Does teaching children to glorify conquests and consider them virtues, civilizations, and glories mean anything other than teaching these children, young men, and young women how to assault others, rob them of their freedom, steal their money, rape their women, enslave their girls, hate others, and degrade their dignity? What do they learn from glorifying the jizya (tribute)imposed on people to pay in humiliation and submission? And when the peoples of the conquered regions are forced to adhere to the depravity brought about by the Pact of Umar, which represents a document of shame unparalleled in human history, what moral level are young men and women being placed at in school by being taught the “virtues” of that pact?! Is it any wonder that these young men and women turn into predatory beasts, devouring others, even their neighbors, their children, or others?!
Those who promote criminals like Ibn al-Walid, Ibn al-Aas, Uqba ibn Nafi, and others, considering them heroes and role models and glorifying them in school textbooks, should not be surprised by the rise in crime, violence, corruption, and backwardness, This represents a continuation of a legacy of crime, violence, and backwardness, which is reflected in how people treat others, even neighbors. Customs, traditions, schools, and school education are responsible for creating individuals in their own image and as representatives of them, A society at war produces individuals of violence and war, A society of war spoils produces a society of looting, theft, and corruption. Promoting barbaric values in schools produces barbarians. The school, the family home, customs, and traditions are responsible for moral decline and the erosion of values in societies teetering on the brink of collapse, societies that embrace terrorism, understand it, and defend it, even in naive ways, such as saying, “This has nothing to do with the faith.” What is the value of a faith that its adherents do not abide by?
There is no doubt about the crisis in the Arab East, no doubt about the clash between this East and the modern age, and no doubt about the crisis in its values, language, behaviors, and even its ideas, which drive its imagination, historical consciousness, identity, symbols, and perceptions, There is a disappointment in this East, a disappointment based on the inability of education to reformulate values and symbols in a way that is compatible with the spirit of the age, The rot of values and symbols did not eliminate those who were made enemies from among them, but rather eliminated the self and hindered the establishment of societies in the modern sense of this word, i.e., a state with a social contract. As a result, the state disappeared, and countries and groups turned into a jungle and into predatory beasts that practice biting, tearing, violence, masculinity, and oppressive domination.
One of the main reasons for all of this was the inability of school curricula to modernize and humanize symbols and values, such as the values of peace, honesty, equality, and cooperation. How can the values of peace, morality, and equality be established by presenting criminals as role models to be emulated and followed? Unfortunately, the situation has not changed for the better despite the volumes of Al-Jabri, Al-Tarabishi, Arkoun, and others. Rather, we see a moral, conceptual, and behavioral regression. Therefore, we must look for other educational and pedagogical means.
Time does not permit the self-initiated creation of something truly good,The gap with the rest of the civilized world is vast, Actively joining the globalization club might be the shortest and most effective path—that is, adopting from others, Here, with the will, a process of hybridization and implantation of new, proven values in people’s minds can be undertaken. The first thing to be planted is a project of critique, especially self-criticism. Furthermore, it is essential to cultivate some of the seeds of Atatürk, who overnight separated religious institutions from state institutions, or rather, nationalized religious institutions and placed them under state control, A secular beginning is necessary, perhaps starting with the secularization of the ruling power, which would eradicate corrupt values through laws applied with a degree of severity and decisiveness, as Atatürk did. It is reasonable to assume that no authority would encounter significant obstacles in changing school curricula, removing religious education, and limiting the interference of religious figures in state institutions, Changing personal status laws would be very easy, feasible, and necessary, Even the legalization and codification of civil marriage would be… It is met with overwhelming welcome and defeated opposition from the mercenaries of the clergy.
Several occasions have demonstrated how quickly the opposition of men evaporates once they have some crumbs of sustenance and gain left, An example of this was Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Salman, who even abolished the use of loudspeakers in places of worship, allowed shops and restaurants to open during prayer times, then greatly reduced the authority of the clergy, such as abolishing the organization for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, He even dared to review school textbooks, allowed women to drive cars, and much more, which led to the erosion of the authority of the clergy in the Ministry of Justice, for example, without us seeing the earthquakes that the clergy and sheikhs always threatened.
The steps taken by Bin Salman and his ilk are characterized as reforms imposed by the authorities, like the reforms of Ataturk and Bourguiba regarding polygamy. Theoretically, it is difficult to support the authoritarian imposition, but there is no popular awareness and will that can be relied upon in those backward societies, which allows reliance on the decision of the popular will instead of the authoritarian imposition. We want to point out that Saudi Arabia began allowing women to be educated in 1962, meaning that Saudi Arabia was at the height of backwardness and the popular will was not strong enough to confront this prohibition.
In short, it can be said that the Saudi reality imposed a kind of modernization or even modernity, which began with politics and will end with society, while in European societies the opposite was true, as modernity began socially and ended politically!
Does teaching children to glorify conquests and consider them virtues, civilizations, and glories mean anything other than teaching these children, young men, and young women how to assault others, rob them of their freedom, steal their money, rape their women, enslave their girls, hate others, and degrade their dignity? What do they learn from glorifying the jizya (tribute)imposed on people to pay in humiliation and submission? And when the peoples of the conquered regions are forced to adhere to the depravity brought about by the Pact of Umar, which represents a document of shame unparalleled in human history, what moral level are young men and women being placed at in school by being taught the “virtues” of that pact?! Is it any wonder that these young men and women turn into predatory beasts, devouring others, even their neighbors, their children, or others?!