CAIRO, January 3 (IslamOnline.net) - A research on the role of educational curricula in the emergence and development of “extravagance and fanaticism” in the Saudi Kingdom, submitted last week to the “Second Intellectual Meeting of National Dialogue”, has come under fire from some Saudi scholars.

The resentment of the scholars stems from the fact that the research undermines the principles of the Wahhabi Doctrine, upon which the legitimacy of the rule in the kingdom is based.

156 Saudi religious figures have issued a statement that warns of the risks of modifying educational curricula, particularly religious ones, in a response to the research submitted by Ibrahim El-Sakran and Abdel Aziz Al-Qassem, entitled “Religious educational curricula…a reading in how to deal with others, reality and civilization.”

The research - a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net Saturday, January 3 - says that religious educational curricula in the kingdom include materials that “infringe upon the rights of Muslims of opposing opinion”, “the bases of treating non-Muslims” and the rules of dealing with knowledge and civilizations. They also encourage religious fanaticism, according to the research.

It recommends reconsidering religious educational curricula to remove parts related to political battles and disputes from such curricula and focus only on what senior scholars have agreed upon.

It also seeks to “deepen the concepts of legitimate human rights” and the rules of dealing with others such as mercy and justice.

The research also calls for “breathing balance again into religious educational curricula so as to be suitable to the needs of the receivers” and outlining a balanced perspective towards cultures and knowledge.

The research points out that achieving such a balance requires a radical study of the methods of preparing curricula that undergo intellectual disputes, in addition to religious and political battles that took place during the first five centuries of Islam.

In the meantime, it criticizes such curricula for ignoring contemporary issues such as basic human rights, legitimate freedoms. Ignoring such issues, according to the research, has led to disregarding the expression of opinion in a civilized way, resulting in different kinds of social disputes.

The research emphasizes the importance of believing in legitimate multilateralism and building legitimate values of coexistence, loyalty and friendliness in the new generations.

The research warns of the glorifying presentation educational curricula teem with at all stages in dealing with opposing opinions; a matter that leads to legitimizing killing and blood shedding among the youth.

The research presents several methods of accusations of infidelity and blasphemy to include those who pay visits to the tombs or get blessings from them.

Educational curricula do also accuse followers of modern political trends such as liberals and socialists of blasphemy, calling for killing them, taking their women as slaves and looting their properties, as per the research.

In reply to this research, 156 Saudi religious figures have issued a statement that warns of the risks stemming from the ‘reform’ of educational curricula, particularly religious curricula, according to the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper Saturday January 3.

The statement warns of the dangers of any step taken by the government to modify or develop religious curricula, pointing out that this modification will be the first step towards corruption; a matter that requires a firm stand and undermines the principles of the Wahhabi Doctrine, upon which the legitimacy of the rule in the kingdom is based.

It is worth noting that the recommendations of the second intellectual meeting held last week was referred to the Saudi crown prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Saturday January 3.

Most signatories are Salafis, including Dr. Nasser Al-Omr, Sheikh Abdullah bin Habrin, Sheikh Abdel Rahman Nasser Al-Barrak, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamoud Al-Tuweigry, Dr. Safar Al-Hawaly and Hamad Al-Sulaifeih, according to Al-Hayat Arabic daily.

Al-Awagy has underlined that he supports modifying educational curricula without exception, as they are not among fixed assets of religion, pointing out that changes should be based on external dictations.

The statement has been presented to both Sheikh Salman Al-Awda and Abdul Wahab Al-Tariri, who refused to sign it for unknown reasons, given that Al-Awda was one of the participants in the national dialogue in Makkah, according to Al-Hayat.

Voices of those calling for reform in Saudi Arabia have increased, following the attacks on some housing complexes in Riyadh on May 12, 2003, that led to 35 deaths, including eight U.S. citizens.