ICC Note: The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has conducted a study showing that Saudi Arabia has failed to remove content in textbooks promoting hatred towards religious minorities. USCIRF says that this content was thought to have been removed from Saudi textbooks. This revelation comes as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince continues to make claims that he seeks to liberalize Saudi Arabia.

03/26/2018 Egypt (USCIRF) – In a new study of select textbooks currently in use in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) uncovered content promoting violence and hatred toward religious minorities and others. While the Saudi government has been engaged in textbook reform for the last 15 years, the presence of these passages makes clear how little progress has been made and highlights an immediate need for the Saudi government to more seriously address this issue, as well as the exportation of these textbooks internationally, as a part of its ambitious reform process.

“USCIRF is disappointed to find inflammatory content in Saudi textbooks that was previously thought to have been removed,” said USCIRF Chairman Daniel Mark. “USCIRF had been encouraged by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts over the past year, particularly the initial implementation of the Vision 2030 program and his recent statement that Saudi Arabia is ‘open to all religions and to the world.’ Such initiatives and sentiments could serve as a strong basis for improving freedom of religion or belief in the Kingdom, including through much-needed textbook reform.”

USCIRF’s study compared twelve 2017-2018 high school religion textbooks with earlier versions from 2012-2014 and found that the current books contain not only numerous intolerant and inflammatory passages but also several passages specifically thought to have been removed from earlier books. Examples of intolerant content include passages: extolling jihad as fighting against non-Muslims; prescribing execution of apostates and those who mock God or the Prophet; and demeaning non-Muslims and warning Muslims against associating with them.

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