Incitement and antisemitism in Jordanian school curriculum have worsened - report

Jordanian school books have fallen short of the standards of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) for some time. This year, the institute found the situation had deteriorated even further.

The Holocaust was not mentioned at all, the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023 massacre was justified, and Jewish people continue to be portrayed “overwhelmingly negatively,” with a vast array of antisemitic tropes, according to the May 2025 report.

The study found that lying, treachery, deceitfulness, and hostility were presented as “natural qualities” and inherent “traits of the Jews,” while the Jewish historical connection to Israel was denied.

Jordan’s peace agreement with Israel was also presented negatively, with textbooks informing students that it was only signed “in order to curb Israel’s known greedy aspirations.”

“The Jordanian curriculum, in its latest iteration, continues to fall short of meeting UNESCO-derived standards of peace and tolerance in education,” the 171-page report warned.

“Recent 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.”

While Jordan is often considered a haven of moderate Islam, the study brings this conception into question, at least within the education sector. School materials were found to glorify jihadist violence and incite hatred toward the Jewish community and the State of Israel.

IMPACT-se examined 294 textbooks from Jordan’s national curriculum covering Islamic Education, Arabic Language, Social Studies, National and Civic Education, History and Geography.

They found that tolerance, coexistence, and religious moderation were identifiable themes in certain areas, with Islamic Education and Social Studies textbooks highlighting these values, “drawing from Quranic sources to promote a moderate interpretation of religion.”

The 2004 Amman Message regarding the “true nature of Islam” was also referenced repeatedly. King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein’s landmark statement sought to define what Islam was and was not, in order to separate out extremist and radical Islam as a means of fighting terror.

The message specified, with agreement from the Muslim world, the response to the following three questions: Who is a Muslim? Is it permissible to declare someone an apostate (takfir)? and who has the right to undertake issuing fatwas (legal rulings)?

Several textbooks mentioned the Amman Message and the importance of religious moderation, social harmony, and reconciliation in relationships. Yet, while presenting a concern for tolerance and moderation on one hand, IMPACT-se found that the curriculum continued to “reinforce anti-Jewish narratives and legitimize violence against Israel” on the other.

Addressing the contradiction, Marcus Sheff, CEO of IMPACT-se, noted, "Jordan is both a key Western ally in the region and Israel's long-standing peace partner," making the curriculum’s hostile content "particularly disappointing and concerning," according to The Jerusalem Post.

The report found that antisemitic libels and tropes were rampant, including perpetuating the falsehood that the Jews seek to harm the Al Aqsa Mosque. Grade 11 and 12 History textbooks taught that Israeli Jews were responsible for the 1969 arson of Al-Aqsa when the fire was, in fact, started by a mentally ill Australian Christian extremist, Dennis Rohan. A recently textbook falsely stated the fire was deliberately started by an "extremist Jew" acting "in collusion with the Israeli occupation authorities."

In another Grade 12 History book, researchers noted a flat denial that Jews have an ancient connection with the land of Israel. “They try to connect everything discovered with forged Talmudic narratives of the city's history, an attempt by the Occupation's authorities to claim they have extended historical roots in Jerusalem and Palestine,” the textbook stated. “During its archaeological excavations, Israel destroys and steals artifacts that date back to the Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods, and lies about the remaining archeological findings, claiming that they go back to Jewish times, in an attempt to forge historical truths.”

In a summary, IMPACT-se wrote in their main findings, “On the surface, Jordanian textbooks seemingly continue to advocate for the values of peace, tolerance, religious moderation and equality. At the same time, they visibly exclude both Jewish people and Israel from the application of these values, targeting both groups with hateful messaging while offering no representation of their perspectives. This approach impedes accurate understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and risks cultivating contempt and fear of the ‘other.’”