Abstract

Students in the Middle East are being educated to believe that adherents of other religions are malevolent, evil and their enemy. These misconceptions or the `psycho politics of fear' influence their outlook towards the world and once this prejudiced attitude is formed, it can become resilient to change. The negative effects of such beliefs could in practice translate into destructive results both in their own destiny and that of the human community at large. This paper looks at the process by which such indoctrination takes place at the schools of one Middle Eastern country. In order to do so, the middle school level (grades 6-8) Islamic Culture and Religious Studies textbooks were researched and examined for different types, themes and methods of indoctrination. The study then strives to shed some light on the fear that underlies a prejudiced education. Finally, this paper recommends exploring different models of an `interfaith education' that aim to be free from prejudice and bias: a "critical interfaith education" which embraces diversity of human community and is based on the themes forwarded by the UNESCO 1974 Recommendation.