policies and programmes relating to the education of minorities. Anxiety from the
Shiite minority comes mainly from their inability to have administrative positions in
neither in higher or lower educational institutions, particularly in female
institutions.
3. Education must contribute to the elimination of prejudices among the
population and promote mutual respect, understanding and tolerance among all
the people residing in the state, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or culture.
The Saudi religion courses are filled with a lot of abuse to the Shi'a religion directly
and indirectly forcing the minority group to study and take exams that do not
represent their principles. It is the duty of the state to ensure a welcoming learning
environment for the children of minorities and not an unsafe environment for
them. Unfortunately though, it is not allowed for the children of the Shiite
community to form their own religious curriculum to raise them by or educate
them with.
4. Allow the Shiite minority to establish educational institutions in religious and
public disciplines. This is to ensure parents or legal guardians have the liberty to
choose for their children institutions other than those established by the state
authorities, ensuring that the religious and moral education their children receive
is in conformity with their own convictions. The state should not hinder the
enjoyment of this right by imposing any legal barriers or other conditions from
establishing and managing these institutions. There still exists concern given there
is currently no opportunity for citizens from the Shi'a minority to establish special
educational institutions in any of the religious or public disciplines. Members of the
Shi'a minority are not granted licenses needed to establish special daycares and
schools even those that know the current official curriculum.
5. And where it is necessary to have different forms of education including
curricula and teaching methods acceptable to the parents and children that is
relevant, culturally appropriate and of good quality the state must modify the
general education curriculum and the public education in the area of Shiite
religious belief, as it is stipulated in the Declaration on the Rights of Minorities.
Dr. Sadik M. AL-Jabran, Doctorate in Le gal Advisor
Participant in the pilot fellowship programme for minorities, Arabic
speaking, January 2008