Saudis May Close Islamic School in Bonn

The Saudi government is reportedly on the verge of shutting down the controversial King Fahd Academy in Bonn. A German intelligence official told the news service DDP that they believed the Saudi royal family had grown weary of the unfavorable publicity and had decided to close the school. However, the house of King Fahd has not yet made any official statement regarding the school's future. Jürgen Roters, the Cologne-based official responsible for regulating schools in the area, including Bonn, said last week he "had the impression the school's end was approaching." The school has become a magnet for radical Islamic activity, and authorities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia put the school under increased pressure to change its curriculum after an investigation found that more than 40 books used by the school contained anti-Western messages or calls for holy war.