[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 14 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 14

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 5, 2003

   Mr. Smith (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Ensign, Mr. 
  Feingold, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Wyden) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign 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 religious doctrine that 
        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 of the textbooks used in schools in Saudi Arabia foster a 
        combination of intolerance, ignorance, and anti-Semitic, anti-American, 
        and anti-Western views;
Whereas these intolerant views make students in whom they are instilled prime 
        recruiting targets of extremist groups;
Whereas extremism endangers the stability of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and 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; and
Whereas the Government of Saudi Arabia is currently conducting a review of its 
        education curriculum: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) supports the review by the Government of Saudi Arabia 
        of its education curriculum;
            (2) calls on the Government of Saudi Arabia to ensure that 
        such review is thorough, objective, and public;
            (3) requests the United States Representative to the United 
        Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 
        (UNESCO) to--
                    (A) address the issue of the educational curriculum 
                reform at the 2003 session of the UNESCO General 
                Conference; and
                    (B) encourage UNESCO to examine the educational 
                system in Saudi Arabia and monitor the progress of the 
                efforts to reform the curriculum; and
            (4) 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.
                                 <all>