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Resistance See other Resistance Articles Title: Saudi School Head Charged [on the Islamic Saudi Academy] - critics allege school's textbooks teach violence and hate Middle East studies in the News Saudi School Head Charged [on the Islamic Saudi Academy] by John Arundel Alexandria Times June 19, 2008 http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/5282 / http://alextimes.com/article.asp?article=10089 Protestors angrily called for the closure of the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria Tuesday after the director of the Saudi government-controlled school was arrested June 9 for failing to report child abuse. Last week's arrest of Abdalla I. Al-Shabnan, the school's director, came after a U.S. religious-freedom panel reviewed textbooks and other materials from the school and issued a statement two days later that the school uses textbooks that explicitly promote violence and intolerance of other religions. Al-Shabnan, 52, of McLean, has been charged by Fairfax County Police with a misdemeanor and obstruction of justice. The police accuse him of covering up an incident in which a five-year-old girl attending the school reported that she was being sexually abused by her father. Al-Shabnan told police investigators that he didn't believe the girl, and advised the girl's parents to put her into counseling. The police also allege that Al-Shabnan ordered that a written report about the girl's complaint be deleted from a school computer. Virginia state law requires that school authorities report alleged child abuse within 72 hours of learning of the allegation. Al-Shabnan is free pending his trial. The charges against Al-Shabnan prompted at least a dozen protestors to come out Tuesday morning to call for a federal investigation of its teachings, which they say teach violence and hate. As children filed into the school, protestors waved signs that read "Saudi hate is not an American family value," and "Islamic Shariah teaches violence and hate." Andrea Lafferty, the executive director of the Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition, said that the academy is "a virtual one-stop shopping center for law enforcement." "We came out here today to lift the veil of deception," Lafferty said. "They're raising homegrown terrorists here." Lafferty cited as a case in point a former school valedictorian, Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted of joining al-Qaida after leaving the school and plotting to assassinate President Bush, and that a former finance director of the school was arrested taping close-up videotapes of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 2004, which police thought might be used in a possible terrorist attack. "There are so many dots like these to be connected," Lafferty said. "The school teaches the radical form of Wahabi which teaches them the only way to elevate Islam is to repress others. These children are locked in a prison. I would tell my own son that it's wrong to kill someone. But they teach that it's okay to kill certain types of people, like adulterers. We don't think children should be educated like this in a county-owned building." Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique. Related Documents * Other items related to Saudi/Gulf Funding http://www.campus-watch.org/survey.php/id/67 * Other items related to Islam in the Classroom http://www.campus-watch.org/survey.php/id/75 From Most Groups Overseeing Islamic Saudi Academy, Support or Inaction by Alexander Hart http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/5283 / http://www.alextimes.com/article...cle=10090&paper=1&cat=155 The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) has once again found itself embroiled in controversy for allegedly using textbooks that "teach hate." Yet groups that can exercise power over the school have generally refrained from challenging it. On May 19, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors considered a proposal extending the lease to the Saudi Arabian government, which funds and oversees the school. After about an hour of debate that featured impassioned speakers who either criticized the school for a lack of transparency or defended it from charges of intolerance, the board voted unanimously to extend the lease. The supervisors frequently voiced frustration with the debate over the academy's teachings. "I don't like the idea that we have to dig into the level of detail of what goes on in the school to approve a lease that has been very successful for the county for 20 years," Supervisor John Foust said. "We lease space all across this county to churches and educational groups," added Supervisor Michael Frey. "We don't ask them the kinds of questions the citizens here today wanted us to ask." He later declared that the academy had been a "good neighbor and steward of the property" and suggested that security concerns be left to the State Department. According to the terms of the lease, the State Department has the right to intervene and close the school if it has objections to the way the school is run. The State Department has not taken action against the school. In 2006, however, it did note that in Saudi Arabia, "there is no legal recognition or protection of religious freedom, and it is severely restricted in practice." The State Department received copies of the textbooks used in the school but has so far refused to publicly release the books or conclusions about their content. State Department officials were not immediately available for comment. Another group nominally overseeing ISA is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) – a group that accredits the academy as well as thousands of other schools across the country. SACS first accredited ISA in 1990 and recertified the school in 2005 as the result of a review process that occurs every five years. According to Hilda Kelly, director of the Virginia SACS office, such an evaluation includes a review team visiting the school and inspecting its adherence to seven broad SACS standards, which encompass a larger number of requirements. One such obligation is that the school "offers a curriculum that challenges each student to excel, reflects a commitment to equity, and demonstrates an appreciation of diversity." Kelly declined comment when asked whether the allegations, if substantiated, would prove to be a violation of that standard and thus a possible basis for revocation of accreditation. Dr. Patricia Golding, Virginia SACS associate director, also declined comment about ISA's status, but said the situation is "being looked into." The only overseeing organization strongly confronting ISA in public is the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), the federal body that issued two reports questioning the ISA textbooks. In a press release, USCIRF declared it has the mandate to monitor ISA because the school is "operated by a foreign government and uses that government's official texts." In their latest report, the organization claims ISA is impeding outside investigation as well as continuing to use textbooks that incite hate and violence. Judith Ingram, USCIRF's communication director, said the Saudi embassy repeatedly ignored requests for the books or more information. "We're a U.S. government agency, so the proper interlocutor is the ambassador," she said. "He's the highest representative [of Saudi Arabia], but he's also the chairman of the board for the school." The USCIRF once called for the school to be closed, but Ingram emphasized the most important outcome is "that the textbooks be revised." The tensions go both ways, however. Rahima Abdullah is the director of education at ISA, and she claims that the school has invited USCIRF officials to visit the school and examine the books for two years, adding that the invitations were "not even answered." Ingram admitted that USCIRF had not gone to the school, but argued "a visit to the school is no substitute for an in-depth examination." The report they issued June 11 was the product of months of examination by two analysts with extensive backgrounds in Islamic culture as well as Arabic language, Ingram said. "We're still working on revisions," said Abdullah. "But we feel we've complied with [government requests] as much as we possibly can." "Within two weeks of when the commission requested the books, the State Department had them," she added. The State Department has not yet released the books to the public or USCIRF. When asked if she would also be willing to send USCIRF copies of the books so their Islamic studies experts could do a full analysis of them, Abdullah simply replied, "The books are in a place where they should have access to them." Back at the Board of Supervisors, the supervisors seemed unfazed in their support for ISA. Mernie Fitzgerald, Fairfax County spokeswoman, described the Board's vote as a "local land use issue," and said that "the State Department has made no recommendation [on the status of the school]." At the May 19 meeting, Supervisor Gerry Hyland declared that, based on his visit to ISA and the oral report of a county volunteer fluent in Arabic who read textbooks the school provided, there was "no indication" that the school taught hate. "The curriculum does contain direct references to the Koran, which if taken out of context and read literally, would cause some concern," argued Hyland. He later said ISA was "teaching young children in a fashion that is to be an example to others," citing the high percentage of students who go on to higher education. Fitzgerald said that the supervisor had no interest in readdressing his remarks in light of the new USCIRF report. "His comments stand, and the actions [of the board] stand," she said. Views like Hyland's don't make sense to Ingram, who said, "I don't see how you could possibly say the context would make that a different kind of statement," referring to passages from a textbook claiming Muslims could permissibly kill those who converted away from Islam. Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique. http://www.campus-watch.org/arti....php?id=5283&v=6780465121 Islamic Saudi Hate Academy by Joe Kaufman and Beila Rabinowitz June 20, 2008 http://frontpagemag.com/Articles...C9-422F-9617-A927FB79EAE2 In Saudi Arabia, teaching hatred for others is a normal everyday scholastic activity. But what happens when that teaching gets transferred to the United States? One children's school with branches in Virginia, the Islamic Saudi Academy, has managed to accomplish this with hate-filled texts, a terror-linked website, and students and school personnel that have been involved in radical activity. The Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA), an institution run by the government of Saudi Arabia, has been occupying northern Virginia, since 1984. Within the state, it has two facilities, one in Fairfax (pre-K – first grade) and one in Alexandria (grades 2 – 12). The school offers all of the standard curriculum: Math, English, Social Studies, Science, etc. However, what has been of concern to many is the group's religious studies. In October of 2007, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an organization established by the United States Congress, issued a press release calling for the closure of ISA, until the school's textbooks would be made available to it for inspection, which they were not. The release stated that "significant past documented concerns remain about whether what is being taught at the ISA explicitly promotes hate, intolerance and human rights violations, in some cases violence." The concerns of the commission were based on previous findings regarding Saudi curricula, which showed that Saudi authorized school textbooks encouraged violence and theft, even religiously sanctioned murder, against a variety of non-Muslim groups. In July of 2006, the Saudi government released a statement, saying that it would, within one or two years, "revise and update textbooks to remove remaining references that disparage Muslims or non-Muslims or that promote hatred toward other religions or religious groups." But without having the material in front of it, the commission was not able to determine if the Saudis were indeed abiding by their own commitments. Between USCIRF's first action and now, the commission has been able to acquire and review 17 current ISA textbooks for examination, and the findings have been disturbing to say the least. According to USCIRF, some of the passages in the texts "clearly exhort the readers to commit acts of violence." These acts include the killing of apostates (converts from Islam) and the taking of the lives and property of Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and those adhering to the Shiite faction of Islam. In addition, according to the commission, the reviewed texts "show evidence of truncation, omission, cutting and pasting, and the use of correction tape or fluid to cover over text – but not sufficient revision to remove all objectionable material." As well, some of the material was altered but contained "identical wording." Besides the textbooks, the ISA's website has set off alarms. From March of 2000 through August of 2001, the site had a link to IslamiCity, a website that repeatedly calls for the murder of Jews and repeatedly "curses" Jews and Christians. Some statements from IslamiCity include: * "May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for they built the places of worship at the graves of their Prophets." * "The Jews will fight with you, and you will be given victory over them so that a stone will say, ‘O Muslim! There is a Jew behind me; kill him!'" * "The Jews are being punished in their graves." From March of 2000 through February of 2002, ISA's website contained a link to Islam Question and Answer, a site authored by Saudi radical Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid, which stresses violence against non-Muslims and others. Some quotes from it include: * "There cannot be harmony between Jews – who are usurpers and aggressors, who have oppressed and persecuted others, and who are known for their treachery and corruption throughout the world, historically and in the present age... As the Muslims and Jews are enemies residing in opposing religious and doctrinal camps, it is not possible for them to be brought together unless one is made to submit to the other by force." * "There is no doubt that it is prescribed to engage in jihad against the enemies of Allaah, Jews and others, with our lives and our wealth. That includes every means that will weaken their economy and cause them harm... The Muslims in general should cooperate in righteousness and piety and help the Muslims in all places in ways that will lead them to prevail and strengthen them and enable them to manifest the symbols of religion, to practise the teachings of Islam and to implement the rulings of sharee'ah and carry out hudood punishments, and whatever will lead to their victory over the kuffaar, Jews, Christians and others." * "The Sahaabah were unanimously agreed on the execution of homosexuals, but they differed as to how they were to be executed. Some of them were of the view that they should be burned with fire... And some of them thought that they should be thrown down from a high place then have stones thrown at them... Because the evil consequences of homosexuality are among the worst of evil consequences, so its punishment is one of the most severe of punishments in this world and in the Hereafter." Today, the above ISA web links have been replaced by new extremist links. Beginning in August of 2002, ISA's website linked to Al-Islam, a site run by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance. The site, similar to the previous mentioned sites, propagates hatred against Jews and Christians. Al-Islam includes such brutal pleas as: "Let there be curse upon the Jews and the Christians..." and "May Allah the Exalted and Majestic destroy the Jews." As well, entire web pages on Al-Islam are devoted to fighting jihad – jihad, which the site defines as "holy war." The index for the site's ‘Al-Jihad' section is as follows: * The superiority of Jihad and moslem warriors (Mujahideen) Another website that ISA currently links to is Arab News, a site that labels the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), the former American propaganda wing of Hamas, as "Palestinian[s] who believe in the liberty of [sic] there holyland" and describes Radio Islam, a site that publishes Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, as "[sic] Informations about Zionism and Palestine." Furthermore, according to the school's website, from 2000 to 2001, the 9th and 10th grade ISA curriculum included learning about "the reform of Mohammed Bin Abdulwahab and his alliance with the Saudi family, who united the Arabian Peninsula during the first half of the 20th century." Bin Abdul Wahhab was the individual from which Wahhabism was created, arguably the movement that ignited the terrorist threat faced by the world today. Between the textbooks and the websites, ISA students could get quite an education in hatred and violence, two subjects that young children should not be exposed to, especially kindergarteners. Unfortunately, though, it seems that at least some of the ISA students took these vicious lessons to heart. Ahmed Omar Abu Ali was 1999 class valedictorian at ISA. In an act of foreboding, his class named him "Most Likely to Be a Martyr." Foreboding, because, in November of 2005, he would be convicted of joining Al-Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush. He received a 30 year prison sentence for his crime. As stated in an FBI criminal complaint, ISA graduates Mohammed Osman Idris and Mohammed Hassan El-Yacoubi, in December of 2001, were on their way to Israel, for what seemed to be a suicide mission. El-Yacoubi, during a search that was conducted by El Al security personnel, was found to have had on his person a farewell letter from his younger brother, Abdalmuhssin, who himself had attended ISA. The letter was in Arabic, and according to writing experts, it contained language discussing an attack that was to be carried out against Israelis, possibly in relation to Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). In August of 2002, Idris was sentenced to four months in jail for lying on a passport application. And it's not just the students. Ismael Selim Elbarasse is a former comptroller (accountant) for ISA. Elbarasse, named as a co-conspirator for the 2007 Holy Land Foundation (HLF) terror trial, has been described by the U.S. government as a "high-ranking" Hamas operative for his financial dealings with Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook. In August of 2004, Elbarasse was arrested, after police viewed his wife videotaping sensitive parts of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Bridge from his vehicle. Earlier this month, on June 9th, the Director General of ISA, Abdullah Al-Shabnan, was taken into custody for failing to report the alleged sexual abuse of a five-year-old ISA student. This, while protests have erupted over the school's use of violent texts. ISA is most certainly not the only Islamic facility to be teaching hatred and violence in America, but it is one that has been caught and exposed. Under pressure, the U.S. State Department has called on the school to reform its educational materials by August, but if history is any indicator, the school's future will be no different than its past. On September 11, 2001, terrorists coming from Saudi Arabia flew planes into our buildings causing death and destruction. This school, the Islamic Saudi Academy, in contrast, is evidence that Saudi Arabia is now attempting to destroy us from within. Joe Kaufman is the Chairman of Americans Against Hate and the founder of CAIR Watch. Beila Rabinowitz is the Director of Militant Islam Monitor. http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/5286 According to the terms of the lease, the State Department has the right to intervene and close the school if it has objections to the way the school is run. The State Department has not taken action against the school. In 2006, however, it did note that in Saudi Arabia, "there is no legal recognition or protection of religious freedom, and it is severely restricted in practice." The State Department received copies of the textbooks used in the school but has so far refused to publicly release the books or conclusions about their content. State Department officials were not immediately available for comment. **** MEANWHILE...... NPN Email Alert U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS NEW TESTAMENT IS “ANTI-SEMITIC”? By Rev. Ted Pike. ... http://www.truthtellers.org/aler...testamentantisemitic.html **** The Jewish roots of the Saudi Dynasty and Wahabi religion : ".... In the 1960's the "SAWT AL ARAB" Broadcasting Station in Cairo, Egypt, and the YEMEN Broadcasting Station in SANA'A confirmed the Jewish Ancestry of the SAUDI Family. King FAISAL AL-SAUD at that time could not deny his family's kindred with the JEWS when he declared to the WASHINGTON POST on Sept. 17, 1969 stating: "WE, THE SAUDI FAMILY, are cousins of the Jews: we entirely disagree with any Arab or Muslem Authority which shows any antagonism to the Jews; but we must live together with them in peace. Our country (ARABIA) is the Fountain head from where the first Jew sprang, and his descendants spread out all over the world." That was the declaration of KING FAISAL AL-SAUD BIN ABDUL AZIZ!!!!! ...." Western society's war within http://freedom4um.com/cgi-bin/re...gi?ArtNum=83360&Disp=4#C4 ----------------- Have You Read the Talmud Lately? The Talmud expounds some of the most virulent racism, as these extracts plainly show..... http://www.truthtellers.org/alerts/readtalmudlately.html Tidbits From the Talmud http://www.thewatcherfiles.com/talmud_tidbits.html Truth about the Talmud: Racist, Rabbinic Hate Literature by Michael Hoffman, foremost scholar of Judaism in the English-speaking world Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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