Iraqi Minister of Higher Education Ali al-Adeeb, who's also a leading member of the Islamic Dawa Party, took part in a frank television interview with the Al Baghdadia channel Aug. 4.

Among the questions asked of him pertained to the lack of focus on Iraq’s pre-Muslim history in school and university curricula. It's interesting because this time period is not the subject of dispute. It reflects Iraq’s unique civilization and identity, and may, in fact, be an adequate substitute for the subject of the country’s Muslim history, which is rife with sectarian and religious divisions and disagreements. In his answer, Adeeb did not seem enthused by the proposition, affirming instead that the correct alternative lay in teaching Islam in an open and unprejudiced manner that accepts not one but all interpretations of Islam and Muslim history. The minister’s answer did not come as a surprise considering his Islamic background as one of the few Iraqi politicians who has given the issue personal attention. He even published a book this year about humanities curricula in schools and universities.

In his book titled Humanities Curricula, Adeeb reaffirmed that one of the flaws found in the curricula adopted in the preceding Iraqi era was that its sole religious focus was limited to “presenting a solitary interpretation, to the exclusion of others. One voice was heard, while all others were left out completely.” As for history books, Adeeb said that they lacked “alternate views of historical events,” and did not recognize the existence of “others.” It is clear that the minister’s criticism is particularly directed at the manner by which school curricula were established during the rule of the Baath Party, whose main focus was to instill ideologies that revolved around pan-Arab nationalism, and whose interpretation of religion and history was Sunni-biased.

Adeeb added that the Baath Party invalidated “all naturally occurring identities, among which of course was the identity of Iraq itself. Meanwhile, it maintained and forcefully imposed the identity of the Baath Party upon all Iraqis.” To overcome this exclusionary legacy, Adeeb stressed the need to allow students access to more than one account about history and religion, without damaging “basic national principles.”