The new Syrian government's attempt to revise the national school curriculum has sparked a widespread backlash, with critics saying the changes reflect a more Islamic orientation while dropping references to the Assad era.
The Facebook page of the transitional government's education ministry has posted the proposed changes for all age groups. They include reinterpreting a Quranic verse about those who angered God and strayed, explicitly identifying them as “Jews and Nasara”, the latter a term often regarded as derogatory towards Christians. Additional changes involve removing poetry celebrating themes of love and women, and eliminating a chapter on “the origins and evolution of life”.
The modifications, across all subjects, also redefine the word “martyr” from someone who died for their homeland to someone who sacrificed themselves “for the sake of God”. Among other changes, the phrase “defending the nation” has been replaced by “defending Allah”.
While students in Syria under Bashar Al Assad's rule received a solid education, particularly in mathematics, physics and other sciences, Syrian political scientist Azzam Al Kassir said the system “also served as a tool for ideological indoctrination, designed to propagate the regime’s narrative and normalise its political agenda”.
The new Syrian government took over after Mr Al Assad was toppled by rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) almost a month ago. HTS is made up mainly of groups from the extremist organisation Jabhat Al Nusra, which was previously linked to Al Qaeda. In 2016, HTS broke those ties with Al Qaeda and rebranded itself after a purge by the group's leader Ahmad Al Shara, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani.
Mr Al Shara has, in recent weeks, sought to distance HTS from Al Qaeda, touting a new government that thrives on tolerance and inclusivity.
According to the Facebook post, the proposed changes would apply to all schoolchildren aged from six to 18. While some adjustments, such as the removal of content glorifying Mr Al Assad’s regime, were welcome to those reacting online, the religious chapter modifications have sparked outrage on social media.
References to Bashar Al Assad and his father Hafez were “pervasive” in the former educational system, linking directly to the “political objectives and propaganda” of the previous government, Mr Al Kassir told The National.
“Understandably, after the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime, it became necessary to remove such explicit endorsements of the regime,” he explained, adding that the new government had, however, exceeded this mandate with the recent changes.
Users questioned why an interim government is amending the curriculum, while others rejected what they perceived as attempts to “erase” parts of the country’s history.
In response to the public outcry, Minister of Education Nazir Al Qadri sought to clarify the rationale behind the proposed changes. He said the revisions aimed to eliminate content glorifying the Assad regime and to address “misinterpretations” of religious texts.
“The curricula in all Syrian schools will remain as is until specialised 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.”
The specialised committee to look into the entire education system is likely to be formed via the Syria National Dialogue Conference expected to take place this month.
Experts such as Mr Al Kassir and Rahaf Aldoughli, a lecturer in Mena studies at the UK's Lancaster University, agree that the proposed changes to the education system, along with their speed and abruptness, are concerning.
Speaking to The National, Ms Aldoughli, who conducted research on education and life under the rule of HTS in Idlib in 2019, said the parallels are clear. “The caretaker government didn’t come up with this now, or even recently,” she said. “They went back to what was being taught in Idlib.”
Concern over the changes stems from what appears to be an attempt to “shape the imagination of the Syrian identity”, through educational indoctrination, she said.
The legality of the changes is also questionable, she argued. “It’s quite dangerous and disappointing to see the caretaker government making these changes at such an early time, before even we have the national conference … These changes should take place after consensus over how and what type of political system we will have in the future.”
“If it only takes three days to change the [school] curriculum, why does it take three years to draft the constitution?” a user asked on Facebook.
Mr Al Shara has said that organising elections in Syria could take up to four years, while drafting a new constitution might require three years.
FORSPOKEN
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Results
Stage seven
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 3:20:24
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 1s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 5s
General Classification
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates, in 25:38:16
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers, at 22s
3. Pello Bilbao (ESP) Bahrain-Victorious, at 48s
Company%20profile
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
