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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Textbooks in Arab Nations Loaded with Anti-Semitism

Nadene Goldfoot
Arab nations are notorious for using anti-semitic literature in their schools, promoting hate.  With this type of education, their people wind up hating Jews and Israel and are simply pawns in their country's fight against Israel's existence. This was found after the Six Day War of 1967.  Schools were full of racist and hateful portrayals of Jews.  Syria expanded hatred of Israel and Zionism to be teaching anti-semitism for all Jews everywhere.  They have been teaching  that Jews have a treacherous nature and that all must be annihilated. 

The "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is a favorite source of theirs.  In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA officials have faced threats from Islamist groups if facts about the Holocaust or any tolerance teaching is introduced into the curriculum, so this means that they are still frozen in their facts back to the 1940's when the Arab nations teemed up with the Nazis against Jews and were part of the Axis.  They have learned nothing but that they are going to finish what the Nazis didn't.  With Qaradawi's fatwa of killing all Jews everywhere, one can see that he's frozen in time and thought as well.  UNRWA is in a situation where they've promised to allow use local texbooks which are full of anti-semitism.  It is UNRWA who is responsible for materials used in the Gaza Strip and Judea and Samaria.  A good portion of UNRWA's money comes from the USA. 

Lebanon, Israel's neighbor on the northern border, has a cabinet which includes members of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization.  They are actively fighting against Israel.  In Saudi Arabia was found passages describing Jews as "spawn of "monkeys and pigs'", but of course the investigator was told that the book is no longer in use.  I ask, if so, how was it that she had found it?  Saudi Arabia has been making educational curriculum materials for some time.  I remember seeing units from them years ago when I was teaching.   Offensive passages about Jews, Christians and women have been found made by them in Argentina and Pakistan already. 

Hannah Rosenthal, former Wisconsin resident, is the State Department's envoy for combating anti-Semitism, and has had her hands full.  She found Arab officials balking at the idea of removing such hate literature.  Jordan's reply has been terse.  They have resisted any suggestion that Holocaust studies be introduced as a unit.  Their reasoning is that they are not teaching that it didn't happen.  They just are not covering it at all.  At this rate they will soon be in agreement with Iran in that the Holocaust didn't happen  because they don't know what happened.  One thing that has been found is the absence of Israel on maps in Muslim schools.  This is another way of not recognizing Israel as the Jewish State.  Instead, they teach that the cities in Israel are Muslim cities. 

Supposedly there is an  organization to promote tolerance among the Abrahamic faiths.  Hannah found out that Judaism was not included in that group.  It only meant Islam and Christianity. 

Britain has weekend schools in which 5,000 Muslim children attend.  These schools use Saudi Arabian national curriculum.  The textbooks are loaded with anti-semitism and the teachings of Sharia law.  In one book the students were asked to list reprehensible qualities of Jews.  They haven't been a part of Britain's ed materials inspection, but soon may be now that this is known about them. 

The Qatar Foundation is providing finances to bring in Arab language teachers into USA classrooms both in elementary and high schools today.  They already are financing many university studies like Carnegie Mellon..  Portland finds that Lincoln High and West Sylvan Middle School have such programs.  Qatar houses Qaradawi, the head Muslim leader who has recently issued a fatwa to kill all Jews everywhere. He happens to be on the USA terrorist list and is not allowed into our country.  This doesn't say much for their material to be free of anti-semitism or lead to studying about religious tolerance and to lead to positive references about  Judaism.  People used to have scruples, but those seem to be flying out the window lately and are replaced by money.  What guarantees are there that Qatar's educational materials will be different from other Muslim countries and not teach anti-semitic ideas in their language studies? 

Resource: Jewish Review July 15, 2011 page 4. US envoy on anti-Semitism faces resistance, evasion over Arab nations' textbooks by Ron Kampeas
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/nov/22/bbc-panorama-islamic-schools-antisemitism
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths3/MFtreatment.html

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