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In view of the recent attention given to the Saudi education system and its role in the radicalization of Saudi youth and Muslim students in Saudi-supported schools throughout the world, MEMRI is releasing this preliminary overview from a full study of Saudi school books that is underway and will be published in 2003.

For the past two decades, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been engaged in an extensive effort "to spread Islam to every corner of the earth."(1) This has meant supporting or creating schools with a curriculum primarily based upon the teachings of Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab, the 18th century founder of the Islamist Wahhabiyya movement.(2)

This report offers a preliminary overview of the Saudi education system focusing on its main principles, aspects of its organizational structure, translations from its textbooks and statements made by high ranking Saudi officials on the Saudi education policy.

The Philosophy of Education

▪ According to a book published in 1995 by the Saudi Cultural Mission to the U.S. on education in the Kingdom, titled "Education in Saudi Arabia,"(3) the roots of the contemporary Saudi education policy date back to the 18th century when Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab called for the return of Muslims to the fundamentals of Islam as preached by the Prophet Muhammad.

The cornerstone of education in Saudi Arabia consists of the most pervasive themes in Islam. The book published by the Saudi Cultural Mission to the U.S., quotes a document published by the Higher Committee for Educational Policy(4) which contains 236 principles that explain how students should promote loyalty to Islam by denouncing any system or theory that conflicts with Islamic law. The students are also taught to understand Islam in a correct manner, how to plant and spread Islam throughout the world, and how "to fight spiritually and physically for the sake of Allah,"(5) with emphasis on early Islamic glories.(6)

▪ Spreading Islam throughout the world is a fundamental pillar of the Saudi education system, as indicated in the document by the Higher Committee for Educational Policy: "The purpose of education is to understand Islam in a proper and complete manner, to implement and spread the Muslim faith, to provide students with Islamic values, and teachings."(7) It further discusses the importance of "providing the individual with the necessary ideas, consciousness and abilities to preach the message of Islam."(8)

▪ Educating students in "the spirit of Islamic struggle" is another common theme in the Saudi education system, as the following principles indicate: "Striving and fighting for the sake of Allah is a prescribed duty, a followed tradition and an existing necessity. This spirit of striving will remain in force until the Day of Judgment."(9) This is done by "teaching history in a systematic way, deriving crucial lessons from it and explaining the Islamic points of view," highlighting the glorious stances in the history of Islam and the civilization of its people, "so as to be an example to be followed by our present Muslim generation."(10) "Awakening the spirit of Islamic struggle to resist our enemies, restore our rights and glories, and perform our duties towards the Islamic message"(11) is a general theme students are expected to learn.(12)

Organizational Aspects

▪ The Saudi government maintains control of every aspect of educational material:(13) "The government shall be concerned with the control of all books coming into the Kingdom from abroad or going out of the Kingdom to the outside world. No books shall be allowed for use unless they are consistent with Islam, the intellectual trends and educational aims of the Kingdom..."(14) The government policy also states: "All books should fulfill the aims of education and be devoid of anything conflicting with Islam."(15)

▪ According to the study by the Saudi Cultural Mission to the U.S., "committees at the Ministry of Education oversee the development of textbooks(16) in every subject for all educational levels... Textbooks are updated periodically to reflect developments in different subjects. The textbooks used in Islamic studies, for example, which primarily cover the traditional religious texts and their interpretation, change very little over the years. Textbook materials in fields such as mathematics, science, and social studies, however are reevaluated regularly."(17)

Translations from Saudi Schoolbooks(18)

▪ Jihad: From an early age, schoolchildren are taught about Jihad for the Sake of Allah (Al-Jihad fi sabil Allah). In a textbook for 8th grade students, a Hadith is introduced about a companion of the Prophet Muhammad who asked the Prophet: "What labor is most favored by Allah? He [the Prophet] answered: Prayers on time; he then asked: what next? The Prophet answered: love thy parents. He then asked: what else: The Prophet answered: Jihad for the sake of Allah." The textbook interprets the conversation between the Prophet and his companion as follows: the most important activity is Jihad for the sake of Allah and the convocation of Allah's religion on this earth.(19)

In a textbook titled "Pictures from the Lives of the Companions," the students are told that following the battle of Badr (the first victory of Muslims over the disbelievers) a new chapter in the Koran had descended on the Prophet which raised, in the eyes of Allah, the status of the mujahid (Jihad warrior) and his preference over those who sit still. The chapter challenges the mujahid to Jihad, and discourages those who sit still.(20)

▪ Jews and Christians - Cursed by Allah and Turned into Apes and Pigs: A textbook for 8th grade students explains why Jews and Christians were cursed by Allah and turned into apes and pigs. Quoting Surat Al-Maida, Verse 60, the lesson explains that Jews and Christians have sinned by accepting polytheism and therefore incurred Allah's wrath. To punish them, Allah has turned them into apes and pigs.(21)

▪ A schoolbook for the 9th grade on Hadith introduces a famous narration known by the name, "The Promise of the Stone and the Tree." It tells a story about Abu Hurayra, one of the Prophet's companions who quoted the Prophet as saying: "The hour [the Day of Judgment] will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them. A Jew will [then] hide behind a rock or a tree, and the rock or tree will call upon the Muslim: 'O Muslim, O slave of Allah! there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!' - except for the gharqad tree, for it is one of the trees of the Jews."(22)

The Hadith is accompanied by a number of statements: 1. "It is Allah's wisdom that the struggle between Muslims and Jews shall continue until the Day of Judgment." 2. "The Hadith brings forth the glad tidings about the ultimate victory, with Allah's help, of Muslims over Jews." 3. "The Jews and the Christians are the enemies of the believers. They will not be favorably disposed toward Muslims and it is necessary to be cautious [in dealing with them]."

The book asks questions for class discussion:

1. "Who will be victorious in the Day of Judgment?"
2. "With what types of weapons should Muslims arm themselves against the Jews?"
3. "Name four factors leading to the victory of Muslims over their enemies."(23)

Exporting the Saudi Education System

Spreading Islam throughout the world is emphasized on numerous occasions in the official Saudi document authored by the Higher Committee for Educational Policy. For example, students are taught: "to plant and spread the Islamic creed,"(24) and that "preaching of Islam throughout the world. is the duty of the state and its citizens."(25) The Saudi curriculum also educates students on the importance of "propagating Islam in all areas of our globe, with wisdom and sound preaching."(26)

On March 1, 2002, 'Ayn-Al-Yaqeen, a weekly news magazine published online by the Saudi royal family, detailed the efforts of the Saudi royal family to spread Islam throughout the world.(27) The article states, "The cost of King Fahd's efforts in this field has been astronomical, amounting to many billions of Saudi riyals. In terms of Islamic institutions, the result is some 210 Islamic centers wholly or partly financed by Saudi Arabia, more than 1,500 mosques and 202 colleges and almost 2,000 schools for educating Muslim children in non-Islamic countries in Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Asia."

According to 'Ayn-Al-Yaqeen, the list of countries where the Saudis have established schools includes (among others): the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand, Spain, Austria, Scotland, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Burundi, Fiji, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, Algeria, Nigeria, Chad, Kenya, Cameroon, Senegal, Uganda, Mali, Somalia, Sudan, Brazil, Eritrea, and Djibouti.(28)

Saudi Officials on their Education System

Of late, many members of the Saudi royal family, as well as government spokesmen, have made statements regarding the Saudi education system. Saudi government preachers also speak often about education. Sheikh Majed 'Abd Al-Rahman Al-Firian recently stated in the Suleiman Bin Muqiran mosque in Riyadh: "Muslims must... educate their children to Jihad. This is the greatest benefit of the situation: educating the children to Jihad and to hatred of the Jews, the Christians, and the infidels; educating the children to Jihad and to revival of the embers of Jihad in their souls. This is what is needed now..."(29)

In reaction to U.S. criticism(30) of Saudi education policy, high level Saudi officials have issued statements in defense of their education system, insisting it does not teach hatred and Jihad. In fact, this has been part of the message of the multi-million dollar Saudi PR campaign in the U.S. to explain to Americans that Saudi Arabia is against terrorism. In an interview with the Associated Press(31) on October 21, 2002, 'Adel al-Jubeir, foreign policy advisor to Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Adbullah, urged Americans not to fault the Saudi education system for producing 15 of the September 11 hijackers by saying, "the Unabomber went to Harvard" and "can you tell me that Timothy McVeigh represents America?"

Another official government reaction came on the first anniversary of September 11. Saudi Minister of the Interior, Prince Naif Ibn Abd Al-Aziz(32) gave an interview to the Saudi-owned London daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. He spoke about his views of those who call for changing the Saudi school curricula, especially on subjects relating to Jihad. The prince said: "We do believe in the soundness of our educational curriculum, but we never oppose development of educational methods in a manner that does not run counter to the country's deep-rooted principles." The prince added: "We strongly believe in the correctness of our education system and its objectives. We don't change our systems on the demands of others... "(33)

On October 26, 2002, Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan Ibn Abd Al-'Aziz(34) also discussed his country's education system: "We will never change our education policy, and there is no demand that we change it. Our country has a policy... and above all religious curricula that must never be harmed. Any demand by another country in the world that Saudi Arabia change its curricula is unacceptable interference in [Saudi] sovereignty. There is no such demand, and we ask that our free press take note that there are people who belong to Israel [and act] against the [Saudi] kingdom's policy and do the impossible in order to drive a wedge between Saudi Arabia and the U.S..."(35)

During a press conference held between American and Saudi officials in late October 2002,(36) Saudi Deputy Education Minister Dr. Khaled Al-'Awad also referred to the matter, claiming that during recent meetings with U.S. officials, the Americans had retracted their accusations regarding the Saudi curricula. He explained: "Meetings were held between top Saudi Education Ministry officials and American media personnel and officials to clarify that the Saudi curriculum is fine and does not encourage or boost terrorism and hatred of a member of another religion or faith. This follows attacks on the Saudi curriculum, according to which it was claimed that the curricula nourished the [ideas] of terrorism in the souls of the pupils following the events of September 11, in which 15 of the 19 perpetrators of the events that shocked New York and Washington and killed hundreds of people were Saudis."

Dr. Al-'Awad also claimed that the U.S. admitted it made a mistake regarding criticism! of the Saudi education system and would be offering an apology: "These meetings yielded positive results, and since most of those present realized that the Saudi curricula were fine, they retracted their baseless accusations. In light of the facts and information presented to them during this meeting, some of the media personnel realized that the Saudi learning process is fine, and they promised to stop the attacks and to apologize for the false accusations. Similarly, some of the officials promised to retract their previous positions."(37)

Notes

(1) When the Saudi royal family refers to "spreading Islam," it refers to the form of Islam practiced in Saudi Arabia, which is Wahhabi Islam. See Ayn-Al-Yaqeen: The Saudi royal family spent billions of riyals to 'spread Islam to every corner of the earth;' MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 360.
(2) According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, Wahhabiyya denotes "the doctrine and the followers of Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab (1115-1206/1703-92)." Wahhabiyya was founded in the mid-18th century in the Arabian Peninsula. The core ideology of Wahhabiyya is based on the concepts of adhering to tawhid (monotheism) and fighting shirk (polytheism). Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab believed that Muslims throughout the world had become religiously ignorant and were no better than non-believers. In addition to gaining knowledge of tawhid and refraining from shirk, believers were expected to "combat... those who did not act according to the rules of tawhid, who were thus regarded as not being Muslims..."
(3) Salloom, Hamad I. Education in Saudi Arabia (1995). 2nd Ed. Saudi Cultural Mission to the U.S. Dr. Al Salloom, was Cultural Attache to the United States 1991-1994.
(4) Al Salloom, p. 15. Educational Policy in Saudi Arabia contains a total of 236 articles which serve as the main reference in the formulation of ideas and provide the main principles that direct education in Saudi Arabia, its policies, objectives, systems, curricula, teacher training, and the evaluation system. The document details the national education policy and states that the educational process (should) fulfill the duty of acquainting the individual with Islam and adjust his conduct in accordance with the teaching of religion, in fulfillment of the needs of society, and in the achievement of the nation's objectives. Islam is not only integral to Saudi education but also serves as the very essence of its curriculum.
(5) Al-Zaid, Abdulla Muhammad. Education in Saudi Arabia: A Model with A Difference (1982). (Omar Ali Afifi, Trans.), p. 51. The author, Al-Zaid, is a former member of the teaching staff at King Abd Al-Aziz University, former chairman of the department of education, and former director general of education for the western province of Saudi Arabia.
(6) Al-Zaid, p.15.
(7) Ibid., p. 39.
(8) Ibid., p. 40.
(9) Al-Zaid., p. 39.
(10) Ibid., p. 42.
(11) Al-Zaid p. 45.
(12) Ibid. p 48. According to Dr. Al-Zaid, teaching the history of Islamic glories is highlighted in the Saudi curriculum.
(13)According to the report by Al Salloom (p.22), the Ministry of Education of Saudi Arabia oversees the Kingdom's education system. Its responsibilities range from policy-making, planning, and budgetary staffing to providing physical and teaching materials and supplies to schools. The Ministry also undertakes research and development programs related to the development of curriculum and teaching methods.
(14) Al-Zaid, p. 69.
(15) Ibid., p. 65.
(16) According to Al Salloom, pp. 99-100, the curriculum used in the education system in Saudi Arabia undergoes a constant process of change and improvement in response to social and economic developments in the Kingdom, as well as international developments in technology. National committees, established by the Ministry of Education in 1984, are devoted to curriculum development and review, and advise the Educational Development Department of the Ministry.
(17) Committees at the Ministry of Education, Al Salloom, p. 100.
(18) All references are taken from books issued and distributed by the Saudi Ministry of Education to Saudi schools in the Kingdom and to Saudi-sponsored schools abroad.
(19) Al-Hadith for 8th grade (2000), p. 24.
(20) Suwar Min Hayat Al-Sehaba (2001), p.80.
(21) Sharh Kitab Al-Tawheed for 8th grade (2001), p.43
(22) Al-Hadith for 9th grade (2000), p. 122.
(23) Ibid. p. 123.
(24) Al Salloom. p.17.
(25) Ibid.
(26) Al-Zaid, p 39.
(27) See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 360.
(28) Visit http://www.ain-al-yaqeen.com/ (extensive archives can be found here).
(29) See MEMRI Special Report: Friday Sermons in Saudi Mosques: Review and Analysis.
(30) The list of U.S. officials who have criticized the Saudi education system includes Senators Joseph Biden and Carl Levin. To read their statements and other statements made by U.S. officials, see full version of this report.
(31) www.concordmonitor.com
(32) The Interior Minister recently blamed the September 11th attack on "Jews" and claimed that "it is impossible that 19 youths, including 17 Saudis, carried out the operation of September 11;" see MEMRI Special Dispatch 446, December 3, 2002, http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD44602.
(33 As reported in 'Ayn-Al-Yaqeen, September 20, 2002.
(34) Prince Sultan Ibn Abd Al-'Aziz recently accused "Yarmulke-wearing Congressmen" of making allegations against Saudi Arabia. MEMRI Special Dispatch 396, July 2, 2002.
(35) Al-Bawaba, October 27, 2002
(36) Press release issued by American Embassy in Saudi Arabia on October 27, 2002.
(37) Al-Hayat (London), October 22, 2002. The paper also noted that the Saudi education minister had spent some 10 days in the U.S., meeting and consulting with American educators and signing a number of agreements.