Islam in kindergarten?

At least 500 unregistered nursery schools operate in northern Israel, of which more than 100 are managed by the Islamic Movement, Education Ministry representative Dr. Orna Ben-Simhon said during a discussion at the Knesset's Education Committee on Tuesday.

The Education Ministry is helpless in face of the phenomenon, Ben-Simhon said at the meeting, which focused on the infiltration of the Islamic Movement into schools and kindergartens. Even though licenses of nursery schools are revoked, they continue to operate.

Arab Members of Knesset who attended the meeting insisted that all activities were legal.

Ben-Simhon also noted that nursery school children at Arab towns protested against Israel following the flotilla incident.

"The Education Ministry receives its information from complaints submitted and from supervision over kindergartens and schools that do not comply with the State's education laws," she said. "The Ministry summons school principles for hearing and revokes kindergarten licenses."

In order to work against this trend, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) instructed that a special committee be established to inspect every new school and kindergarten and verify their curriculum does not contain anti-State content that negates the existence of Israel.

The special unit will be responsible for issuing stamps of approval for all licensed bodies operating in the school system. In addition, the Ministry will publish a managerial circular that will give guidance regarding the entrance of new bodies to the education system.

According to the new instructions, any organization interested in contacting a school must first contact the special unit and submit its program. Only after a pedagogical inspection will the unit will decide whether to allow or deny the organization's request.

Ben-Simhon said she had denied hundreds of license requests filed by nursery schools in the past three years, because they integrated Islamic Movement content to their study curriculum. Ben-Simhon also issued 15 closure orders against kindergartens in the north.

In many cases, she noted, foundations would file a request using a fictitious name, under the guise of a nursery school, when in fact they were satellites of the Islamic Movement. Ben-Simhon explained that school principals acted more cautiously thus the phenomenon was less common in schools.

However, she noted, in many cases members of Knesset who came to schools to talk about democracy and elections also spoke out against national service.

The Education Ministry stressed that firm action was being taken against these institutions, although the actual enforcement of the closure orders was the responsibility of the local authorities and the police.

'Exposed to radical content'

"In my office I have piles of letters from parents who are crying for help following the takeover of schools by the Islamic Movement," said MK Alex Miller (Yisrael Beiteinu), who initiated the discussion. "They claim their children are being exposed to radical content, suffer from ignorance and end up unemployed and delinquent."

Miller urged the Education Ministry to increase supervision and lift the freeze on inspector positions in order to fight the trend.

His party colleague MK Anastassia Michaeli read out a passage from the Independence Declaration.

"We appeal… to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to return to the ways of peace and play their part in the building of the State, on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its bodies and institutions," she read.

"Children who grow up in an atmosphere of support for terror will grow up to be adults who do not believe in cooperation or peace," she added. "We must work to ensure content that encourages mutual respect and love of the Land of Israel, and work against those educating towards hatred and division."

Committee Chairman MK Zevulun Orlev (Habayit Hayehudi) raised the question, "Is it possible that under the education system's own roof the Islamic Movement is poisoning the minds of the young Arabs who were arrested yesterday on suspicion of acting for al-Qaeda?"

'First set up kindergartens'

Arab members of Knesset didn't understand what the fuss was about. MK Jamal Zahalka (National Democratic Assembly) slammed the actual existence of the debate, saying it was an exaggeration.

"This debate is superfluous," he said. "Instead of talking about who fills in for the Education Ministry, which fails to build kindergartens in Arab towns, we need to talk about the pressure the Ministry is under, so that it can fulfill its obligations towards the children and set up kindergartens."

"The organizations working in Arab towns operate according to the law," he added. "All the claims against them are groundless, the result of the fertile imagination of members of Knesset who have nothing to do except incite against the Arab population."

The problem is the Education Ministry, he said. "There is a limit to every absurdity. The Ministry doesn’t build or operate kindergartens, then complains that others do so instead. You can't complain about organizations working according to the recognized criteria. It seems the aim (of those complaining) is incitement for the sake of it, and not concern for education."

"The Education Committee needs to concern itself with education, and not become a platform for incitement," he added. "Educational criteria are the test, not the warped imagination of extreme MKs."

MK Masud Ganaim (United Arab List-Ta'al) said the Arab sector is not afraid the Islamic Movement will take over.

"In the Jewish education system there are also various streams associated with various parties," he said.

At the end of the meeting, the committee called on the Education Ministry to strengthen and develop the official education system and thus prevent or negate unrecognized educational frameworks which constitute a breach for organizations working to undermine the State and its values.