What is the Tatweer program in Saudi Arabia? Asma Uddin has an article at AltMuslim about Saudi Arabia’s new King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) that provides some fascinating background information about the Tatweer program that I thought should be highlighted.
…King Abdullah launched the Tatweer programme as an educational reform body independent from the country’s ministry of education in 2006. The programme’s goal is not only to see more students graduate prepared for jobs but also to create a citizenry that is open and able to deal with religious differences – and less likely to harbour extremism.
Tatweer reform involves changing school curricula throughout the country to include more open debate and discussion as opposed to rote memorisation. Yet, as Kelly McEvers’ Slate.com article “Changing the Way Saudis Learn” reveals, little has changed in Saudi Tatweer schools. Even while students are encouraged to look at varying perspectives on any given issue, the understanding is always that the final – and in other words, correct – point of view can be found with the kingdom’s senior clerics. Moreover, Nina Shea’s 2008 study of Saudi curricula shows that hatred of the non-Wahhabi continues to permeate public school textbooks from first-grade on, teaching students that “It is forbidden for a Muslim to be a loyal friend to someone who does not believe in God and His Prophet,” and “True belief means … that you hate the polytheists and infidels but do not treat them unjustly.”
This type of top-down control of discourse not only espouses hatred but also limits the free-flowing marketplace of ideas, where viewpoints are distinguished on the basis of their substance, persuasive power and/or utility. Until ideas can flourish in Saudi without the authoritative power of the government, modernisation will never be possible.
