Senator Charles Schumer's Letter to His Royal Highness Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

His Royal Highness
Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
601 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20037

Dear Prince Bandar:

I very much appreciate Saudi Arabia's pledges over the last 36 hours to find the murderers behind the homicide bombings Monday in Riyadh - as well as the statements that Saudi Arabia is now united against al Qaeda in every way.

While I appreciate the intent of your country's statements, they fail to attack the root of anti-American sentiment in the Arab world: the madrassahs. Islam is an admirable and peaceful faith that embraces tolerance, morality and charity, but the madrassahs distort this message by preaching hate, violence and intolerance toward the Judeo-Christian world. These teachings have created a "lost generation" in the Middle East, where thousands of young people are being indoctrinated with the idea that terrorism is an acceptable way to articulate their Islamic beliefs.

In order for your government to be a true partner in the war against al Qaeda , it must denounce the teachings of those schools which preach extremism and must stop funding them.

Khaled Jehani, the Saudi militant who led the 60-member al Qaeda cell that carried out the attacks, was raised and educated in Saudi Arabia. While little is known about his upbringing - and far less is known about the other members of the cell - it appears likely that they were inculcated with a hatred of the west from their earliest days.

If there is to be a healthy relationship between our two great nations, it must be built on transparency, shared goals and values that preach mutual respect. While the Bush Administration has followed this course by praising Islam in public as a peaceful religion, the Saudis' failure to do so has been glaring. Indeed, it appears your government has taken its cue from Yasir Arafat, crafting one message for the US media but sending a dramatically different one to the Arab world.

Please excuse my candor in this letter but I feel strongly about these issues and about preserving the relationship between our nations. I hope you will give my thoughts their due and I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator