For months the media has been full of troubling accounts about the intolerance spawned by Saudi Arabian-funded religious schools, or "madrassas."

"Government curriculum," said human rights advocate Ali al Ahmed, executive director of the Saudi Institute, in a PBS broadcast after Sept. 11, "inspired what happened in New York."

Once dismissed as backward fringe elements, Islam's anti-Western and intemperate anti-Semitic strains are now taken very seriously indeed. Free market advocates like economist Martin Feldstein and columnist Charles Krauthammer call for oil vouchers or taxes to cut U.S. consumption and reduce Riyadh's profits. Other commentators argue that the Saudis' uniquely fervent brand of Islam is more to blame for Osama bin Laden than Iraq or Iran.

All of this was brought home to Los Angeles when the city school district announced recently that it was pulling more than 300 Korans just a few days after they were donated by the Omar Ibn Khattab Foundation, whose mosque is located just west of USC. A history teacher apparently discovered that The Meaning of the Holy Quran, the version of the Koran in question, as translated in the 1930s by an eminent scholar, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, contains anti-Semitic commentary. An embarrassed assistant superintendent hastily announced the Korans were being recalled, at least until the district determined "whether there is research to support" Yusuf Ali's analysis, which includes the notions that Jews are illiterate, arrogant, and without faith.

That's a pretty tall order. Like almost all religions, Islamic sacred texts are laced with references that can be read in a variety of ways. It's the interpretation of core doctrine, the way the texts are used by political and religious leaders to shape how people act, that gives them practical meaning.

School district officials, and even people quite upset with the commentaries like Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, were careful to distinguish the words of the Koran from the translator's offending notes. A UCLA Islamic law professor dismissed Yusuf Ali's comments as outdated stereotypes. But there are well-known passages in the Koran that seem consistent with Yusuf Ali's observations:

"O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily God guideth not a people unjust...."

"Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans...."

"Amongst (the Jews) we have placed enmity and hatred till the Day of Judgment. Every time they kindle the fire of war, God doth extinguish it; but they (ever) strive to do mischief on earth. And God loveth not those who do mischief...."

All quotes above are from the Koran, chapter 5.

Of course, the meaning of these and other Koranic passages has long been debated, and scholars insist they must be read in historical context. During the seventh century, Islam was at war with many implacable opponents, including the Jews. As Islamic regimes conquered their foes, some commentators suggest that the Koran is meant to counsel Muslims not to abandon their heritage and to encourage non-believers, including Jews, to repent and join "the Way of the Right."

In this interpretation, Koranic passages discussing Jews or Christians in seemingly unflattering ways reflect much the same reformist zeal of Moses or Jesus. Indeed, religious writings are everywhere filled with passages that condemn the unjust. Many could, and historically have been, used to vilify other groups. During the Inquisition, for example, Islamic communities were far more tolerant of non-Muslim minorities, including Jews, than many European Christian communities.

Although this approach is appealing and may, in various forms, comprise official doctrine, many contemporary Islamic teachings, particularly those emanating from Saudi Arabia, seem to adopt a more uncompromising posture. The Yusuf Ali translation of the Koran so troubling to the school district ranks as one of the most popular English versions of the Koran ever printed. And the Saudis have been among its most avid publishers.

The passages that provoked concern, in fact, appear to reflect much of the official content of the religious studies curricula and books Saudi oil money has generated for millions of students around the world. Late last year, for instance, contemporary Saudi textbooks were translated by "Frontline" and The New York Times. A ninth-grade Saudi text contained the following lesson plan drawn, it said, from the hadith, Islamic doctrinal statements that are afforded enormous religious significance:

"The last hour won't come before the Muslims would fight the Jews and the Muslims will kill them so Jews would hide behind rocks and trees. Then the rocks and trees would call: oh Muslim, oh servant of God! There is a Jew behind me, come and kill him."

According to the textbook, this teaching guarantees that "the Muslims and Jews will fight till the end of the world" until Muslims defeat their enemy. Students are advised that Jews and Christians "are the enemies of believers" and Muslims must "beware of them." The ninth graders are asked to ponder such questions as "What is the name of the tree that will tell about the Jews?" or "At the end, who will be victorious?"

Critics of Saudi education, such as Ali al Ahmed, charge that such textbooks only inflame hatred. That may explain why a Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs official told al-Jazeera television last January that "[Sept. 11] is a continuation of the Jewish deception and the Jewish-Zionist wickedness which infiltrates the U.S. . . . I am surprised that the Christian U.S. allows the 'brothers of apes and pigs' to corrupt it. . ..Jews are the most despicable people who walked the land and are the worms of the entire world. They are all evil. And why? Because they are deceiving and plotting aggressors."

And so the L.A. school district has a tough task ahead in deciding which view of Islamic teaching about Jews, America, and non-believers is appropriate for students. Such matters have eluded clear answers even at the highest levels of national debate. Yet, even in this modern age, soberly taking stock of religious doctrine ranks among the most significant challenges to our security and welfare.