Saudi textbooks tell the tale, as do ours
The Garden of Earthly Delights, Hell, 1504, Bosch, in the Prado
The WaPo provides a translation of Saudi texts used for 25-33% of classroom time, in Saudi Arabia and outposts around the world, including the US. The lessons include “the apes are Jews” and “Jihad…is the summit of Islam”:
FIRST GRADE
– “Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words (Islam, hellfire): Every religion other than ______ is false. Whoever dies outside of Islam enters _______.”FIFTH GRADE
– “Whoever obeys the Prophet and accepts the oneness of God cannot maintain a loyal friendship with those who oppose God and His Prophet, even if they are his closest relatives.”EIGHTH GRADE
– “As cited in Ibn Abbas: The apes are Jews, the people of the Sabbath; while the swine are the Christians, the infidels of the communion of Jesus.”– “Some of the people of the Sabbath were punished by being turned into apes and swine. Some of them were made to worship the devil, and not God, through consecration, sacrifice, prayer, appeals for help, and other types of worship. Some of the Jews worship the devil. Likewise, some members of this nation worship the devil, and not God.”
TWELFTH GRADE
– “Jihad in the path of God — which consists of battling against unbelief, oppression, injustice, and those who perpetrate it — is the summit of Islam. This religion arose through jihad and through jihad was its banner raised high. It is one of the noblest acts, which brings one closer to God, and one of the most magnificent acts of obedience to God.“
In the US, Debra Saunders notes that the Califormia “Senate passed by a 22-15 vote Senate Bill 1437, sponsored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, which would require that California textbooks contain “age appropriate” information about the contributions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in California and American history.” In Saudi Arabia funded schools, by contrast, “age appropriate” teaching means that Jihad is taught in 12th grade, while 8th grade is the time to learn that Christians and Jews are apes and pigs, and so on.
We feel caught in the middle of an insane drama, with lunatics on all sides. It is like being suspended in the middle of a Hieronymus Bosch triptych — only with hell on both of our flanks.
UPDATE
Prince Turki al Faisal in USA Today:
Saudi Arabia is a nation undergoing dramatic self-examination. Every aspect of Saudi Arabia’s society and culture is being openly debated. We have recognized that a comprehensive, modern and open educational system — with new and revised textbooks — is fundamental to the growth and prosperity of our country. A thoughtful revision of this system is necessary, and indeed well underway.
So instead of pigs and dogs, it will be nice piggy, nice doggie from now on, or something like that.