." The Saudi government even took out a full-page ad in the New Republic last December to tout its success at "having modernized our school curricula to better prepare our children for the challenges of tomorrow." A year ago, an embassy spokesman declared: "We have reviewed our educational curriculums. We have removed materials that are inciteful or intolerant towards people of other faiths." The embassy is also distributing a 74-page review on curriculum reform to show that the textbooks have been moderated.
The problem is: These claims are not true
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Happy to oblige, Skippy. ;-)
Cute.
You are kidding right? You are defending someone whose first post on this thread was a picture of Bush and a Sheik with a caption about "Getting to second base", and you are slamming someone else for being "immature". I think it is pretty clear based on his first post that Sabramerican wasn't looking for intellectual discourse on Islam.
And now I just read his second post which was a response to Allegra's first post on this thread. It is VERY CLEAR who was out of line here.
What I don't care for is the snotty attitude that was exhibited here. There are many "experts" on the Middle East and obviously, there is much disagreement among them.
These people don't get that. I've heard so many of the rational people on here express frustration at these bitter, unhappy people who only come on here to make trouble. They deliberately take things out of context so that they can be as nasty as they like. I suppose they like to "be themselves" behind the anonymity of their keyboards. Perhaps it relieves some of their frustrations about whatever it is that is making them feel inadequate.
I don't understand people like that and I'm very, very glad that I don't. I actually feel kind of sorry for them. I know I shouldn't, but I do.
Why can't people discuss this issue without making nasaty personal attacks?
The truth is there is a problem with the Saudi and Islamic educational system and the powers of the Imams. This is especially apparent in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Palestine. It is called brain washing.
I really think you should read Allegra's first post. It was not offensive or snotty in any way. If you think differently, I'd be interested to know what you found offensive. And then Sabramerican posted to Allegra. His opening comment was "That's cute". I don't think he meant that literally. It was a jab and intended to provoke a reaction. Which he got. Now who has the snotty attitude? The person who tries to provoke a reaction, or the person who reacts.
What does this mean? "Saudi Arabians are just weird".
Since you lived in the Middle East, I would be interested in knowing what your experience was with the Saudis.
Saudis are largely despised in a lot of the more moderate Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon, UAE, Jordan and Iraq. I got the impression the Kuwaitis aren't real crazy about them either when I was in Kuwait briefly a couple of times as well.
Saudi is a strict, fundamentalist country with werid rules such as not allowing women to drive or vote. Alcohol is forbidden. The only other country in the region that is as backward socially as KSA is Iran.
The U.S. government and the Saudi kingdom pretend that they are friends, but they are not. I don't know why they bother to put up the pretense. Anyone with any sense knows the Saudis would stab us in the back at the first opportunity.
The press is probably on his side. Most of the media seems to side with the bad guys these days.
We are at war. Americans are dying. Americans are threatened.
We are not at war against Terrorism, no mater the politically correct term. Terrorism doesn't pick up a weapon.
We are at war against People with a certain ideology. The ideology is that they hate us and want to kill us.
From where does the ideology come?
THEY ARE THOUGHT.
As this article proves that are foremost thought by "Our friends the Saudis".
You paying attention, you Apes (Jews) and Swine (Christians)? That's the lesson, among others not as nice- you are Apes and Swine- in the eight grade curriculum in an authoritarian country run with absolute power.
And our President holds hands with the leader of that country. Twice. And that leader tells Barbara Walters that the hand holding is a sign of mutual respect.
Our President respects this bum and his hate? Who doesn't have a problem with the hand holding and the respect shown?
If you Apes and Swine are not bothered by that picture, this Ape is.
On a serious thread about the real enemy and what they teach, pops up an apologist for Islam- and how friendly and playful her Islamic friends are- to dilute the nature of this vital information.
I believe in calling such an attempt "cute", I went above and beyond being civil. And then I asked a simple question, never answered by the way, of whether these nice Moslems ever condemn the hatred that is being thought.
That should be:
THEY ARE TAUGHT.
Although now it has permeated their thoughts. And their actions.
Because 99 percent of the press aren't able to read Arabic. These people are famous for saying one thing in English, the opposite in Arabic.
Yassar Arafat was the master of this kind of double talk. It completely deceived George Walker Bush and Bill Clinton.
The world isn't as black and white as you might think. There is quite a bit of gray out there. I haven't seen any apologists on this thread, maybe people who have real-world experience with the Islamic world.
When Eight graders are being taught that Jews and Christians are Apes and Swine, and when that and similar teaching results in 15 of 19, at least, who got that type of lesson killing 3000 Americans and worldwide terrorism, that is black and white, right and wrong, in my World.
Now you may be right that the rest of the World, and our President, sees certain nuances and shades of gray there.
So much the pity.
And so much the fantasy of a war against "terror".
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
1 John 2:8-11
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