In her April 4, 2011 column in the Kuwaiti daily Al-Jarida, liberal Kuwaiti columnist Dr. Ibtihal 'Abd Al-'Aziz Al-Khatib harshly criticized the school curricula in Kuwait, calling them a source of Arab extremism, ethnic sectarianism, and disconnection from reality.
Following are excerpts from her column:
"From Where Did The Sectarianism, Extremism, and Close-Mindedness Infiltrate?"
"These days, everyone is searching for the root of the problem, wondering about [the origin of our current plight]. From where did the sectarianism, extremism, and close-mindedness infiltrate? How and when did superstition take over? What are the reasons for our swift regression to the medieval era, and to the darkness, when people fought for sectarian [reasons], protected [themselves] with amulets, and treated superstition as fact. Anyone who has young children in elementary or high school will necessarily discover one of the most dangerous sources of the problem. He will have a hard time, as he will have to control himself when [faced] with blatant lies or with a piece of information that does not stand the test of reality – [not even that of] little children."
"I Had To Again Call the Faiths of Others 'Heresy'"
"Unfortunately, many examples [of such information] fill the schoolbooks... [As part of] the ninth grade Islamic culture curriculum, I had to teach my daughter, for example, that... a man dresses as he does because Allah the Almighty endowed him with 'a unique body type that enables him to do everything required to prove his manliness and to bear the consequences.' The same book had me tell [her] that my grandmother's visits to the graves of holy men, in accordance with her faith, was nothing but making these graves 'idols,' [and idolatry] is an 'infidel faith.'
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"And, of course, there was no way out of telling my daughter that the Creator of the Universe is known 'for His great cruelty and vengeance against His enemies,' [or] from discussing with her 'the types of torments of the grave and in Hell.' Then, I had to again call the faiths of others 'heresy,' and again tell her that 'praying at the graves [of holy men]... is considered heresy.'"
"My Daughter... Is Learning That A Husband Has the Right to Beat His Wife"
"[As part of] this curriculum, I had to tell my young daughter, who has barely stepped into the world of youth, the story of the Prophet Muhammad's visit to the home of his wife Hafsa. She asked him for permission to visit her family, which he granted; he then sent for Hafsa's Coptic maidservant Maria, and he became intimate with her in the home of Hafsa herself, who became angry [when she found out]. Later, the news became known among the Prophet's wives, and he did not permit himself to be intimate with them, until the descent of the verse: 'O Prophet! Why do you forbid that which Allah has made lawful for you [Koran 66:1]?' This story of maidservants and physical association with them is [told] to young children who know nothing of the historical background on slavery at that time.
"With regard to the 11th-grade curriculum, an entire chapter is devoted to demons, so that the little ones will learn of their plans, the details of their lives, and [how] they attach themselves to people. As for my daughter's favorite [topic]... marriage – she is learning that a husband has the right to beat his wife, but without leaving marks on her body, and that a divorced woman must remain in her husband's home during the ida' [a three- month period in which he has permission to change his mind about divorcing her], and must adorn herself for him, so that he will change his mind and take her back."
"I Want My Children To Learn Things That Will Help Them In This World"
"My final torment was in the first lesson in the third-graders' Arabic schoolbook; [the lesson is] titled, 'Do You Want Something?' It tells of 'a simple man who did not study shari'a.' One day, after hearing a beautiful hadith about the Prophet Muhammad, is moved and motivated to study the shari'a and delve deeply into it. So far, so good.
"But in the middle of the story, this man becomes gravely ill, requiring surgery by a doctor 'who had not prayed with [the appropriate] submission.' Now, remember that that this lesson is aimed at little eight-year-olds. [The story continues], 'Suddenly, after the operation, the unconscious patient sat up, and said, "Oh, doctor." The doctor answered, "Do you want something?' The man repeated to him the hadith [that had inspired him to study shari'a] and then expired.'
"[The story concludes,] 'The doctor was amazed by this man who sat up while still unconscious to tell him of this hadith.' And, of course, the doctor then [starts to] attend mosque classes in shari'a, eventually becoming a 'preacher.'
"My problem is not just with the [story's expression of] admiration for the doctor who becomes a preacher. The [real] tragedy is the horror-film aspect of a man on the operating table... who later dies before the doctor's eyes, and that the only thing that this doctor can say to a man who speaks while unconscious is, 'Do you want something?'
"[Well,] I do want something. I want my children to learn things that will help them in this world, which does not pity idiocy and shows no solidarity with backwardness. I want them to be mentally stable, without fear or apprehension of death and suffering. I want them to learn the philosophical and humane aspects [of the religion] that make it attractive – not tales that sell illusions mixed with fear.
"That is what I want. Dear readers, open your little children's [school] books and protect them from their contents."
