Egypt Revises School Textbooks to Expunge Antisemitic Content

Egypt has made significant strides in purging school textbooks of antisemitic and anti-Christian content, with approximately 80 percent of Egyptian students in elementary and preparatory education now learning from revised versions. The changes are the result of a reform program launched in 2018 and supported by the World Bank, which aims to improve “teaching and learning conditions” by reviewing textbooks for one grade level every year. Books supplied to sixth-grade students were reviewed in 2023-24, with books for 12th grade — the final year of high school —scheduled for review in 2030.

The textbooks’ revisions have been documented in a new report published by IMPACTse, an international research and policy organization that monitors education globally. The report found that Cairo made changes to more than 350 state-issued textbooks, leading to the removal of offensive content.

Targeting Antisemitic Tropes and Other Problematic Content

Egyptian textbooks have long depicted Christians, Jews, and other non-Muslims in a negative light, often framing these groups as adversaries of Islamic values and Egyptian identity. The 2023-24 report finds that a “significant number” of negative depictions have been removed. For example, a second-grade Islamic education textbook taught that God “made Hellfire for the infidels,” implying that Muslims would be rewarded on the “Day of Judgement,” while non-Muslims would be condemned to damnation, a statement removed this year. In an 11th-grade history workbook, a multiple-choice question asking whether the caliph Umar forbade the Jews from living in Jerusalem due to “their betrayal and treachery” or “their love of money” has been removed. A fifth-grade textbook instructing students to use the internet to find Quranic verses about “the treachery of the Jews” was also revised.

While these revisions are commendable, problematic content remains. A 12th-grade history textbook still asserts that “Zionists” exploited the “claim” that 6 million Jews were “killed or burned by the Nazis” to justify Jewish immigration to Palestine, stating that this population movement could only have occurred through “the extermination of the Arabs of Palestine.”

Similarly, Egyptian textbooks have historically contained problematic depictions of women and LGBTQ individuals. For instance, a 12th-grade lesson on inheritance still teaches that while women are entitled to inheritance, a man’s share is much larger. On issues concerning the LGBTQ community, a new addition to a sixth-grade textbook condemned what it called “gender defying cross-dressing,” labeling it “contrary to human nature and against God’s will.”

Antisemitism Is Rife in Egyptian Society

Antisemitism in contemporary Egypt is an integral component of popular culture. Conspiracy theories about Jewish control over politics, media, and society abound, including the baseless claim that President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is himself secretly Jewish. State media has also perpetuated antisemitism. In 2019, Egypt’s Channel Two aired Blue Line, a current events program that promoted antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, host Hasem Aboulseod agreed when a guest claimed that the number of Jews who perished in the Holocaust was “heavily exaggerated.” In another episode, a guest claimed that observant Jews “make a kind of matzo that is mixed with blood” for Passover — an antisemitic canard that dates to the medieval period.

The U.S. Should Assist Egypt With Further Education Reform

Egypt’s textbook reform is a good initial step toward fostering a tolerant society and deserves U.S. support. The State Department’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom commended Egypt’s progress while urging further action. The report assessing 2024 should follow up on these developments and examine the broader impact of the revised curriculum. The United States should encourage Egypt to prioritize education reform, expand funding for initiatives promoting civic education, and collaborate with Egyptian civil society groups and responsible international NGOs to sustain progress.

Mariam Wahba is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). For more analysis from Mariam and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Mariam on X @themariamwahba. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.