The Saudi government is spreading hateful religious tracts against Christians and Jews, and telling Muslims in America to kill any Muslim that converts to another religion, according to an 89-page report released by the human rights group Freedom House on Friday.

Saudi government literature collected during the past year from American mosques also tells Muslims living in the United States to "behave as if on a mission behind enemy lines..."

The report, titled: "Saudi Publications on Hate Ideology Fill American Mosques," is based on a yearlong study of more than 200 original documents, all published and disseminated by the government of Saudi Arabia.

Upon being told about the contents of the report, all that the spokesman for the Saudi embassy in Washington could come up with was the following:

"Saudi Arabia recognizes that extremism is part of a worldwide problem that all nations must work on diligently to bring to an end.

"Saudi Arabia condemns extremism or hateful expression among people anywhere in the world."

Not exactly an awe inspiring response to such serious charges.

The background on Freedom House and the study:

Freedom House, which was founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, is one of the oldest human rights groups in the United States. It is headed by James Woolsey, who was director of the CIA during the Clinton administration.

The organization examined literature available in more than a dozen mosques and Islamic centers in Los Angeles, Dallas, Oakland, Calif., Houston, Chicago, New York and Washington, including the Institute of Islamic and Arabic Sciences in Fairfax. It collected more than 200 books, brochures and other publications, about 90 percent written in Arabic with some publications in English and others in languages such as Urdu, the national language of Pakistan. The texts promote the views of the extremist Wahhabi sect of Islam, the official religion of Saudi Arabia and the primary source of teachings espoused by Osama bin Laden and his followers.

Mrs. Shea said that the mosques themselves were not scrutinized in the report, only the actions of the Saudi government. In most instances, the report said, involvement by the Saudi government was immediately evident from the seal or name of a government department emblazoned on the cover of the literature. Materials examined were easily identifiable as originating from the Saudi Embassy in Washington, the Education Ministry, the Saudi air force and other branches of the Saudi government.

The literature contained statements from Saudi religious figures appointed to government positions, and it was disseminated through mosques with known associations with the Saudi royal family, the report said. These documents advised Muslims in the United States on how to snub Jews and Christians, for example by refusing to greet them and congratulate them on religious holidays.

In addition to demonizing "nonbelievers," documents call Muslims who practice a moderate interpretation of Islam and embrace tolerance traitors deserving of punishment, even death. Says one document: "Those who reside in the land of unbelief out of their own choice and desire to be with the people of that land, accepting the way they are regarding their faith, or giving compliments to them, or pleasing them by pointing out something wrong with the Muslims, they become unbelievers and enemies to Allah and his messenger."

One particularly chilling tract urges Muslims to kill any Muslims who convert to another religion. It says of Muslims who accept Judaism or Christianity: "If you do not repent, you are an apostate and you should be killed because you have denied the Koran."
This tract, published by the Saudi Ministry of Religious Affairs and written in Urdu, was collected at the King Fahd Mosque in Los Angeles and it quotes Sheik Bin Uthaimin as preaching this policy.

To put it plainly, terrorism springs forth from things like this. That the Saudis are involved in the spreading of this kind of hatred comes as no surprise. We have known that they have tolerated - even facilitated - these types of teachings in their own country for a very long time, it just did not come to prominence until after September 11, 2001.

What is revealing is that the Saudis are doing it on a large scale in the United States, and this cannot be tolerated. The Bush administration must confront Saudi Arabia and demand that it cease and desist from promoting this type of propaganda. It can be done quietly at first, and more publicly and loudly if that doesn't succeed.

The Saudi Arabian government is officially supporting the dissemination of ideas in this country that could potentially lead to violence against Americans, simply because of the faith that they hold dear. The Bush administration cannot allow that to stand.