According to the BBC:
"The cleric, Sheikh Saad al-Shethry, said the mixing of sexes in any university was evil and a great sin.
He demanded the curriculum should be vetted by Islamic scholars to prevent teaching of 'alien ideologies.'"
On its website, KAUST describes itself as "an international, graduate-level research university dedicated to inspiring a new age of scientific achievement in the Kingdom that will also benefit the region and the world."
At True/Slant, author Jessica Faye Carter has posted on co-education in the country and also has a video from Al-Jazeera on the university.
It remains to be see weather the conservative kingdom and its clerics with strong opinions will be able to accept the university and the openness it promises.
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