School’s books are racist, says sacked teacher | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited — It’s amazing that this continues unabated.
A Saudi-run school in London uses textbooks which describe Jews as monkeys and Christians as pigs, according to papers filed with an employment tribunal by a former teacher.
Teaching materials used at the King Fahd school in Acton, west London, translated from Arabic for an unfair dismissal claim against the school, say Jews “engage in witchcraft and sorcery and obey Satan”, and invite pupils to “name some repugnant characteristics of Jews” and to give examples of worthless religions, such as Judaism and Christianity.
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Previous complaints
Situation in USA
found by Sergio Gasparrini
and to give examples of worthless religions,
How about all of them?
PETA would take issue with the idea that it is considered an insult to be likened to a monkey or a pig — what’s wrong with monkeys and pigs?
Well if this is what passes for education in middle eastern Muslim countries, it kind of explains why no middle eastern countries have been a dominate world power since the bronze age.
Dropping political correctness for the moment, before oil all these countries had was religion. Even given the monetary funds (from oil) to advance their own populace, they have failed – failed miserably. The constant tribal conflicts continue to breed a violent society. And yes violent they are, not all, but those who are not fail to keep in check those who are, so they reap what the allow to be sowed in sense. The very fact that ‘tribal’ conflicts continue to exist demonstrates the massive failure of their education system, their culture and their place in a modern world. Once that oil is gone, all they will have left is religion (again) and that is certainly not serving them well and frankly never has.
With educational opportunities such as this the future of the middle east is indeed in dim light.
#3 – Ditto, ditto, ditto, brother!
So if Jews are monkeys and Christians are pigs, what are atheists, what are Muslims, what are Hindus, etc.?!? This sounds like a fun game!
#3 – thousands of years ago, the Middle East was a pioneering region of agriculture, gave birth to the monotheistic religions that shaped our culture. Algebra was invented in the Middle East. Bronze was widely used in the Middle East before it reached Europe.
The Renaissance infused Europe with Middle Eastern ideas of logic and art. The following reformation and colonial expansion pushed Europe and it culture into world dominance.
That said, the point about the overshadowing dominance of oil as a major regional factor is trivially obvious. The solutions to the problems in the Middle East are far from trivial.
#7
‘-thousands of years ago…’ exactly my point. Your list of middle eastern accomplishments is admirable, yet this all happened hundreds if not thousands of years ago. Move on or get left behind, a simple strategy, yet wholly undiscovered by middle eastern politicians and as a result, their people.
It is trivially obvious to me that with the resultant oil income middle eastern countries have the means to fund a new renaissance for themselves. This has not happened, and it won’t happen unless they exercise a will to lift themselves into the 21st century. This willingness, or pioneering attitude they once had, has been pummeled into oblivion by their own leaders over and over again in the name of tribal disputes. Grow up boys.
An educational system that demonizes everyone but themselves serves no purpose and actually hinders their own people with the shackles of ignorance. An age is not called dark because the light doesn’t shine, it is called dark because people refuse to see it.
It’s incredible to me that people can take the teachings of a small fringe sect and apply it to all Muslims. You people are just getting caught up in the Muslim bashing mania. This was obviously publicized by somebody with an anti-Muslim agenda. There are some fringe right-wing sects in our country that advocate the same views towards Jews and minorities. Would it be fair to lump all Americans in with these views? We should rise above hate, not spit it back.
#7
I agree, and the ones blamed for ruining it are the European nobles who in order to distract the populace from the escalating debt the nobles had done while wasting taxpayers’ money.
Sounds familiar?
7, 8, 10 – You all make depressingly good sense.
Yet it’s hardly surprising that the loudest, least assimilated voices are the ones most clearly heard in countries where they have immigrated. A friend who good-naturedly tarted herself up in Sydney for an 80s retro concert was spat at in a fast-food store by an immigrant Muslim. It may not be fair to tar all Muslims with the same brush, but you can’t expect people to forget or easily forgive that kind of assaultive, disagreeable behavior either. Granted there are lunkheads in any culture, but people who immigrate into another culture really ought to make an effort to be good guests, seems to me. That or go home.
news flash! “Muslim Haters Hate Muslim Hate!”
anyone notice that a lot of the comments on this blog over the last couple days would be fit for an anti-Muslim version of that book?
12,
NO FLASHING the audience.
PUT that in your pocket.
If half the Muslims in Britain want Shar’ia law, then there is a problem.
Since you’re all so good in picking on islam and muslims, you may all benefit from a small (anti-discrimination) exercise. Try to find 10 good things about islam (not muslims since people change over generations but priciples tend to not change).
Pointers
Shit like this is ongoing proof that Dawkins is right.
#9, #12 and especially #15
Ok, I am amazed that these readers see what I wrote as Muslim hate and discrimination. I’ll presume that it is my comments you guys are complaining about as the other comments seem to me to be at most sarcasm.
In my first comment I surmised that the constant political and tribal conflicts breed a violent society. History shows us that there has been constant war and violence in the middle east for hundreds of years, to deny this is to deny reality. Also notice I wrote ‘And yes violent they are, NOT ALL, but those WHO ARE NOT fail to keep in check those who are…’ Perhaps those who are not violent should step up to the plate and exercise their philosophies in such a way as to temper the few that are violent. This has not happened, ever. The middle eastern religious and political leaders are wholly responsible for this travesty, a travesty against their own people, why do the people continue to tolerate it? As circumstances stand now, they tolerate it because they have to, have to or be killed. Believe me I know why there is violence, I am well aware of the benefits the few gain by keeping the status quo.
I also proposed that these tribal conflicts are a result of a failed educational system. A school system that fails its culture and its citizens status in the world community obviously must evolve and change or the very culture they try to educate (or not, as the case may be) will die.
In my second comment, I agree with #7 about the accomplishments middle eastern cultures have contributed to mankind in the past. Actually he made my point. Bluntly put – the Bronze Age is over, good job, now get over it and move on. Moving on being the hope of the middle east for this writer.
I also pointed out that middle eastern cultures need to demonstrate a willingness to lift themselves out of their own turmoil. The rest of the world cannot do that for them, only they themselves can. With the influx of oil wealth it would be very possible to have a mid-east renaissance of new cultural understanding and growth, but this is not happening. It is business as usual, violence as usual, rhetoric as usual, education as usual and hate as usual. This is reality as it stands now.
#15
For the record I don’t hate Muslims or Islam, frankly I have noticed that you’re all very good at picking on each other let alone other world societies. I don’t like it and I am sure most people in the middle east don’t like it. I ask why is it necessary? I have heard the rhetoric. Rhetoric solves nothing. Once the oil is gone I am pretty sure most the world wont care anymore. I would love to point out ten good ‘things’ about Islam, but middle eastern educational systems fail even at that. Please enlighten me.
#17. First of all –
middle east =/ islam. note that the most populous muslim nations are not in the middle east.
second of all –
“History shows us that there has been constant war and violence in the middle east for hundreds of years, to deny this is to deny reality.”
note that for “hundreds of years” the middle east was under the thumb of the Ottoman Turks and there certainly was not constant violence. certainly not as much violence as reigned in Europe from, say, the Reformation to WW2.
Also note that while the islamic middle east is currently in the doldrums, for hundreds of years dar al Islam was very literally the light of the western world. without islamic scholars, there would have been no preservation and translation of ancient greek scholarship. christian and jewish scholars flocked to islamic lands to learn from the greek classics that did not exist in latin.
Islam also contributed mightily to mathematics (Arabic numerals and al-gebra, anyone?) and astronomy.
history has its ups and downs. the muslim nations of the middle east are in dire need of political and social revolution, but we simply cannot project current conditions backward (or forward) and call them eternal truths.