Saudi Arabia revamping education to combat ‘extremist ideologies’ – minister

Saudi Arabia is revamping its education curriculum to eradicate any trace of Muslim Brotherhood influence, the country’s education minister said. Anyone working in the sector who sympathizes with the banned group will be dismissed, Reuters quoted Ahmed Al-Issa as saying. Promoting a more moderate form of Islam is one of the promises made by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman under plans to modernize the kingdom. The Education Ministry is working to “combat extremist ideologies by reviewing school curricula and books to ensure they do not reflect the banned Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda,” Al-Issa said in a statement. It would “ban such books from schools and universities, and remove those who sympathize with the group or its ideology from their posts," he added. In September, a large Saudi public university said it would dismiss employees suspected of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.