Yesterday, the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, Virginia, near Washington, DC, unanimously voted to continue leasing county property to the Islamic Saudi Academy, which is funded by the Saudi government. The school had been criticized for using textbooks which included virulently anti-Semitic and anti-Christian language and teachings. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report last year urging the State Department to shut the school down unless it materially changed the textbooks to remove the hateful language. To quote the Commission, 'Moreover, a 2006 report analyzing some Saudi textbooks from the 2005-2006 school year found that 'a ninth grade Saudi textbook on Hadith teaches teenagers in apocalyptic terms that violence towards Jews, Christians and other unbelievers is sanctioned by God.' For example, the textbook reads, 'the hour [of judgment] will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them.'' ISA's 1999 valedictorian was Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, who was convicted and sentenced to prison for joining Al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush.

Apparently, the Board of Supervisors is satisfied that the textbooks were changed - 'apparently,' that is, because it commissioned a report to translate the newest version of the textbooks, but the Board refuses to release the report. That secrecy is unacceptable in this instance, especially considering that the report was paid for by taxpayers' dollars.

Either the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors must release the report, or Congress should subpoena it and release it for them.