Syria ministry unveils major school curriculum changes

DAMASCUS

Syria’s new rulers have announced a series of major changes in school curriculum, with activists denouncing them as "extremist" and potentially harmful to religious minorities.

The amendments were announced on the Facebook page of the interim leadership's Education Ministry.

The new curriculum abandoned “Ottoman occupation” term once used to define the rule of Ottoman Empire in Syria.

The changes include scrapping poetry relating to women and love and references to "Gods" in ancient history courses and interpreting a Quranic verse about those who had angered God and strayed as referring to "Jews and Nasara,” a derogatory term for Christians.

The national anthem has also been removed from textbooks, with the ministry describing it as "the regime's anthem,” referring the rule by toppled President Bashar al-Assad.

And the nationalistic phrase "to sacrifice one's life in defense of his homeland" has been replaced with the Islamist "to sacrifice one's life for the sake of Allah.”

Education Minister Nazir al-Qadri, in a statement shared on Telegram, said the changes were only meant to scrap "glorifying" references to the deposed president and correct misinterpretations of the Quran, Islam's holy book.

"The curricula in all Syrian schools will remain as is until specialized committees are formed to review and audit" them, he said.

"We have only ordered the deletion of parts glorifying the defunct Assad regime, and we have adopted pictures of the Syrian Revolution flag instead of the defunct regime flag," Qadri said.

"Incorrect" information has also been amended in the Islamic education curriculum where "some Quranic verses were explained in the wrong way,” he said.

The new authorities face the daunting task of rebuilding state institutions shaped by the Assad family's five-decade rule, but some Syrians have voiced concerns that they may be overstepping their interim capacity.