Egypt will take incitement and religious hatred out of its Islam curriculum, Education Minister Ahmed Zaki Badr announced this week. Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa joined Badr in proclaiming the plan to teach a different, more tolerant version of Islam in the state's schools.
Badr said the government had received complaints that certain teachings “incited extremism and violence.” Islam “is a religion of forgiveness and love,” and the curriculum should not include teachings that could mistakenly give a different impression, he said.
Mufti Gomaa said the changes to the curriculum should not be interpreted as disapproval of the Koranic verses calling for jihad (holy war), that will no longer be taught in state schools. The updated curriculum “will avoid any possible misunderstandings,” but the previous curriculum was not necessarily faulty, he said.
All Egyptian students have mandatory religious studies; the Muslim students learn about Islam, while Coptic Christian students learn about their own religion. Coptic leader Pope Shenouda III will review the Christian curriculum to determine if it requires alteration as well, Badr said.
In addition to the changes to the Islamic module, the government will create a textbook discussing the joint values shared by all monotheistic religions.
The changes to the religious curriculum caused a stir in the Egyptian opposition, which includes the Muslim Brotherhood. Opposition leaders accused the government of making changes to the curriculum due to American and Israeli pressure.
The Egyptian government is threatened by extremist Islamic groups and may also be attempting to thwart certain Koranic verses being taken as commands calling for immediate action.