Teachers supporting ideas advocated by the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood must be banned from teaching in the Kingdom, say several academics and teachers.
They welcomed the Education Ministry’s recent announcement that it has banned schools from using 80 books of writers linked to the organization, but said more should be done to counter the ideology being propagated, a local publication reported Thursday.
Sheikh Mohammed Al-Fifi, faculty head and member of the advisory committee at Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, said officials should think beyond banning books but also ensure they prevent teachers from being employed who support the organization.
“Banning schools from having textbooks or material of the Brotherhood or those that promote their ideology, is a positive step,” he said. “Students and the youth are our responsibility and should be properly guided and educated.”
He said this move by the ministry comes at a critical time. “What we are seeing around us is a result of the poisonous information spread by these books, notably the direct and indirect messages of violence and deviancy.”
Sheikh Ghazi bin Ghazi Al-Muteiri, professor of the Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz Chair for the Study of the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, said that while he supported the ban on the books, this was not enough. This is because many of these books could be bought easily through foreign bookstores and online, he said.
Al-Muteiri said that there should be a greater emphasis on education suited to all age levels to strengthen awareness of these issues. This should include discussion on the ideas being propagated by these books. An outright ban could have adverse consequences, he said.
Abdulrahman Al-Nami, press adviser and general supervisor of the media department at Imam Mohammed ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, agreed that there should be education focused on young people, to challenge extremist ideas.
“The Internet and social media are capable of circulating these books, but the Ministry of Education can protect the youth and guide them in the right direction.” Families and youth organizations also play a critical role in education and awareness, he said.
The ministry earlier this week banned 80 books by writers including Hassan Al-Banna, Sayyid Qutb and Yousuf Al-Qaradawi. These books should be handed to the ministry within two weeks. The ministry has also warned education departments and schools not to accept any gifts other than those given by the ministry.
The banned books include “Allah and the Islamic Faith,” and “The Ten Principles” by Hassan Al-Banna, “The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam” by Yousuf Al-Qaradawi and “Shubhaat Hawl Al-Islam” by Sayyid Qutb.
Agencies
