Feds Recommend Closing Saudi School in Va.

Washington Post ^

[milestogo]

Feds Recommend Closing Saudi School in Va.

By MATTHEW BARAKAT

The Associated Press
Thursday, October 18, 2007; 12:25 AM

McLEAN, Va. -- A private Islamic school supported by the Saudi government should be shut down until the U.S. government can ensure the school is not fostering radical Islam, a federal panel recommends.

In a report released Thursday, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom broadly criticized what it calls a lack of religious freedom in Saudi society and promotion of religious extremism at Saudi schools.

Several advocacy groups in recent years have cited examples of inflammatory statements in religious textbooks in Saudi Arabia, including claims that a ninth-grade textbook reads that the hour of judgment will not come "until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them."

[Night Hides Not]

“Witch hunt?” Are you saying that something like this isn’t a danger?

C'mon SmoothTalker! Give the guy a break, he's a diplomat after all. Most of the time they're deferring to our "allies", in the name of better relations.

This guy's an apologist for the Wahhabis.

[sageb1]

“He also pointed out that many of the school’s teachers are Christian and Jewish. “

This means absolutely nothing to me. My own priest knows nothing about Islam. He’s a leftist, as, I imagine, the Christian & Jewish teachers at the school are.

[kabar]

However, it appears to be a conflict of interests if by interfering with the school is viewed as an interference with government issues. The two should be separate issues.

I don't know exactly what you mean. However, the USG does help fund the training of teachers overseas at International schools and the accreditation of these schools to meet US standards.

[kabar]

Here is the Press Release by the Commission. The Commission bases its recommendations on its visit to Saudi Arabia. They are extrapolating from that visit.

[kabar]

This means absolutely nothing to me. My own priest knows nothing about Islam. He’s a leftist, as, I imagine, the Christian & Jewish teachers at the school are.

It does to me.

[sageb1]

What is your point?

[kabar]

My point is that the Commission did not go to this particular school to verify its findings. From the article: "Commission spokeswoman Judith Ingram said the commission did not request to speak to academy officials because that went beyond the commission's mandate."

"The commission based its findings in part on a the work of a delegation that traveled to Saudi Arabia this year. The commission asked embassy officials to review the textbooks used in Saudi schools generally and at the Islamic Saudi Academy specifically but did not receive a response."

[Oberon]

Sounds like a bad precedent to me. What if Hillary’s elected and wants to start vetting the curriculum at private Christian schools?

That's the real danger here. It's the unintended consquences that come back and bite you.

[the_devils_advocate_666]

I’ll second the motion.

[From One - Many]

Want to really cause an uproar? Ask for a Christian or Jewish School in any arab country, including saudi arabia. If the same number are built, in saudi, as presently are here via the saudis, there may be understanding....until then.....redneck poot.

[From One - Many]

even hitlery isn’t that strong....this is America, not a roll over one more time.....people.

[gracesdad]

“...we should allow hatred of Jews & Christians to continue to be taught in our country?”

We already allow that by groups other than Muslims. Do we shut them all down, or just the Muslims?

[gracesdad]

“Standing by, to see what the FEDS will do! For sure there won’t be any Christian Fundamentalist schools allowed in Saudi Arabia. What is good for the GOOSE, is good for the GANDER.”

Oooh, what a good idea, let’s act just like the Muslims.

[From One - Many]

We already allow that by groups other than Muslims. Do we shut them all down, or just the Muslims?

Want to make the arabs go ballistic? Ask for a Christian or Jewish School in their country....tell me if you make it back alive.

[HollyB]

What I mean - or how I have interpreted the problem is: We’ve got a Saudi government official sitting on the school board, and then the American government says - ‘hey, we’ve got a problem with this school/curriculum’. If this scenario is considered an interference with the Saudi government because the school board member is a Saudi official - then we have more to deal with than just a school. It appears more red tape to fix the problem because now we are not just fixing a school curriculum, we need to deal with the Saudi government as well.

Will this be the case here?

[PurpleMan]

The Religion of Perpetual Outrage will be...well...Outraged.

[From One - Many]

let’s act just like the Muslims

so Americans act just like muslims? WOW, I didn't know Americans were flying planes into buildings and strapping on suicide belts....or is this another enlightening statement from the State Department or Homeland Security?

[shhrubbery!]

We already allow that by groups other than Muslims. Do we shut them all down, or just the Muslims?

What "other" groups do "we allow" to "[teach] hatred of Jews & Christians" in schools in our country?

Could you list a few specifically?

[gracesdad]

I wasn’t referrin g specifically to schools, but we “allow” it to be taught online and in other venues. Some of these groups also have their own homeschool programs where no doubt it’s taught, as well.

[kabar]

Want to really cause an uproar? Ask for a Christian or Jewish School in any arab country, including saudi arabia.

We have international schools in Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia. They are not Christian or Jewish per se but they do have, in many cases, a US curriculum. In Saudi Arabia, the schools operated like a US school including a mixing of the sexes and an American course of study.

FYI: The Saudi school in McLean must comply with Fairfax County school standards. It is an accredited school.