The embattled Saudi Embassy-sponsored Islamic Saudi Academy (ISA) in northern Virginia responded with the usual taqiyya –religiously sanctioned dissimilitude- to the definitive report of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCRIF) on its review of more than 17 Arabic language texts used by the ISA in its 2007-2008 academic year. The USCIRF report translated and analyzed these texts and found materials supporting violence and hate of non-Muslims, apostates and even suppression of Shia Muslims. Among the USCIRF revelations were:

These ‘troubling’ materials are a reflection of the strict Wahhabi doctrine and interpretation of Islamic Shari’a law. In a press release, the ISA, whose chairman is the current Royal Saudi Ambassador Adel . Al-Jubeir, accused the USCRIF of:

The ISA alleges:

I had the opportunity to speak with Nina Shea, of the Hudson Institute, one of the USCIRF commissioners.

Shea noted that the issue of Saudi hate texts in America is one that requires bilateral attention, between the US and Saudi Arabia. She noted that the USCIRF report was issued by an independent federal agency, and not by a third party NGO. The ISA is closely related to the Saudi government. The chairman of the northern Virginia Saudi-sponsored school is the Royal Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. The lease with Fairfax County, just renewed for a term of two years, was executed and paid for by the Royal Saudi government. The annual lease payment is $2.2 million The federal Employer Identification Number used on the leasehold documents is that of the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC.

As a result, Shea contends that the matter is a national security issue and something that both the Administration and the Congress should view with concern.

Unfortunately, our State Department just wishes the issue would blow over and go away. After all the Saudis have something we and others around the world are desperate for: oil. Witness this comment on the USCIRF report from a State Department daily briefing:

State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos, in response to a question on Wednesday’s report at a daily press briefing, said the Saudi government first acknowledged the need to revise the textbooks used at its schools in July 2006 “to remove all intolerant passages that disparage or promote hatred toward other religious groups or religions,” and agreed to cut them by the 2008 school year.

As to the ISA news release invitation to come and review the texts on premises “that is impractical,” said Shea. “What they are asking the USCIRF to do is to visit all 12 grades, translate and analyze more than 90 texts. That would take at least a month or better.” The USCRIF cannot realistically assume that cumbersome burden which also is intrusive into the ISA’s normal educational programming.

In response to the ISA news release, Shea noted that the 17 texts were translated and analyzed by two independent Arabic language translator/analysts. Thus, the mistranslation accusation is only in the eyes of the Saudis, and not independent experts. But then, the Saudis consider infidels translating works in the holy language of classic Arabic as suspect, given their hard-line Wahhabi doctrine.

In light of media interest in the USCIRF report and grass roots protests launched against the ISA in northern Virginia, this should be of national concern to Congress in this election year.