US embassy cable - 04ABUDHABI2816

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 002816 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; 
INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR ZEYA 
LONDON ALSO PASS TO MOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: CONDEMNATION OF RELIGIOUS 
CURRICULUM IN THE GCC 
 
 
1.   Summary:  Abu Dhabi-based semi-official Arabic daily "Al- 
     Ittihad" carries a column by Kuwaiti intellectual, Dr. Ahmad 
     Al-Baghdadi, strongly condemning religious curriculums in 
     the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (GCC).  He quotes an 
     official report by the UAE government on religious 
     curriculums in public schools to validate his argument.  He 
     attributes the current state of decline and human rights 
     violations in the Muslim world to a school curriculum 
     obsessed with the day of judgement which ignores practical 
     matters and positive values such as ethics, tolerance and 
     friendship.  End summary. 
 
2.   Dr. Ahmad Al-Baghdadi wrote in his weekly column in "Al- 
Ittihad" 8/17: 
     "A UAE government report discussed the teaching of Islamic 
     religion in the UAE.  We must commend its officials for 
     their courage and supervision of this project, and hope that 
     the government modifies the teaching of these curriculums in 
     the interest of the UAE people.  The report included nine 
     important observations that should be taken into 
     consideration by the other Gulf States.  The situation in my 
     country, Kuwait, is hopeless as long as the government 
     continues to satisfy the religious current." 
 
3.   "The most important observation is the fourth, which notes 
     that: 
          `The curriculum leads to mental disturbances and 
          psychological disorders for the young generation 
          because it focuses, at early stages, on values of 
          threats, terrifying talk about death, the day of 
          judgment, hell and agony.  It should be just the 
          opposite.  The curriculum does not take the 
          psychological nature of the students into 
          consideration.  At grade four, it starts talking 
          about heaven and hell and the infidels terrorizing 
          the Muslims during the time of the prophet.  At 
          grade five, they come back and talk about heaven 
          and hell'. 
 
4.   "Let's ask ourselves a simple question: what is the benefit 
     of explaining life after death for a child who is not yet 
     ten years old?  What kind of knowledge would he/she acquire 
     by absorbing this information?  In what kind of practical 
     application could he/she use it in life?  The answer to all 
     these questions is nothing.  The Saudi schools provide 
     practical lessons on how to wash the dead and in reality the 
     expatriates are doing this job.  The other question, is what 
     adults would benefit out of this.  Isn't it much better to 
     teach other topics such as ethics, friendship and tolerance? 
     Do we have the right to wonder later that children and the 
     younger generation accept the value of killing to reach 
     paradise and to avoid the agony and torture of hell?." 
 
5.   "There is no doubt that these curriculums exist in all 
     Muslim nations due to the lack of commitment from the 
     ministries of education in teaching the young how to love 
     life and how to build their own world.  Have those officials 
     in charge of these curriculums thought about the 
     consequences of teaching these subjects and other values 
     such as death.  Death is just like life, something natural 
     that should not be given a bigger size than it actually 
     deserves.  We all live our own lives after we become free 
     from the restrictions of school and the control of our 
     families and societies." 
 
6.   "Remembering the day of judgment does not build nations. 
     Muslims, with all their religious teachings, have the worst 
     nations, not because they are religious, but because they 
     like to spend their time doing nothing and in pursuit of 
     unproductive things.  Just look around and see how much 
     political and social corruption exist and the level of human 
     rights violations.  It is no exaggeration to say that 
     Muslims are the only religious group who act in non- 
     accordance with their religion and who say what they do not 
     do.  They are the only group that believes they will get to 
     paradise merely because they were born Muslims.  They are 
     the only group that exchanges reason for religious thinking 
     in administering their own lives.  Just look around and see 
     whether there are any ruins of the mortal wonders in the 
     world by Muslims?" 
 
SISON