RIYADH – A quiet change inside Saudi Arabia’s schoolbooks made global headlines as several sensitive religious references were allegedly removed from latest editions, including hadiths concerning Jews and other faiths. The reported revisions are now drawing international attention and raising questions about the direction of Saudi Arabia’s education reforms.
The changes drawn attention in Washington, with senior US State Department official welcoming the Kingdom’s efforts and describing curriculum reforms as part of a broader push toward tolerance, coexistence and moderation.
Reference: https://x.com/StateSEAS/status/2087969162530320509
Among the reported changes is the removal of a hadith concerning end-times events that describes Muslims fighting and killing Jews. The narration had previously appeared in Saudi educational material but is no longer included in the revised curriculum.
Another major change has been identified in a Grade 7 Social Studies textbook. The latest edition reportedly no longer contains a hadith that had been interpreted as implying that Jews were destined for Hell. The removal marks another shift in the way Saudi educational materials address Jewish people and religious differences.
The changes extend beyond references to Jews. A Grade 7 Life and Family Skills textbook has also been revised. Its earlier edition contained a hadith referring to Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism as false religions. That reference has now been removed from the updated edition.
The reported changes were welcomed by Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Kaploun praised Saudi Arabia’s continued efforts to reform its school curriculum and address what he described as concerning themes in educational materials.
He said President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio had emphasized, in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, the importance of promoting peace and coexistence among the peoples of the region.
Kaploun’s comments came after a recent report by Israeli think tank IMPACT-se, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education. The organization reviewed 136 Saudi textbooks used between 2024 and 2026. According to the report, Saudi Arabia removed most of the “problematic themes” considered intolerant toward Jews and Christians from its curriculum.
The reported reforms include removing a hadith comparing Jews and Christians to disabled animals, eliminating antisemitic language and introducing lessons highlighting coexistence. The changes have been described as a move toward greater moderation and inclusion in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
Despite the reported curriculum reforms, some references concerning Israel remain unchanged. According to the report, Saudi textbooks still do not recognize Israel and continue to describe it as an “occupying power.”
This means the reported changes appear focused primarily on removing language considered hostile or intolerant toward religious communities, rather than representing a complete shift in Saudi Arabia’s position on Israel.
Despite the growing attention surrounding the reported changes, Saudi Arabia has not yet issued an official or semi-official statement explaining the curriculum revisions.
The post Has Saudi Arabia removed Hadiths about Jews from its Textbooks? appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
About the Author
