Saudi Arabia's future is being threatened by a surge in the forgery of academic diplomas. The diplomas are awarded by bogus universities which operate their business from a furnished apartment or over the Internet. Shoura Council member Hamad Al-Gadhi has warned that the Kingdom is second only to Iraq in the faking of diplomas. Other members echoed his warning saying these fake diplomas are more dangerous than terrorism, drugs and commercial fraud, Al-Hayat Arabic daily said. Shoura Council members agreed that the diplomas pose a threat to society if unqualified workers are employed in public and private sectors. They also agreed that a draft law outlawing fake academic diplomas should be studied. The committee of educational affairs says the reasons behind the growing number of bogus academic diplomas is due to the absence of a law which criminalizes fake diploma holders, marketers and those who have granted them. Dr. Nasser Al-Maiman, Shoura member, said the corruption of education is dangerous and protecting the education sector is a type of jihad and every year courts look into cases related to fake academic diplomas.
