These American publishers rightly excoriate the hatred of Jews and Christians and Islamic supremacism in Saudi textbooks, but they shouldn’t be surprised by it: it is simply Qur’anic Islam, although I am sure these men have been so filled with Religion of Peace nonsense by politically correct propagandists that they have no idea of that.
“Saudi Textbooks Incite Hate, Say Leaders in American Publishing,” by Robert L. Bernstein, Harold Evans, Larry Kirshbaum, Adam Bellow, Larry Hughes, Andre Schiffrin, and Jonathan Karp in The Daily Beast, October 17:
Despite promises to reform their textbooks, the Saudi education system continues to indoctrinate children with hatred and incitement. Seven current and former heads of major publishing houses address the critical importance of words.
As current and former heads of major American publishing houses, we know the value of words. They inform actions and shape the world views of all, especially children. We are writing to express our profound disappointment that the Saudi government continues to print textbooks inciting hatred and violence against religious minorities.
A ninth-grade textbook published by the Ministry of Education states, “The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims.” An eighth-grade textbook says, “The Apes are the people of the Sabbath, the Jews; and the Swine are the infidels of the communion of Jesus, the Christians.” These are just two examples of a long list of hate-filled passages….
The Jews and Christians cannot approve of Muslims: “Never will the Jews be satisfied with thee, neither the Christians, not till thou followest their religion. Say: ‘God’s guidance is the true guidance.’ If thou followest their caprices, after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have against God neither protector nor helper.” — Qur’an 2:120
Jews and Christians are apes and pigs: “Say: ‘People of the Book, do you blame us for any other cause than that we believe in God, and what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down before, and that most of you are ungodly?’ Say: ‘Shall I tell you of a recompense with God, worse than that? Whomsoever God has cursed, and with whom He is wroth, and made some of them apes and swine, and worshippers of idols — they are worse situated, and have gone further astray from the right way.” — Qur’an 5:59-60
Nina Shea at National Review (thanks to Lachlan) has more from the textbooks. She, too, however, is such an inveterate purveyor of politically correct nonsense that she speaks about “local Islamic traditions” being “transformed and radicalized under the growing influence of Saudi Salafist Islam” in “many Muslim countries,” which is absolutely true, but she makes no mention of the fact, and shows no hint of knowing, that this material from Saudi textbooks is standard Qur’anic Islam. Here is Shea’s list of shocking examples of hate from the textbooks, interspersed with just a small portion of the mountain of material justifying such beliefs that can be found in Islamic texts and teachings:
1. “The Jews and the Christians are enemies of the believers, and they cannot approve of Muslims.”
As above: “Never will the Jews be satisfied with thee, neither the Christians, not till thou followest their religion. Say: ‘God’s guidance is the true guidance.’ If thou followest their caprices, after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have against God neither protector nor helper.” (Qur’an 2:120)
2. “The struggle of this [Muslim] nation with the Jews and Christians has endured, and it will continue as long as God wills.”
It will, in fact, continue until the end times:
“The last hour would not come unless the Muslims will fight against the Jews and the Muslims would kill them until the Jews would hide themselves behind a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say: Muslim, or the servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.” (Sahih Muslim, 41:6985; see also 41:6981-84 and Sahih Bukhari, 4:52:176,177 and 4:56:791)
“The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: There is no prophet between me and him, that is, Jesus (peace_be_upon_him). He will descent (to the earth). When you see him, recognise him: a man of medium height, reddish fair, wearing two light yellow garments, looking as if drops were falling down from his head though it will not be wet. He will fight the people for the cause of Islam. He will break the cross, kill swine, and abolish jizyah. Allah will perish all religions except Islam. He will destroy the Antichrist and will live on the earth for forty years and then he will die. The Muslims will pray over him.” (Sunan Abu Sawud 37.4310)
3. “Do not kill what God has forbidden killing such as the Muslim or the infidel between whom and the Muslims there is a covenant or under protection, unless for just cause such as unbelief after belief, just punishment or adultery.”
“Someone raised among Muslims who denies the obligatoriness of the prayer, zakat, fasting Ramadan, the pilgrimage, or the unlawfulness of wine or adultery, or denies something else upon which there is a scholarly consensus…and which is necessarily known as being of the religion…thereby becomes an unbeliever (kafir) and is executed for his unbelief.” (Umdat al-Salik, F1.3)
4. “The apostate has two punishments; worldly and in the hereafter. Punishment in this life: Death if he does not repent.”
Muhammad said: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him” (Bukhari 9.84.57).
5. “Major polytheism is a reason to fight those that practice it.”
“Then, when the sacred months are drawn away, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent, and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way; God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate.” (Qur’an 9:5)
Muhammad said: “I have been commanded to fight against people so long as they do not declare that there is no god but Allah, and he who professed it was guaranteed the protection of his property and life on my behalf except for the right affairs rest with Allah.” (Sahih Muslim 30)
6. “Fighting the Infidels and the Polytheists has certain conditions and controls, including: That they be invited to Islam and they refuse to enter it and refuse to pay Jizya [a special tax] That Muslims have the power and the capacity to combat, That this be with the permission of the guardian and under his banner, That there be no guarantee between them and the Muslims not to combat.”
Muhammad said: “Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war…When you meet your enemies who are polytheists, invite them to three courses of action. If they respond to any one of these, you also accept it and withhold yourself from doing them any harm. Invite them to (accept) Islam; if they respond to you, accept it from them and desist from fighting against them….If they refuse to accept Islam, demand from them the Jizya. If they agree to pay, accept it from them and hold off your hands. If they refuse to pay the tax, seek Allah’s help and fight them.” (Sahih Muslim 4294)
7. “The punishment of homosexuality is death. . . . Ibn Qudamah said: “The companions (of the Prophet) agreed unanimously on killing. Some of the Companions argued that he (a homosexual) is to be burned with fire. It has been said that he should be stoned, or thrown from a high place. Other things have also been said.”
“The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: If you find anyone doing as Lot’s people did, kill the one who does it, and the one to whom it is done.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 38.4447)
8. “In Islamic law, (jihad) has two uses: 1. specific usage: which means: Exerting effort in fighting unbelievers and tyrants.”
“The caliph makes war upon Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians…until they become Muslim or else pay the non-Muslim poll tax.” (‘Umdat al-Salik o9.8)
9. “In the general usage, Jihad is divided into the following categories: . . . Wrestling with the unbelievers by calling them (to the faith) and fighting them.”
“O believers, fight the unbelievers who are near to you; and let them find in you a harshness; and know that God is with the godfearing.” (Qur’an 9:123)
10. “As was cited in Ibn Abbas, and was said: The Apes are the people of the Sabbath, the Jews; and the Swine are the infidels of the communion of Jesus, the Christians.”
As above: “Say: ‘People of the Book, do you blame us for any other cause than that we believe in God, and what has been sent down to us, and what was sent down before, and that most of you are ungodly?’ Say: ‘Shall I tell you of a recompense with God, worse than that? Whomsoever God has cursed, and with whom He is wroth, and made some of them apes and swine, and worshippers of idols — they are worse situated, and have gone further astray from the right way.” (Qur’an 5:59-60)