[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 242 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 242

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the education curriculum in 
                      the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2003

 Mr. Davis of Florida (for himself, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Wexler, Mr. King 
 of New York, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Matsui, Mr. Berman, Mr. 
  Skelton, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Hoeffel, Mr. 
Engel, Mr. Brown of Ohio, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of 
   Virginia, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Kind, and Mr. 
   Nadler) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the education curriculum in 
                      the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Whereas the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, were 
        carried out by 19 hijackers, including 15 Saudi Arabian nationals;
Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia controls and regulates all forms of 
        education in public and private schools at all levels;
Whereas Islamic religious education is compulsory in public and private schools 
        at all levels in Saudi Arabia;
Whereas the religious curriculum is written, monitored, and taught by followers 
        of the Wahhabi interpretation of Islam, the only religion the Government 
        of Saudi Arabia allows to be taught;
Whereas rote memorization of religious texts continues to be a central feature 
        of much of the educational system of Saudi Arabia, leaving thousands of 
        students unprepared to function in the global economy of the 21st 
        century;
Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia has tolerated elements within its 
        education system that promote and encourage extremism;
Whereas some textbooks in Saudi Arabian schools foster a combination of 
        intolerance, ignorance, and anti-Semitic, anti-American, and anti-
        Western views;
Whereas these intolerant views instilled in students make them prime recruiting 
        targets of extremist groups;
Whereas extremism endangers the stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the 
        Middle East region, and threatens global security;
Whereas the events of September 11, 2001, have created an urgent need to promote 
        moderate voices in the Islamic world as an effective way to combat 
        extremism;
Whereas in November 2002 and again in January 2003, Crown Prince Abdullah urged 
        all Muslims to reject extremism and conduct themselves in a tolerant and 
        moderate manner; and
Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia is continuing to review its education 
        curriculum: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) calls on the Government of Saudi Arabia to ensure that 
        its review of its education curriculum is thorough, objective, 
        and public;
            (2) urges the Government of Saudi Arabia to reform its 
        education curriculum in a manner that promotes tolerance, 
        develops civil society, and encourages functionality in the 
        global economy;
            (3) expresses extreme disappointment with the slow pace of 
        education reform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia;
            (4) applauds the public statements by Crown Prince Abdullah 
        and urges him to implement policies that are consistent with 
        his statements;
            (5) urges the Department of State and other appropriate 
        Federal agencies to work closely with the Government of Saudi 
        Arabia on any efforts to address the issues related to 
        education curriculum, textbooks, and teacher training;
            (6) supports expanding and creating more cultural, 
        academic, visitor, and other exchanges between the United 
        States and Saudi Arabia, subject to appropriate security 
        checks; and
            (7) requests the United States Representative to the United 
        Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization 
        (UNESCO) to encourage the organization to examine the 
        educational system in Saudi Arabia and monitor the progress of 
        the efforts to reform the education curriculum.
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