Sawt Falasteen - Mona Lisa scrubbed from Syrian textbooks as critics slam conservative drift

Changes to Syria's official school books are sparking criticism of the country's new Islamist authorities as the nation tries to move on after 13 years of civil war and decades of authoritarian rule.

After ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, Syria's new authorities, led by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa, have taken several conservative steps including imposing stricter dress codes for beaches and restricting alcohol sales, while some universities have limited certain courses to men only.

Now the textbook changes are drawing outcry, after they were pointed out last week by Syrian journalist Mohammad Salloum, drawing on a report by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).

AFP confirmed several changes by consulting electronic versions of textbooks on official websites.

Among them was the removal of an image of the Mona Lisa from a seventh-grade history textbook, and the removal of images of statues emblematic of ancient Syrian civilisations in a third-grade social studies text.

In a fourth-grade Islamic education textbook, illustrations of several people wearing Western clothing were replaced with two separate drawings -- one of two men in traditional robes, and another showing two women wearing the niqab.

On social media and some local media platforms, Syrians shared images of a Pharaonic bust that had been clothed with a modern shirt, and an illustration of girls at a computer that now shows them wearing the hijab.

Images of people dancing were also removed from sixth-grade social affairs textbooks.

- 'Ideological narrative' -

While nominally secular, Assad's clan committed horrific abuses over the course of several decades against people who dared to speak out against their rule, including anyone perceived to be Islamist.

Sharaa meanwhile once headed the country's chapter of Al-Qaeda, and his Islamist group led the alliance that toppled Assad. But he has undergone a major transformation and adopted a more moderate image as Syria's head of state.

The curriculum controversy comes as supporters and critics tussle over the religiously conservative country's direction in the post-Assad era.

On Monday, the education ministry said changes to the curriculum included "removing symbols of the defunct regime and its ideological content, and correcting images and content connected to it".

The ministry last year had made changes to the curriculum, mainly in primary school subjects of social studies, Islamic education, history and geography, removing symbols linked to the Baath party which ruled the country for decades.

But according to IMPACT-se, the new curriculum "demonstrates a far-reaching ideological transformation that extends well beyond routine pedagogical adjustments".

"Across subjects and grades, textbook amendments collectively attempt to reconfigure national identity, historical memory, civic values, and regional positioning through what appears to be a consolidated Islamist and Sunni-centered framework," it said.

Lawyer and human rights activist Michal Shammas called for a revision of the curriculum according to "educational and scientific standards", and for a bolstering of critical thinking and respect for diversity.

He also noted changes linked to the Ottoman period, with references to the 1916 execution of Syrian nationalists in Damascus now presenting those killed as "agents and conspirators" -- after they were long characterised as "martyrs".

Sharaa's administration has a close relationship with Turkey.

The textbook controversy comes after certain universities last month restricted some courses to men, and a renowned school in Damascus decided to segregate boys and girls, citing the bullying and harassment of girls.

Opinions were divided between supporters of the school's move, and opponents who saw it as a sign of growing religious conservatism.

P.Tamimi--SF-PST