Criticism of 'Islamist' Changes in Curriculum in Syria

The announcement of certain changes in the curriculum by the Ministry of Education of the Syrian Interim Government has faced a wave of criticism, with social media users labeling it as 'imposing an Islamist approach to education.' The mentioned changes, published in a list on the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Education, include replacing phrases like 'the path of goodness' with 'the Islamic path' and substituting 'those who are cursed and misguided' with 'Jews and Christians,' a phrase indicating a very conservative interpretation of one of the verses of the Quran. The definition of the term 'martyr' has also changed, replacing someone who died for 'the homeland' with someone who sacrificed their life 'for the pleasure of God.' According to this list, some chapters have been completely removed, including a chapter on 'the origin and evolution of life.' These changes are intended to be applied to the curriculum for all students aged 6 to 18. Although the fall of Bashar al-Assad by the group 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham' has led to a wave of support on social media, the changes in the curriculum have sparked significant negative reactions. The interim Syrian foreign minister made his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia. The Ba'ath regime, which held power in Syria since 1963 and was dismantled with the fall of Bashar al-Assad, was a secular and Arab nationalist government. However, 'Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham,' previously a branch of the extremist group al-Qaeda, has shown a moderate approach after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. CNN has pointed to some criticisms on social media accusing the interim government of attempting to erase parts of the country's history, with some questioning why a temporary government should make changes to the curriculum. One user commented on the ministry's Facebook post, stating, 'The current government is a temporary government and has no right to make these reforms in the curriculum. Curricula should be amended according to the new constitution.' In response to the criticisms, the Syrian Ministry of Education has attempted to downplay the significance of the changes, announcing that curricula in all schools across Syria will remain unchanged until specialized committees are formed to review and audit them. The ministry, in a statement citing Nazeer Muhammad al-Qadri, the Syrian Minister of Education, said, 'The only order given was to remove content glorifying the fallen Assad regime, and images of the Ba'ath regime's flag have been replaced with the flag of the Syrian revolution in all textbooks.' Al-Qadri had previously stated that the curriculum of Syrian schools would not change beyond removing references to the former ruling Ba'ath party, but now the Ministry of Education's statement indicates that changes will also include correcting some 'inaccuracies' that existed in the Islamic education curriculum during the Assad regime, such as 'misinterpretations of certain verses of the Quran.' Al-Qadri stated last month to Reuters that the teaching of Islam and Christianity as subjects in schools will continue, and primary schools will remain co-educational, but gender segregation in secondary schools will largely remain, as it was during Assad's era.