Row erupts in Jordan over school curricula changes

A religious and political dispute continues to brew in Jordan over a controversial move by the Ministry of Education to revamp the curricula of the three elementary grades. According to Deputy Prime Minister Jawad Anani, the changes are part of the government's strategy to combat extremism in society.

Changes to school textbooks introduced this year involve coverage of Islam, history, Arabic and civics. For example, in civics, reference is made to acknowledge Christians as a demographic component of the population with pictures of churches as well as mosques. In religion, entire verses from the Quran and sayings by the Prophet Muhammad have been removed, while in Arabic literature, a picture of a veiled woman was replaced with one showing an unveiled woman. In Arabic-language textbooks for the third grade, a Quranic verse was replaced by a text on swimming. No changes were made to books on the sciences, mathematics and art.

The issue of extremism in the school curricula and the reforms proposed are dividing the country. Conservatives, including the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamic Action Front (IAF), which contested the Sept. 20 Lower House elections, have denounced the move “as an affront to our heritage and values aimed at distancing future generations from its religion, its Arab identity, its history and traditions.” An IAF spokesman urged the government to cancel “negative alterations and focus on genuine scientific developments introduced by Jordanian academics.”

The uproar has drawn in various sectors of society. On Sept. 18, the Jordan Medical Association, whose council is almost entirely controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood, issued a statement cautioning the government about “tampering with curricula that affect the society’s Arab and Muslim values.” It also said, “We warn the government of those who have [a] hidden, outside agenda against the country.”