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Israel Apartheid Ghetto-izes Ethiopian Jews
Please read this important report provided by al-Jazeera network news.
Help save the Ethiopian Jews and..............
Go to BoycottIsraeliGoods [at] yahoogroups.com
Help save the Ethiopian Jews and..............
Go to BoycottIsraeliGoods [at] yahoogroups.com
Ethiopia Jews battle Israeli prejudice
by
Monday 14 March 2005 3:38 AM GMT
Once a poor immigrant from Ethiopia, Mehereta Baruch has leapt to fame in Israel as a star on a reality television show.
The 30-year-old actress is one of a tiny minority of black arrivals in the past two decades to achieve a measure of prominence in a country where Ethiopians complain of routine discrimination by fellow Jews.
"Their dream hasn't been fulfilled. As far as being equal and belonging, it just hasn't happened," said Baruch.
The actress was a finalist on a popular reality show called The Ambassador, where young Israelis competed for a job as an envoy selling the country's image abroad.
Although she did not win, Baruch is happy she proved she could overcome "stereotypes and prejudice that I encounter a lot".
Jews of Ethiopian descent, tracing their roots to the biblical King Solomon, number about 105,000 among Israel's six million people today. Most, like Baruch, were flown in during huge airlifts in the 1980s.
Another 20,000 Ethiopians are expected from now until 2007 after a pledge to speed up immigration of the Falasha Mura.
Poverty
Nobody doubts that many of the Ethiopian Jews were happy to leave Ethiopia not only because of their religion, but also to escape one of the world's poorest countries and a land haunted by war and famine.
But while they may be financially better off in Israel than in Ethiopia, they are struggling compared to most other Israelis.
Some 60% are considered to be living in poverty compared to 20% of the general population, according to figures from Meyers-JDC-Brookdale, a prominent Israeli social research institute.
"We are making an effort to stop this through new programmes," said David Yasu of Israel's Immigration Ministry, adding that Ethiopians get more state aid than other immigrants to Israel.
Encouraging immigration is a cornerstone of policy in a country where officials worry about the faster birth rates of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians than Jews as well as falling immigration.
Still, newcomers have traditionally complained of being hard done by - whether they are Jews who emigrated from Arab countries in the 1950s and 1960s or from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s.
As Ethiopians came with little more than the clothes on their backs and could neither read nor write any language, their difficulty in adapting was hardly a surprise.
Discrimination
But Ethiopian immigrant leaders express disappointment that many of their Israeli-born children with fluent Hebrew have fared no better and complain that the real problem is discrimination by white Israelis.
"These aren't isolated incidents, it's pure discrimination," said Batia Eyob, director of an immigrant advocacy group that has documented a rise in anti-Ethiopian behaviour in the past five years.
Ethiopians complain of problems finding employers to hire them, but say the discrimination starts at school.
Figures show a dropout rate among Ethiopians of 23% by the age of 17 compared to 15% for other Israelis.
Ethiopian youngsters say they find themselves the butt of racial slurs from some teachers as well as pupils.
Asher Balata, 18, said he hit his school principal "because he called me a nigger" and ended up expelled just months before high school graduation.
Alemo Beleta, 29, an immigrant who works with teenagers, said they often end up caught between parents who practise Ethiopian customs and Israel's mixture of western and Middle Eastern culture.
Role model
"They live in two worlds, one world at school and another at home. Often that leads to rebellion," said Beleta.
That has helped give rise to a thriving Ethiopian youth culture with roots in Reggae and rap music.
On the negative side, there is alarm at growing numbers of suicides and domestic violence among Israelis of Ethiopian origin.
For new television star Baruch, it comes down to a feeling of helplessness - though she says she has never felt it herself.
She arrived in Israel aged 10 without her parents, who followed years later. She went from a boarding school for immigrants to pursue a masters degree before joining theatre groups.
Baruch said she had gone on the television programme to further her own career rather than represent Ethiopian immigrants, but was happy to be a role model for any who might be watching.
"The youth now need to see success stories. They see that I am accepted and that maybe they can achieve that, too," she said. "It makes them feel that anything is possible."
Reuters
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/932B01AE-AD09-4E70-95C0-9436E690A884.htm
by
Monday 14 March 2005 3:38 AM GMT
Once a poor immigrant from Ethiopia, Mehereta Baruch has leapt to fame in Israel as a star on a reality television show.
The 30-year-old actress is one of a tiny minority of black arrivals in the past two decades to achieve a measure of prominence in a country where Ethiopians complain of routine discrimination by fellow Jews.
"Their dream hasn't been fulfilled. As far as being equal and belonging, it just hasn't happened," said Baruch.
The actress was a finalist on a popular reality show called The Ambassador, where young Israelis competed for a job as an envoy selling the country's image abroad.
Although she did not win, Baruch is happy she proved she could overcome "stereotypes and prejudice that I encounter a lot".
Jews of Ethiopian descent, tracing their roots to the biblical King Solomon, number about 105,000 among Israel's six million people today. Most, like Baruch, were flown in during huge airlifts in the 1980s.
Another 20,000 Ethiopians are expected from now until 2007 after a pledge to speed up immigration of the Falasha Mura.
Poverty
Nobody doubts that many of the Ethiopian Jews were happy to leave Ethiopia not only because of their religion, but also to escape one of the world's poorest countries and a land haunted by war and famine.
But while they may be financially better off in Israel than in Ethiopia, they are struggling compared to most other Israelis.
Some 60% are considered to be living in poverty compared to 20% of the general population, according to figures from Meyers-JDC-Brookdale, a prominent Israeli social research institute.
"We are making an effort to stop this through new programmes," said David Yasu of Israel's Immigration Ministry, adding that Ethiopians get more state aid than other immigrants to Israel.
Encouraging immigration is a cornerstone of policy in a country where officials worry about the faster birth rates of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians than Jews as well as falling immigration.
Still, newcomers have traditionally complained of being hard done by - whether they are Jews who emigrated from Arab countries in the 1950s and 1960s or from the former Soviet Union in the 1990s.
As Ethiopians came with little more than the clothes on their backs and could neither read nor write any language, their difficulty in adapting was hardly a surprise.
Discrimination
But Ethiopian immigrant leaders express disappointment that many of their Israeli-born children with fluent Hebrew have fared no better and complain that the real problem is discrimination by white Israelis.
"These aren't isolated incidents, it's pure discrimination," said Batia Eyob, director of an immigrant advocacy group that has documented a rise in anti-Ethiopian behaviour in the past five years.
Ethiopians complain of problems finding employers to hire them, but say the discrimination starts at school.
Figures show a dropout rate among Ethiopians of 23% by the age of 17 compared to 15% for other Israelis.
Ethiopian youngsters say they find themselves the butt of racial slurs from some teachers as well as pupils.
Asher Balata, 18, said he hit his school principal "because he called me a nigger" and ended up expelled just months before high school graduation.
Alemo Beleta, 29, an immigrant who works with teenagers, said they often end up caught between parents who practise Ethiopian customs and Israel's mixture of western and Middle Eastern culture.
Role model
"They live in two worlds, one world at school and another at home. Often that leads to rebellion," said Beleta.
That has helped give rise to a thriving Ethiopian youth culture with roots in Reggae and rap music.
On the negative side, there is alarm at growing numbers of suicides and domestic violence among Israelis of Ethiopian origin.
For new television star Baruch, it comes down to a feeling of helplessness - though she says she has never felt it herself.
She arrived in Israel aged 10 without her parents, who followed years later. She went from a boarding school for immigrants to pursue a masters degree before joining theatre groups.
Baruch said she had gone on the television programme to further her own career rather than represent Ethiopian immigrants, but was happy to be a role model for any who might be watching.
"The youth now need to see success stories. They see that I am accepted and that maybe they can achieve that, too," she said. "It makes them feel that anything is possible."
Reuters
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/932B01AE-AD09-4E70-95C0-9436E690A884.htm
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While my comments marginalizing the inhabitants of Jenin, a major humanitarian disaster area, were meant in a good way, I do believe that in the case of the Ethiopians it would be necessary to write a half-page letter to Ariel Sharon to let him know that I support his efforts in helping with their assimilation into the Apartheid Regime.
Its sad that anti-Zionists take the position of attacking Israel at all costs. Personally, I believe that Apartehid Regimes are not necessarily a bad thing in and of themselves.
Therefore, I cannot say at this time that I would boycott Israeli goods or harm the chosen land in any way by allowing it to be despoiled by Palestinians. It is my opinion that this Palestinian thing is a non-issue.
Its sad, its truly sad.............
I didn't write the previous post.
Fact Sheet #7: Palestinian Treatment of Christian Arabs
The Prism Group at http://www.theprismgroup.org
A Spectrum of Light in the Middle East
Introduction
There are approximately 50,000 Christian Arabs living in areas under the exclusive control of the Palestinian Authority (PA). This Fact Sheet focuses on the living standards of this minority.
Background Information
Recent statistics show that the Christian Arab population numbers approximately 2.4 percent of the total population. This is a significant decrease from 1948, when the figure was approximately 20%. (New York Times, 31 December 1995). Although collectively referred to as Christian Arabs, they include the Eastern Orthodox, which is the largest group, and the Catholics, who are considered to have the most powerful voice due to recent Vatican-Israel relations. By comparison, the Protestants are a tiny group.
This overall drop in population has led to major geopolitical changes. Until 1948, Bethlehem had a Christian majority of 80%. Today, under PA rule, it has a Muslim majority of 80%. Few Christians remain in the PA-controlled parts of the West Bank. Those who can emigrate often do so. It would appear that the PA is trying to conceal this massive population shift.
Pope John Paul II was mindful of these sobering facts. Significantly, during his visit to Bethlehem in March 2000, he urged Christian Arabs to remain in Bethlehem, the home of Christianity, saying, "Do not be afraid to preserve your Christian heritage and Christian presence in Bethlehem."
Conversely, the Christian population in Israel has more than quadrupled since 1948. In a census conducted by the British mandatory authorities in 1947, there were 28,000 Christians in Jerusalem. Since 1948, this number has increased from 30,000 (all of Israel) to approximately 146,000 as of 1993 (Jerusalem, seventh edition; Israel Information Center, 1995). This more than 200% increase is largely seen as a result of Israel's policy of guaranteeing freedom of worship to all religions in all places.
General Institutional Persecution
The official religion of the Palestinian Authority is Islam and the basic laws of the PA are based on Koranic Shari'a. Organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad have publicly advocated the establishment of a unified fundamentalist Islamic state over the entire Middle East. It is not surprising to find numerous claims that the Christian Arabs are subject to subtle discrimination by the Palestinian Authority, as shown below. U.S. courts have even granted asylum to Palestinian Christian Arab refugees, on the grounds that they would be oppressed if they return to the PA areas.
Today, the PA-controlled Wakf prevents Jews and Christians from praying on the Temple Mount, an area considered to be of religious and historical importance to the Christian religion.
Many mosques have mushroomed adjacent to and usually taller than churches. Loudly amplified Moslem sermons have been aired during Christian services, including the Pope's April 2000 address in Nazareth. The Moslem broadcasts were so loud, in fact, that the Pope was forced to halt his speech until Moslem call to prayer was concluded.
Anti-Christian rhetoric is common in official PA broadcasts. For example, in a Friday sermon on October 13, 2000, broadcast live on official Palestinian Authority television from a Gaza mosque, Dr. Ahmad Abu Halabiya proclaimed: "Allah the almighty has called upon us not to ally with the Jews or the Christians, not to like them, not to become their partners, not to support them, and not to sign agreements with them."
The treatment of Christian women, like that of Moslem women in PA-controlled areas, is also oppressive in nature. Accused of wearing "permissive" Western clothing, there have been many cases of intimidation and harassment reported by Bethlehem Christian women. Even more alarming, there have been frequent reports of rape and abduction of Christian women (especially in Beit Sahur).
PA Treatment of Christian Holy Sites
Throughout PA-controlled areas, there are numerous sites of historic or religious significance to the Christian religion. Many have become a focal point as Palestinian gunmen abused their sanctity, waging battles, hiding explosives, and more. Some examples include:
Without prior consent of the church, Yasser Arafat turned the Greek Orthodox monastery near the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into his domicile during his visits to the city.
On July 5, 1997, the PLO seized Abraham's Oak Russian Holy Trinity Monastery in Hebron, violently evicting monks and nuns.
During the 2000-2002 Palestinian War of Terror, the PA's Tanzim militia chose the Christian town of Beit Jala to shoot at Jerusalem. They were specifically positioned in or near Christian homes, hotels, churches (e.g., St. Nicholas), and the Greek Orthodox club.
The most flagrant example disregard for the holiness of Christian shrines occurred last spring, during the takeover of the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem by PA forces. Palestinian gunmen held over 40 Christian clergy and nuns as hostages. This takeover was not an act of desperation nor did it center around refugees seeking safe haven during the heat of battle. Very simply, over 100 armed and wanted terrorists deliberately forced the Israeli government to lay siege to the holy site. The PA's intentional strategy was designed to embarrass Israel. Abdullah Abu-Hadida, a senior Tanzim commander, later commented: "The idea was to enter the church in order to create international pressure on Israel..."
Sadly, once the Church was finally evacuated, it was found that it had been desecrated and defiled.
Current Status Of Christians Living In PA-Controlled Areas
According to evidence received by The Prism Group, the Christians remaining in PA-controlled areas are subjected to relentless persecution. A few limited examples include:
In June 1997, agents of the Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security Service arrested a Palestinian convert to Christianity for regularly attending church and prayer meetings and distributing Bibles. This man is still being held in a Palestinian prison and has been subjected to physical torture and interrogations.
In August 1997, Palestinian policemen in Beit Sahur opened fire on a crowd of Christians Arabs, wounding six of them. Arafat attempted to cover up the incident and has warned the Arab media against publicizing the story. The local commander of the Palestinian police instructed journalists not to report the incident.
A Palestinian convert in Ramallah was recently visited by Palestinian police at his home and warned that if he continued to preach Christianity, he would be arrested and charged with being an Israeli spy.
The Comtsieh family [a Christian family] has a building that serves as a business center in Bethlehem, but several years ago a Moslem family from Hebron took possession of the building. The Comtsieh family filed a claim with the Palestinian Authority judicial system. After long and arduous court hearings, the court ruled in the claimant's favor. However, the police never enforced the verdict. Representatives of the Hebron family later appeared with a new court verdict (signed by the same judge who ruled in the claimants' favor previously), canceling the previous verdict and ratifying the Hebron family's ownership of the property.
The PA leadership maintains that it seeks peace, with guarantees of religious freedom. Unfortunately, the facts show otherwise. The Christians in PA controlled areas have begun to pray in secret. Some are applying to move to Israeli-controlled areas, where they are assured the right to worship freely. If action is not taken to ease the plight of Christians in PA-controlled areas, it is likely that the presence of Christians in these areas will continue to dwindle until few will remain to guard the holy sites.
© The Prism Group 2003
by Arlene Peck
I've always said that a sexy man is one that makes me feel sexy. That usually is one who is strong in his own identity. Folks, I think that I've discovered the reason that Arab men treat their women like farm animals.
They've never had a sense of self-worth and knowledge of their own identity. Actually, they treat their animals better. The animals and women do, however, have one thing in common: both are used for breeding.
In the case of the Islamic fundamentalist, their women are used as breeding stock for future terrorists. Actually, I think they treat their goats and camels better. They're not forced to wear those hot and repressive burqas.
I remember being in Egypt once watching a man walking on the sidewalk with two of his wives following behind him. While the two women were dressed from head to toe in those heavy black tent-like cloaks, he was comfortable in a short sleeve shirt and slacks. I was thinking how stifling they must be in the heat while this jerk was comfortable and ugly. He wouldn't have been able to get a date for the prom in the States but here he was king.
If their animals get hurt, guaranteed they will be taken to the local vet or a lay expert-type healer. The best women are able to receive is distant mystical questioning and no hands-on attention. They are required to have intermediaries to explain things to the doctor. Then the doctor replies back through the intermediary.
How barbaric is that?
Simple things like fistula, which in modern societies are easily repairable, are untreated in tremendous numbers and the women are divorced or shunned by all. Female doctors are rarely allowed and they aren't available to repair the leaky lesions resulting from unassisted childbirth. Their animals get more help and afterward are treated better.
That is probably why they also cannot respect the Western government and our mentality. It is a contrast that is completely alien to them. Modern day man is selling apples and they want oranges. I remember years ago Rabbi Meir Kahane telling me, "I don't want their love. I'll settle for respect."
Basically his basic train of thought was no matter what the issue, the bottom line for the Arab was they understand power. And, along this same line of reasoning, they expect their women to live a life of subservience to exemplify their mate's "power" over them.
They have no say over anything in their lives. The very word "Islam" means submission. That's a pretty good clue as to the attitued with which they begin life. Non-Muslims are automatically supposed to "submit" to Muslims. So, logically, to them, they truly believe that they have the final word.
So, naturally, in their dysfunctional minds, it means that Muslim women submit to them in anything they want. The Qu'ran gives step by step instructions which somehow neglects to favor gender equality. I remember when I was living in Israel not a week went by that the Israeli police didn't find an Arab girl in some alley with her throat cut. They knew immediately that the killing had been done by her father or brothers in an "honour" avenging.
Her crime would be the result of a clandestine meeting with a man not approved by her family. G-d forbid they contracted any disease as a result of a rape: she would probably be killed because innocence for a wife/sister/daughter/mother does not exist. The result of any sexual activity is always the fault of the victim. So, when the family avenges its honour, it's never their fault. Like I said, even the goats have it better. No one kills the goat in honour avenging.
I'm surprised that the Arab man, with his primitive and violent attitude toward women, even allows them to have eye slits in those heavy coverings. I have been told by experts in the field that even perceived innocent flirting quite often results in the death of the innocent accused.
AIDS and other STD's are always blamed on the wife who most often is totally blameless. They, like those in Africa, routinely fail to use condoms when they fornicate with boys, animals, prostitutes or relatives, not wives. Then they bring the disease home, give it to their wives, and then blame her for making them ill.
Lord knows what makes "outside" women allow themselves to marry into this mishugas. It is a given that within a short time they will suffer like all the rest. Their Qur'an glorifies "little boys" and I remember when I traveled to many of those Muslim countries how I would see young boys walking and holding hands with older men.
Their girl children are mutilated genitally to prevent them from straying or enjoying sex. The Muslim Qur'an teaches that women's sexuality is nine or ten, and that, of course, can't be allowed in their females. So their answer is to "circumcise" all little girls from 4-6 years old.
It is done most times with no sterile needles, without anesthesia and, as if that brutality isn't enough, they do not use pharmaceuticals to ease the devastating pain and discomfort. To the mentality of these evil men, women who are not circumcised in these vicious ways are considered "unclean" and "unsuitable" as brides.
These barbaric men can't allow their women to exist any other way because they are afraid that if this isn't done, then the possibility is great that she their opposite number might actually become enamored of sex and desire to have it with other men. So, without a clitoris, they would have no desire to cheat and their husband has total control.
Like I said, the animals have it better. Their females don't have their genitalia mutilated as a tot. Because these pitiful men in Africa and the Middle East in places like the Sudan and Mauritania and elsewhere among the Muslims, and even in the US, are so insecure about maintaining control over their women, over 100 million of them are mutilated in this manner.
Wow, I wonder where the United Nations and Kofi are when it comes to that! Kofi incidentally, may be from Guiana but he's married to a blond Swede. So, with this mentality it's no wonder when it comes to combat with real men that they are at a loss as to how to react.
I remember I first saw this in June of 82 when I was covering the war in Beirut as a journalist. Then, like now, they specialized and understood terrorism. Negotiations and treating them collectively like partners only earns their contempt.
It's considered "politically incorrect" to bring up the fact that global Islam, with a world population of something like 1.4 billion people, are total losers when it comes to having productive lives.
Israel, with a population of 5.6 million population, produces a greater annual GNP (if oil revenues are not in the equation) of more than all the Arab countries together. It is one thing to terrorize the woman in their house and quite another to fight on a battlefield like real soldiers.
Our soldiers are learning every day as they're cherry-picking our soldiers off, one by one. Any concession made to them is simply a call for more aggression. As a result, terrorism is thriving. In the rest of the world, we laugh and talk about having a 'dogs life." I think to the majority of Arab women and, the life that they lead, they would trade places in a heartbeat.
Arlene Peck is an internationally syndicated columnist and television talk show hostess. She travels extensively worldwide, reporting to her audience about political events, social happenings (Cannes Film Festival, London event for the Variety Club, etc.) and "must see" spots. If there is a place to see and be seen, she'll write about it for her international audience. Arlene's syndicated column is read weekly by millions and her television show ("Wow! It's Arlene Peck!") can be seen throughout Southern California every Monday night.
Arlene Peck doesn't practice "political correctness," but tells it just like it is. This website is proud to present her work because we don't practice political correctness either. Visit Arlene's Homepage
I applaud Sefarad's amassing slanderous volumes of anti-Arab anti-Islamic diatribes in answer to the question raised by the marginalization of Ethiopian Jews within Israel proper.
I do believe that the Palestinians do not exist, in fact they NEVER existed. For proof of same I refer you to:
http://www.PalestineFacts.org.
Here you will be able to get to the bottom of this important issue, which has been fully documented by:
JewishJimCrowsforRewritingPalestine'sHistory.net.
I'm not going to waste any more of my valuable time this issue.
Both of you are racist dirtbags. May you be sent to an early grave soon. Humanity will be immensely served by your early demises.
American Jewish Committee and the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP)
Executive Summary
This report presents the official Saudi world-view to which school students between the ages 6-16 are exposed through the medium of subject textbooks. For this purpose, 93 books taught in grades 1-10, mostly from the years 1999-2002, have been examined. Special emphasis is placed on the Saudi Arabian attitude to the "other", namely, Christians, Jews and the West, as well as on: the Middle East conflict, the concept of government, women's status in society and children's status in the family. Following are the main findings.
Education in Saudi Arabia is centered around Islam, as stated in the Education Policy document (cf. the Preface and clauses 2, 11, 12, 13, 25, 28, 29, 31, 50, 60, 64, 74, 83, 95, 153, 209, 232 of that document in Chapter One ). Islamic studies constitute a major portion of the curriculum at all educational levels, and even science textbooks contain Islamic notions.
Saudi Arabia is presented as a country where Islam plays the dominant role in state and society, in the judicial and educational systems, and in everyday life. Saudi Arabia assumes, in turn, a leading role in the Muslim world and sees itself as the champion of Islam.
Islam is presented as the only true religion, while all other religions are presented as false. It is the only religion leading its followers to Paradise, whereas all other religions destroy their believers in Hell. The Muslims are, consequently, superior to followers of all other religions, in both this world and the next.
Christians and Jews are denounced as infidels. Moreover, Christians and Jews are presented as enemies of Islam and of Muslims. Therefore, Muslims may not befriend them, nor emulate them in any way, lest that lead to love and friendship, which is forbidden.
The West in particular is the source of the past and present misfortunes of the Muslim world, beginning with the Crusades, through modern Imperialism and ending in the establishment of the State of Israel. However, the West's most dangerous effect on Muslim society nowadays is its cultural and intellectual influence in various fields such as: the spread of Western practices and habits - from Western democracy to alcoholic drinks, Western influence in the fields of literature, art, music, the media and fashion, Western-inspired ideologies such as Nationalism - including its Arab version, Communism and Secularism, Western influence in education and research - including research of the Muslim world ("Orientalism"), Christian missionary work, Western humanitarian and medical aid, and even Western-invented computer games.
The West itself is a decaying society on its way to extinction, the symptoms of which are the absence of spirituality, adultery and sodomy that increase the number of AIDS cases in the West, and the large number of suicides in Western society.
According to the Saudi textbooks, the Jews are a wicked nation, characterized by bribery, slyness, deception, betrayal, aggressiveness and haughtiness. They were a negative element in Arabia even before Islam and cooperated with Muhammad's enemies after the emergence of Islam, for which they were punished by the Prophet with exile and, in one case - putting to death of the men and enslavementof the women and children. In spite of this they remained disloyal to Islam and created dissension within it. Their present occupation of Palestine constitutes a danger to the neighboring Muslim countries. The Jews have been a harmful element in world history, and are responsible, inter alia, for the French and Bolshevik revolutions and for the outbreak of World War I. In order to illustrate the negative role of the Jews to Saudi Arabian students, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are presented to them as an authentic historical source. They are said to have been the secret resolutions of the first Zionist Congress that was convened in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897. One textbook mentions that perdition is the desired fate for the Jews.
Zionism is presented as an evil movement. It is based on ancient Jewish notions, chief among them being the idea of the "Chosen People", which is presented in the Saudi Arabian textbooks as a belief on the part of the Jews that they have been chosen to be masters of the world.* Accordingly, Zionism strives towards world domination or, at least, towards territorial expansion in the Fertile Crescent and Arabia. It uses evil means to direct world history, including some non-Jewish auxiliary organizations, like the Freemasons and the Lyons and Rotary clubs.
Israel is not recognized as a sovereign state in the Saudi Arabian textbooks and its name does not appear on any map. Instead, all maps bear the name Palestine. Israeli regions - such as the Negev, and cities - such as Haifa and Acre, are presented as Palestinian. Palestine is presented as a Muslim country occupied by foreigners who defile its Muslim holy places, especially the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.. The occupation of Palestine is portrayed as the most crucial problem of the Arabs and the Muslims, who should all join forces for the total liberation of Palestine and for its purification from the Zionist filth.
Peace between Muslims and non-Muslims is not advocated. Instead, the Saudi Arabian textbooks, even grammar books, are full of phrases exalting war, Jihad, and martyrdom, as indicated by the following examples:
All forms of terror are rejected by the Saudi Arabian textbooks. However, it appears that such prohibitions do not apply to cases that fall in the categories of Jihad and martyrdom. Saudi Arabian textbooks use the term "Fida'i" in a positive way, which seems to indicate support for terrorist activity carried out by members of the Palestinian armed organizations who are called "Fida'is" throughout the Arab world.
The Saudi Arabian textbooks reject Western democracy. Instead, they praise the type of regime Saudi Arabia has embraced, the character of which is attributed to Islamic directives. Within this framework, the subjects are expected to remain loyal to the ruler under all circumstances - even if the ruler is oppressive - so long as he does not order them to act in a way contrary to Islamic Law. On the other hand, the Saudi Arabian textbooks emphasize the "family-like" type of relationship between the ruler and the ruled.
Women's legal standing and their status vis-à-vis men, including their own husbands in matters of divorce, is elaborately dealt with in the Saudi Arabian textbooks. Specific attention is paid in the books to the various rules that prohibit direct contact between men and women, and the importance of women's dress code.
The Saudi Arabian textbooks emphasize the child's duties towards his parents, of which first and foremost is obedience. Obedience is also demanded from the students to their teacher.
It should be noted that the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Prince Sa'ud al-Faysal, referred to the issue of Saudi Arabia textbooks being a clear example of hate literature against anything Western, Christian and Jewish during an interview to CBS's "60 Minutes" program in September 2002. He said that a survey of Saudi Arabian textbooks that had been carried out on his orders revealed that only 5% of the material therein were "abhorrent", while other 10% were "questionable", and they had been changed (see in Appendix A, a transcript of his statement). It is too early to determine whether such a reform is complete, but CMIP and AJC hope that the present report contribute to any useful discussion of this important issue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Jewish concept of the Chosen People has nothing to do with the relations between Jews and other nations. Its essence is the relations between the Jews and God Who has chosen them to live according to a special code that He envisaged for them and embodied in the Torah. Such a status is a constant test rather than a privilege and does not make the Jews superior to any other nation, as is clearly emphasized by prophets such as Amos (see Amos 3:2; 9:7).