Syrian textbooks show pan-Arab content replaced by Islamist ideology, IMPACT-se finds

An in-depth review of 130 Syrian school textbooks implemented under the administration of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shows that Baathist, pan-Arabist, and secular governance frameworks have been substantially replaced by Sunni-Muslim identity and political Islamism.

The findings were detailed in a report titled "The New Syria: Education Under al-Sharaa: Review of Syria’s National School Curriculum, 2025–2026," published on Monday by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), covering the 2025–2026 academic year.

Authored by researchers Matan Perchikov, Itam Shalev, and Yonatan Negev, PhD, the report systematically analyzed thousands of textbook pages across Grades 1-12. The researchers applied content and discourse analysis using UNESCO-derived standards for peace and tolerance, comparing current textbooks side by side with earlier editions from 2017-2018 or 2011-2012 to trace specific alterations, omissions, and updates.

The report maps out a structural transformation in how national identity is framed, substituting secular Syrian patriotism and pan-Arab nationalism with broad pan-Islamist and religious constructs. Local loyalty to the national homeland is consistently subordinated to the broader transnational Muslim community, while traditional celebrations of Arab nationalism are replaced by an emphasis on Islamic civilization.

Historical narratives have been revised to reflect this theological reorientation, with seminal events such as the Great Arab Revolt of 1916- 1918 no longer taught as a popular liberation movement against Ottoman Turkish occupation, but instead framed strictly as a rebellion aimed at breaking away from the Ottoman State.

Scientific theories heavily edited, removed as Islamization extends across subjects

This Islamization of knowledge extends deeply across subjects, targeting foundational scientific theories like evolution, the Big Bang, and biological development, which have been heavily edited or removed. It attributes natural phenomena directly to divine creation, with primary science texts replacing phrases like "nature’s giving" with "Allah’s giving."

At the same time, the curriculum normalizes armed struggle and self-sacrifice, elevating historical and regional militant figures while systematically romanticizing Palestinian armed resistance, rocket fire, and suicide bombings as acts of supreme martyrdom and justified defense.

The instructional materials also marginalize Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious minority populations. While Christianity maintains a restricted and legally subordinate presence, ethnic groups such as the Kurds, Turkmen, and Druze are nearly invisible across the curriculum, and prominent historical figures from these backgrounds are stripped of their ethnic identities. Sectarian divisions are further reinforced through the contestation of Shi’ite and Alawite symbols, including the explicit delegitimization of the Fatimid Caliphate and the sidelining of Alawite leadership figures.

The curriculum addresses Jewish communities through traditional theological grievances, repeating allegations of treachery, deceit, and broken covenants while entirely erasing centuries of local Syrian Jewish history. Jewish national identity is dismissed outright, with textbooks portraying Jews as a disjointed mix of populations rather than a legitimate nation. Israel is subjected to intense hostility, consistently referred to by derogatory designations such as the "Zionist entity" or simply the "enemy," and omitted entirely from regional maps. In historical units covering the 1948 war, military operations undertaken by the Israeli side are explicitly likened to Nazi crimes against Jews, and all past peace agreements involving Israel are condemned.

Gender roles within the new curriculum have likewise shifted sharply toward traditionalist constraints, diminishing the public visibility and rights of women. References guaranteeing gender equality under civic law have been excised, leaving women defined primarily through domestic family roles as obedient wives and mothers. Visually, textbook illustrations of women and girls have been altered to reflect stricter Islamic dress codes, frequently through the retrofitted addition of hijabs, alongside explicit curriculum content advocating for the full-body-covering burqa.

The curriculum also completely scrubbed the Baathist political legacy. Content associated with former ruler Hafez al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad, and their family has been systematically erased, dismantling the longstanding Assad personality cult and recasting the former rulers in the texts as corrupt, sectarian autocrats. Consequently, the 2011 civil war and the subsequent 2024 uprising are taught as a morally righteous restoration of authentic Islamic-Arab rule.

IMPACT-se CEO: Syria has 'rare opportunity' to revamp education system post-Assad

"The post-Assad era presents Syria with a rare opportunity to create an education system and a society based on inclusion, tolerance, and a shared civic identity, said IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff. "Instead, these textbooks show a very concerning shift from one damaging ideological framework to another."

Sheff warned that the marginalization of minorities and women alongside the glorification of religiously framed violence risks shaping a generation far away from peaceful coexistence.

"This report should raise serious concerns among international leaders who hope to see Syria emerge as a partner in building a peaceful and prosperous Middle East," Sheff added.

He noted that IMPACT-se is working with policymakers in Washington and internationally to drive meaningful reforms to Syria’s school curriculum, seizing a critical opportunity for change as the new Syrian government seeks international assistance and support.