In a satiric article published in the London daily Al-Hayat, Egyptian playwright Ali Salem mocked the Arab media'sincitement to extremism. Salem sarcastically suggested opening a kindergarten to teach terrorist values. Following areexcerpts from the article which was titled "A new curriculum of extremism for children."
"I am looking for sponsors for the establishment of a modern kindergarten for extremism, for children under four (because after age five, you cannot teach a person anything new). Thus, I would guarantee that when they reach high school and university, these children will remain extremists; no creature nor any scientific curriculum could undermine their extremism, or tame them. We will make the clever ones our journalists and intellectuals, our editors-in-chief, our radio broadcasters, and our officials in all areas of life."
"Give me your children, and I promise you that they will become bona fide extremists. I swear to you that any of them who show genius in his extremism will join the Supreme Academy of Terrorism, even if his terrorism ranking does not qualify him; it is enough that he is sincere in his desire, has a gift for terrorism, or is a terrorist by nature."
"I will say to them: 'Kids, don't believe that others worship the same god as we; they are infidels who worship other deities. You must always think of ways to force them to worship whom we worship – the others are foreigners, and foreigners are infidels. The task for which I am preparing you is to purge the world of them.'"
"This is your holy message: 'Don't believe the story that they stick to about freedom, democracy, human rights, progress, and civilization; they are liars and deceivers. They hate us because we are better, greater, and stronger than they.'"
"You will easily notice that they love life, and that is the weak point that we will exploit. We, in contrast, love death and protect it. Do not believe that Allah created life for us to live, build, and enjoy. [No,] Allah created us to test our ability to rebel against life, to despise it, and to get rid of it at the earliest opportunity. Each and every one of you must seek out your first chance to die – but you must not die for free. You must take with you as many of the infidels as possible, and send them to Hell. You must know, dear children, that our martyrs gain entry to Paradise, while their dead are [sentenced] to the fires of Hell. These idiots do not believe in Paradise, in the fires of Hell, or in the Day of Judgment, and the proof is that they insist on turning the world into Paradise [on Earth], in which they enjoy everything."
"Any wise observer can discern how [the infidels] each day, each hour, even each moment, invent ways to turn human life into Paradise on Earth. If they truly believed in Allah or in his prophets, they would make sure that their people lived like the Afghan people, and they would rule their countries as does the great Mullah, Muhammad Omar [head of the Taliban]. In every generation, children, there appear two great men named [Omar]. In our generation, they are Mullah Muhammad Omar and [Sheikh] Omar Abd Al-Rahman [blind Egyptian sheikh convicted after WTC bombing in 1993]; the only time an Omar appeared within the infidels' [ranks], it was Omar Sherif [the actor]!"
"Do you really believe that they are fighting the Taliban in revenge for what befell them? To avenge their casualties? Of course not. They want to take over the oil of Caspian Sea. They have already taken over the Arabs' oil and had to put on this show in order to obtain the oil of the Caspian Sea. Repeat after me: 'Death to America, death to the West! Death to us, and may life be the lot of the abject cowards.'"
"You know, children, or you may have heard, that there is a country called Indonesia, that is the largest Muslim country in the world. Don't believe it. The proof is that they allow a woman to rule them… Look at what this woman has done: She was the first to run to America to declare that her country stands by them. I recommend to you, children, to despise women. You should fear them, because Satan's role is to seduce people. By necessity, we allow women to live, but only to bear children."
"Dear children: 'Hate the beaches. Hate the flowers and the roses. Hate the wheat fields. Hate the trees. Hate music. Hate all manner of artistic, literary, or scientific endeavor. Hate tenderness. Hate reason and intellect. Hate your families and your countrymen. Hate others – all others. Hate yourselves. Hate your teachers. Hate me. Hate this school. Hate life and everything in it.'"
"Go on, get to class."[1]
[1] Al-Hayat (London), November 5, 2001.
