Ministry for Diaspora Affairs | September 2024

…Why did they slaughter my childhood before my eyes and murder the roses in the fields? Why did they kill the butterflies in our gardens and scare the birds? Why did they hide the sun, spread darkness, and block the roads?”

From “The Arabic Language,” Grade 8, Part A

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Demonization in a religious context, as mentioned, carries significant weight, especially in the context of holy places. Thus, Jews are portrayed as infidels and helpers of Satan. An excerpt from a poem studied in class: “Where are the horsemen [who will ride] to [the Al-Aqsa Mosque] to free it from the fist of infidelity, from the helpers of Satan?”

From “The Arabic Language,” Grade 7, Part A

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Furthermore, Jews are demonized outside the context of the conflict as enemies of the Prophet Muhammad and Islam from its early years, and traits such as betrayal and hostility are attributed to them. This turns them into eternal enemies of Muslims today: Moreover, Jews are portrayed as enemies of all the prophets of God and, by implication – enemies of God Himself. Here is the first lesson from a series of classes in the chapter about Jesus Christ:

“1. To expose the nature of the Children of Israel and their hostility to the prophets” (From the book “Islamic Education,” Grade 9, Part B)

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