Saudi Arabia is planning to add two Hindu scriptures Ramayana and Mahabharata to the national school curriculum.
As per details, the objective is to revamp the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) image according to Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman’s (MBS) Vision 2030.
Crown prince MBS wants to make Saudi Arabia culturally and religiously more dynamic and tolerant to fit in the global economy and to reduce its dependency on oil. It is an imperative initiative that is much needed to bring foreign investment to Saudi Arabia.
The report further stated that other cultural elements like yoga and Ayurveda will also be included in the school curriculum.
Besides literature from Hinduism, the curriculum will now involve the history and culture of other countries as well. The government has taken majors steps to overhaul the orthodoxy and bring cultural innovation after MBS took control in KSA.
A Saudi yogi, Nouf Almarwaai even tweeted screenshots of her son’s social studies exam with questions about Hinduism, Buddhism, and Hindu epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata. She is also dubbed Saudi’s first Yogiacharya and has even been awarded a Padma Shri by India.
