Egypt's reformed school curriculum removes antisemitism, focusing on peace

Egypt’s reformed school curriculum is now teaching a more positive representation of Israel and peaceful coexistence, according to a report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-SE), published in December. 

IMPACT-se is a research and policy institute based in London and Tel Aviv, and the report is based on 350 textbooks from the Egyptian school curriculum for the 2023-24 academic year. The institute focused on humanity subjects, the statement said, and compared it to their analysis of older textbooks. 

The research showed that over 80% of Egyptian elementary school students are now learning from revised textbooks that includes curriculum focused on promoting peace, while rejecting violence and extremism.

Positivity towards Israel

IMPACT-se found that there is growing positivity in the presentation of Israel, with any anti-Israel statements removed from textbooks for younger students. Ninth-grade social studies students are required to memorize the Israel-Egypt peace treaty and outline the “advantages of peace for Egypt and the Arab states.” 

The report also highlights the inclusion of a photo depicting former Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, symbolizing reconciliation and diplomatic cooperation.

Antisemitic references removed

Furthermore, antisemitic references and Jewish hatred in the revised curriculum for younger students were removed.

Stereotypes generalizing Jews as inherently “treacherous” and promoting traits such as disloyalty, fraud, and greediness were removed from the revised textbooks, the statement said. The replaced content—which included a Grade 5 Islamic Education exercise to create a booklet promoting respect for Jews and other minorities—emphasized tolerance, coexistence, and loyalty between Islam and Judaism, citing Islamic sources.

However, the analysis showed that textbooks for higher grades remain unchanged, featuring statements of hatred against Israel and Jews. 

The report also notes a shift in Egyptian textbooks towards promoting peace and tolerance and emphasizing the importance of forging meaningful relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims.

The institute also found some Christian education textbooks “acknowledge the connection of Jews to Jerusalem and the land of Israel, such as the existence of a Jewish temple built by King Solomon in Jerusalem.” 

IMPACT-se adds that this new addition is seen in revised textbooks for both older and younger grades. 

Highlighting gender equality

Lastly, the report found that the revised curriculum highlights gender equality, showing women's contributions to Egyptian society and politics and portraying men engaging in household chores.

The institute has previously reported on textbooks in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and examined Palestinian Authority textbooks. A previous investigation by IMPACT-se identified twelve UNRWA school principals and deputy principals as active members of terrorist organizations, with many holding commanding positions in the terror units. 

Marcus Sheff, IMPACT-se CEO, responded to these developments within the Egyptian school curriculum, “We are delighted to see the ongoing reforms taking place in the Egyptian curriculum, which mark significant progress. There are 25 million children in school in Egypt and around 80 percent are now studying this new material."

"The progress in revising materials for younger grades is extremely encouraging, especially in material regarding Jews and Israel. We believe a similar evolution will be implemented in the curriculum for older grades. These changes in the most populous Arab country with a long-standing landmark peace agreement with Israel are of real importance to the region’s future.”

Ohad Merlin contributed to this report.