IMPACT-se has released its 2022 annual update on Saudi textbooks, depicting an overall trend of improvement following major reforms since 2020. Whereas only a decade ago, focus was put on encouraging students to prepare for jihad and martyrdom, the majority of references to violent jihad justifying and praising violence and murder on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad have now been removed from the textbooks. And while some problematic content such as negative depictions of Jews, Zionism and Christians remain or have even been made worse, others, particularly instances of the kind of antisemitism based on modern European tropes, have largely been removed.
Review of Changes and Remaining Problematic Content in Saudi Textbooks 2021–22
April 4, 2021
Recommended Research
Review of the Jordanian Curriculum 2025-2026
Aug 11, 2026
REGIONS
As Houthi violence continues to make headlines, its roots can be seen by analyzing Houthi educational materials from a decade ago.
In mathematics materials from 2015–2019 documented by IMPACT-se, children learn numbers by counting images bearing the Houthi slogan, which includes
Last week, IMPACT-se CEO Marcus Sheff addressed parliamentarians and policymakers at the House of Lords in London and the French Senate in Paris as part of a delegation of experts on countering extremism, facilitated by @TrendsRA_
Marcus highlighted the essential role of
In a recent article for @NRO, Perpperdine Univeristy (@pepperdine) President Jim Gash and Jeremy Tate, founder of the @CLT_Exam challenge the idea that schools should teach students how to think, rather than what to think.
They argue that education is never entirely neutral:
We are pleased to share that IMPACT-se participated in the 5th Paris Conference on Education (PCE2026), hosted by the The International Academic Forum (@iafor) at Sorbonne University.
Bringing together scholars, educators and policymakers from around the world, the conference
In a recent interview with @dailystarnews, Shireen Huq, a prominent women’s rights activist in Bangladesh, raises important questions about gender and inclusion in education—from the stereotypes embedded in what girls and boys are taught, to body shaming in textbooks and the role
As Syria's new leadership seeks closer engagement with Western governments, its education reforms offer an early indication of the country's future direction. This analysis examines what recent curriculum changes reveal about the regime's ideological priorities—from attitudes
A recent analysis from @PeaceNewsNet examines school textbooks in Iraqi Kurdistan and argues that they could do more to reflect the histories and experiences of the region's diverse ethnic and religious communities, including Arabs, Turkmen, Assyrians, Armenians, Yazidis, and
Every IMPACT-se researcher brings a unique lens to the study of education and society.
Asher Spekterman is a professional Arabic translator and researcher, specializing in Middle Eastern conflicts. He has extensive experience teaching Arabic translation and researching



