i24NEWS EnglishPolitics
Syrian Textbooks Shift to Islamist Ideology, Demonize Minorities and Israel
Summarized from i24NEWS English by baba
CenterCharged tone
Syria's new national school curriculum for 2025-2026, implemented under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, has replaced Ba'athist ideology with an Islamist focus, according to a report by IMPACT-se. The textbooks now emphasize Islam as the core of identity and law, sideline minorities, and portray women narrowly. The curriculum also demonizes former leaders, shifts regional alliances, and continues to vilify Israel and the West. While removing Ba'athist propaganda, the new model lacks pluralism and critical inquiry.
The story in 7 lines · by baba
- Syrian textbooks for 2025-2026 replace Ba'athist ideology with Islamist political thought.
- Loyalty is redirected from the state to Islam and the wider Muslim community.
- Scientific concepts like evolution and the Big Bang are removed or altered.
- Women's roles are narrowed to wives and mothers, with hijab advocacy.
- Former leaders Bashar al-Assad and Hafez al-Assad are portrayed negatively.
- Minority groups are marginalized, and Jews are described with antisemitic tropes.
- Israel remains demonized, its existence denied, and its actions compared to Nazi crimes.
i24NEWS English publishes in English. The key points are summarized above. Read i24NEWS English’s full report from the link at the top of the page.