Kuwaitis debate teaching jihad in schools

At The Middle East Media Research Institute today, there is an interesting article about debate going on in Kuwait as to whether to teach extremist jihad. In the schools current curriculum, extreme Islamic views seem to permeate all subjects from science to physical education. The physical education classes were canceled because it was considered anathema to Islam. At issue are text books. Below is a question from a fourth grade textbook.

At the center of this debate was the question of studying the topic of Jihad in the schools. This discussion arose following a news item in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Ra'i Al-'Aam about the mention of Jihad in fourth-grade curricula. On p. 61 of Islamic Education – Part I, pupils were asked:

"In their war against the enemies of Islam, the Jihad warriors need:

A) Aid in lives, money, and weapons.

B) Submission of complaints to the superpowers.

C) Spreading the news about them in newspapers, radio, and magazine

The newspaper quoted an educator who said the question was aimed at "brainwashing" the pupils, explaining that: "The problem here is that this question was directed at eight- and nine-year-old children in a country that owes its very survival to the superpowers."

Al-Siyassa columnist Dhiya Dhiya Al-Din wrote in a column that this type of extremist curriculum was against the needs and aspirations of the Kuwaiti people. That is was against the tolerance that embodies Kuwaiti society.

Many state that this extremism was introduced 25 years ago when Muslim Brotherhood members immigrated from Egypt.

Shamlan Yousef Al-'Issa states:

What we are trying to say is simply that change in our society will not be easy as long as these groups control education, and as long as the government does not take a serious approach to the necessary reforms…"

The people of Kuwait are reading about this and are following what their government chooses to do. Let's hope that not all have been "brainwashed" by the curriculum. It does appear that the Kuwaitis are not afraid of having open debate and in light of the recent legislation giving women the right to vote(albeit it may only count as 1/2 a vote), it is encouraging.

Read the rest The Middle East Media Research Institute.