Saddam Hussein reference in new Syrian textbooks triggers uproar

Shafaq News – Damascus

A controversial reference to Iraq’s former president Saddam Hussein as a “heroic martyr” in newly revised Syrian textbooks sparked widespread criticism and confusion.

The image of the passage, which spread rapidly on social media, drew outrage from teachers and parents before activists clarified it was fabricated and not included in the official curriculum.

One of the most disputed revisions appears in a Grade 8 history book, where the “Martyrs of May 6” — long honored as national heroes executed by Ottoman forces in 1916 — are now described as “conspirators with the British and French against the Ottoman state.”

Scholars and educators told Shafaq News the changes reflect a broader plan to reshape the curriculum under a new national narrative, but they warned that some edits “risk eroding Syria’s historical identity.”

The Education Ministry said the curriculum is still under review and that its goal is to offer an “objective historical account.” It added that the removal of “national education” lessons aims to replace ideological material with content more relevant to students’ lives.