What does the Saudi Arabia report establish about raising children?
For raising children in Saudi Arabia, Rage 2 Rebuild selects “Intolerance and extremism in the curriculum” from Humanists International’s chapter dated 14 January 2022. It describes national institutions or published conditions, not family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check current facts before acting.
Country chapter updated 14 January 2022 · retrieved September 5, 2026. This chapter is more than two years old. Its assessments are not confirmation of current law or a prediction about your circumstances.
Intolerance and extremism in the curriculum
A February 2020 report by IMPACT-se found significant steps towards modernization and deradicalization of the curriculum. The 2021 IMPACT-se review found that 22 anti-Christian and anti-Semitic lessons and five lessons about infidels and polytheists had either been removed or altered. However, the study found that textbooks still contained religious texts and interpretations that evoke hostility towards non-Muslims, portrayed to deliberately insist on “infidelity and disbelief.” School curriculums and messaging from Wahhabi imam preach that so-called “infidels” lack a moral compass, philosophical knowledge, or any alternative positive worldview. The curriculum also preached highly conservative attitudes toward women and LGBTI+ persons. Religious intolerance, emphasis on jihad and martyrdom remained strong.
Religious control over family law or legislation on moral matters
Muslim women may not marry non-Muslims. Women face legal disadvantages in divorce and custody proceedings, and cannot marry without a male guardian’s permission. Under reforms announced in August 2019, women can register children’s births and oversee children’s travel. In addition, the government prohibits parents from giving their children any of 50 listed names deemed blasphemous, non-Arabic, or non-Islamic.
LGBTI+ rights
Other senior officials made homophobic statements on state television channels, calling for intolerance toward gender and sexual orientation issues as taught by “all heavenly religion”, and urging parents to beware of their children being “lured”.
Report extracts and assessment data are reused/adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Humanists International does not endorse Elder X. Original reflection guidance is identified separately below.
Which Saudi Arabia findings should I check before acting?
Rage 2 Rebuild highlights 4 published findings for raising children in Saudi Arabia. Our selection connects the 14 January 2022 chapter with school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Each quote is separate from our practical question. It identifies something to investigate, not a conclusion about your household.
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety
The source finding concerns education or children. National arrangements and the policy of one school are not interchangeable.
A question to verify: What does the named school currently require, what alternative exists, and who is responsible for the decision?
Religious control over family law or legislation on moral matters
A family or personal-status issue may require more than an agreement between relatives. Formal jurisdiction, consent and the actual procedure matter.
A question to verify: Which authority handles this particular family or relationship decision, and what independent advice is available?
How can I support children while my beliefs change?
For raising children in Saudi Arabia, Rage 2 Rebuild suggests this decision: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. The two starting points below address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. Check consequential facts with appropriate current help; these are reflection prompts, not a certified procedure.
Make questions welcome without recruiting the child
A child can ask why people believe different things without being asked to choose a side between adults. Use language appropriate to their age and understanding. You can say that you are still learning and that people in the family may answer differently.
Investigate the actual school arrangement
Ask about religious instruction, worship, ceremonies, alternatives, notice to parents and any opt-out process at the particular school. A national policy and a classroom practice can differ. Keep a copy of a published policy only where doing so is appropriate for your circumstances.
Read the full general guide for this decision →
Start with your own question →What would help with raising children?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Saudi Arabia reflection tool offers three starting points for raising children. Choose a situation to see a practical question and a country finding to check. Your choice stays in page memory; it is not sent, stored as a plan or used to diagnose you. You can clear it or read without answering.
You can use the guide without choosing an option.
How did religious identity change in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Saudi Arabia table shows Less than 0.1% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 0.1% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
| Identity | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian | 3.4% | 4.4% | +1.0 pp |
| Muslim | 94.4% | 92.7% | -1.7 pp |
| Religiously unaffiliated | Less than 0.1% | 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Buddhist | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Hindu | 2.0% | 2.6% | +0.6 pp |
| Jewish | Less than 0.1% | Less than 0.1% | Not calculated |
| Other religions | Less than 0.1% | 0.1% | Not calculated |
“Other religions” combines traditions that cannot be analyzed separately here. A “less than” input stays an inequality; a change involving it is not calculated. Rounding and demographic processes matter. Nationality does not establish anyone’s beliefs.
Pew’s original Saudi Arabia table, PDF page 17 ↗ · Methods and downloadable calculations
What kind of support does Rage 2 Rebuild offer in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers non-urgent personal conversation about raising children in Saudi Arabia. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed response time. This is remote contact with Elder X, not therapy, legal advice, emergency help or a verified local referral. Choose qualified support when the decision requires it.
For consequential questions involving law, safety, children, health or institutional records, seek the appropriate qualified source and ask about privacy before sharing identifying details. For general stress skills, the World Health Organization’s Doing What Matters guide is an external educational resource; it is not a study of people using this site or proof of a particular recovery result.
What else should I know about raising children in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s six answers about raising children in Saudi Arabia address school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions. The 14 January 2022 chapter’s “Intolerance and extremism in the curriculum” passage provides country background. Use these questions to distinguish your next decision, that source’s limits, religious-identity figures and remote contact.
How can I support children while my beliefs change in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s starting point for raising children in Saudi Arabia is: Choose one child-related decision and identify whose rights, duties and preferences matter. Separate school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions before choosing an action. The country report provides dated context; it does not settle the personal choice. If essential needs or legal consequences are involved, verify the actual situation with appropriate current help.
What does the country report establish about raising children in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild uses “Intolerance and extremism in the curriculum” in Humanists International’s Saudi Arabia chapter, updated 14 January 2022, to identify a relevant institutional question. The report flags “Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools.” That is dated country context, not a finding about family reactions, emotions or access to an individual service. Check the original passage and current facts before applying it.
Can I infer a school’s policy from the country rating?
No. The rating is a published national assessment and may summarize varied arrangements. Ask the school or responsible authority about its current policy and available alternatives. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Saudi Arabia guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
Should children be told religion is always harmful?
This site does not recommend replacing one compulsory conclusion with another. Children can learn to ask questions, consider evidence and respect people while discussing specific harmful behavior honestly. Rage 2 Rebuild’s Saudi Arabia guide addresses school practices, family agreements and a child’s room to ask questions; the dated country findings provide context for that distinction, not a prediction about your circumstances.
What do the religious-identity figures for Saudi Arabia establish?
Rage 2 Rebuild’s Saudi Arabia table shows Less than 0.1% religiously unaffiliated in 2010 and 0.1% in 2020, using Pew’s all-age population estimates. The seven categories describe religious identity, not how many individuals left religion or experienced harm. Rounded population changes cannot predict acceptance, guilt, safety or a support outcome.
Does Rage 2 Rebuild provide local or emergency support in Saudi Arabia?
Rage 2 Rebuild offers remote, non-urgent personal conversation about raising children. No local office, clinician or verified referral network in Saudi Arabia is claimed. There is no payment to send a message and no guaranteed reply time. For immediate danger, use appropriate emergency help where you are rather than this form.