Jordan School Textbooks Continue to Promote Antisemitism and Intolerance Despite Curriculum Reform Promises

Latest Developments

• Bigoted Depictions ‘Have Worsened’: School textbooks in Jordan continue to promote antisemitic ideas and bigoted attitudes towards minorities despite recent pledges to reform the curriculum, according to a new report published by the international education watchdog IMPACT-se. “Falling Short,” a review of Jordanian textbooks undertaken during the 2024-25 academic year, noted that “[R]ecent textbook revisions have not only failed to address these issues but, in some cases, have worsened them—introducing increasingly extreme antisemitic tropes, homophobic content, and portraying the peace treaty with Israel in a negative light.” The report further highlighted that while religious tolerance and peacemaking are generally portrayed in a positive light, “these values are generally not applied to Jews or Israel, either historically or in the present day.”
• Jews Presented as Bearers of ‘Lying and Treachery’: The portrait of Jews in the textbooks is overwhelmingly negative, deploying “antisemitic messages that depict lying, treachery, deceitfulness, and hostility as ‘natural qualities’ and inherent ‘traits of the Jews.’” Additionally, lessons devoted to World War II ignore the Holocaust and “excuse the actions of Nazi Germany.” In the year covered by the report, a new lesson was introduced on the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel carried out by Hamas — the worst episode of anti-Jewish violence since the Holocaust — which presented the Iran-backed terrorist organization’s atrocities “as a response to Israeli oppression, ignoring the murder of over 1,100 Israelis, most of them civilians.”
• Textbooks Encourage Hostility to Women, Sexual Minorities: While the textbooks promote tolerance of Christians and a degree of respect for women, “a few Islamic textbooks contain discriminatory or hateful teachings towards women,” according to the report. The books also promote “hatred towards minorities on the basis of sexual or gender orientation,” with one book describing homosexuality as “a danger to the continuation of mankind.” On the Islamic concept of jihad, the books exhibit “a preference for violent interpretations of the concept. Jihad and martyrdom are celebrated and intrinsically linked to Jordan’s historic wars with Israel.”

FDD Expert Response

“It’s often said that true peace between Israel, the Palestinians, and the Arab world will only be feasible once schools in the region cease teaching antisemitic hatred and promoting the notion that Israel is a colonial interloper, rather than the homeland of an indigenous population. This important report dramatically demonstrates Jordan’s failings in that regard.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

“You’d expect this kind of rhetoric in textbooks from radical states in the Middle East like Iran — not Jordan, a country that’s had a peace treaty with Israel for over 30 years. Since October 7, Amman has hesitated to rein in the pro-Hamas and anti-Israel narrative on its streets, fearing public backlash. But by letting these sentiments in educational curriculums, Jordan risks fueling future generations of hate.” — Ahmad Sharawi, Research Analyst

FDD Background and Analysis

“‘With a Stone and a Knife’: Antisemitic Incitement Detected Throughout New Gaza School Curriculum,” FDD Flash Brief

“UNRWA Teachers Glorify Terrorism in Group Chat,” FDD Flash Brief

“Jordan Foils Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Plot,” by Ahmad Sharawi