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Congressmen Wilson, Keating Act To Keep Saudi Arabia Accountable

January 18, 2019

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Congressmen Joe Wilson (R-SC) and William Keating (D-MA) are taking bipartisan action to ensure Saudi Arabia remains committed to combatting extremism and hatred:

"Textbooks published by Saudi Arabia, for use in the country and throughout the world, are full of intolerant content that incite youth to hatred and violence. For over a decade, Saudi Arabia has promised to review these textbooks and remove intolerant content. Unfortunately, the Kingdom has not lived up to its promises," said Wilson. "The Saudi Educational Transparency and Reform Act of 2019 requires the U.S. State Department to review Saudi textbooks annually and ensure that Riyadh is upholding its pledge to peace. I am grateful to Congressman Keating for his leadership on this matter, and I look forward to continuing our shared commitment to combatting the evil ideology that inspires terrorism."

"Saudi Arabia continues to turn a blind eye to the intolerant rhetoric in children's educational textbooks. Unfortunately, this rhetoric only contributes to increased violence towards vulnerable groups inside the Kingdom and throughout the region. The Saudi Educational Transparency and Reform Act of 2019 will help make sure Riyadh takes a more proactive approach to eliminating all hateful content from these materials and encourage them to instead ensure children are receiving meaningful educational content that promotes peace and understanding and equips them with the knowledge they need to contribute to and compete in the global marketplace. I appreciate working with Congressman Wilson in introducing this important legislation again this congress," said Keating.

To read more about H.R. 554, the Saudi Educational Transparency and Reform Act of 2019 click here.