Report reveals ‘deep animosity’ towards Jews and Judaism in Iraqi curriculum
Nationalist violence against Jews and Israel is glorified and Iraq’s allegiance to Nazi Germany is defended as serving the Palestinian cause
A report on the Iraqi school curriculum reveals deep animosity towards Jews and Judaism and presents violent jihad and martyrdom as “key values.”
The report, conducted by London based Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), evaluated 71 textbooks taught in national school curriculum, dated 2015-2022, for grades 1-12.
It found “deep hostility” towards Jews and embracing antisemitic tropes in humanities subjects, such as history, Arabic language, Islamic Education, and social studies.
Textbooks employ antisemitic tropes, connecting “Jews with excessive wealth and power” while negative traits such as treachery, cowardice and immorality are portrayed as “intrinsic characteristics” of Jews.
The report gives an example from a 8 grade textbook where Jews are described as “greedy, corrupt, tyrannical, and deviant” and includes a story about a Jew selling water to Muslims at inflated prices.
“Iraq’s millennia-old Jewish community is not mentioned. The Holocaust and the contemporaneous Farhoud massacre of Jews in Iraq are not acknowledged, but Iraq’s allegiance to Nazi Germany in WWII is defended as serving the Palestinian cause… Nationalist violence against Jews and Israel is glorified, historical peace treaties between Israel and Arab states are ignored, and peace is not entertained as an option for Iraq,” the report said.
Israel is not recognised on maps and Zionism is deemed as racist and dangerous. Students are also taught that the media and the economy were in the hands of “American Zionists which influenced the US presidential elections. Nationalist violence against Jews and Israel is glorified, historical peace treaties between Israel and Arab states are ignored, and peace is not entertained as an option for Iraq.”
Military service and death in battle are glorified, presenting violent jihad and martyrdom as key values.
“The Iraqi curriculum’s perpetuation of antisemitic tropes and virulent hostility towards Israel is in flagrant violation of UNESCO standards of peace and tolerance. Worryingly, the textbooks also teach children that martyrdom and violent jihad are desirable. It is perhaps therefore no surprise that there is evidence of possible Iranian influence in the curriculum, reflecting the wider dynamics of the region,” IMPACT-se CEO, Marcus Sheff, said.
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