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Azerbaijan Becomes First Muslim-Majority Country to Include Antisemitism Definition in School Curriculum

Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, addresses the “Summit of the Future” in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 23, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

Azerbaijan has become the first Muslim-majority country to include a definition of antisemitism in its textbooks, according to a new repot assessing the Azerbaijani educational system.

The Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), a nonprofit organization that analyzes schoolbooks and curricula around the world, examined 53 textbooks from Azerbaijan’s national curriculum, identifying significant improvements, such as the removal of anti-Israel narratives and the absence of Islamist rhetoric.

As part of a series on Central Asian curricula produced in collaboration with the Ruderman Family Foundation, IMPACT-se is also examining the educational systems of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

The new report released on Thursday not only highlights the inclusion of positive portrayals of Jews and Israel in Azerbaijan’s textbooks but also notes that these textbooks acknowledge the Holocaust as a mass genocide in which six million Jews were murdered.

According to the London-based NGO, Azerbaijan’s national curriculum promotes ideals of diversity and tolerance, and offers a balanced view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The study did not find signs of Islamism or radicalism, instead noting a focus on a secular and inclusive national identity.

“Azerbaijan promotes the freedom of religion and tolerance, creating an open environment for all religions to flourish, including Judaism,” the study concluded. “Students are taught the value of tolerance and harmony in modern society, and examples of Jewish prayer and rituals are incorporated into the curriculum.”

The report highlighted “promising progress and developments” in the revisions made for the 2024-25 school year, with Judaism being “highly regarded in the textbooks” and some Biblical narratives included in the education system.

For example, one key aspect was the inclusion of a definition of antisemitism, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim-majority country to do so and, according to the report, reflecting its commitment to promoting tolerance and fighting racism.

In line with these goals, the country’s national curriculum also correctly portrays the Holocaust as a genocide of six million Jews, highlighting antisemitic measures such as arbitrary killings and imprisonment rather than trying to downplay or deny the Nazis’ atrocities.

“Antisemitism and the Holocaust are addressed within the framework of rejecting racism and totalitarian regimes,” the study said.

The report also found that these textbooks explain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a more balanced way, attributing its origins to Arab rejection of the 1947 UN Partition Plan and using terms like “taken over” or “captured” instead of “occupied” when referring to territories under Israeli control.

New revisions removed references to Zionism as racist and reclassified Palestinian violence, once called “guerrilla warfare,” as terrorism, acknowledging its negative global impact. Additionally, geography textbooks now recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Despite these advancements, IMPACT-se highlighted the lack of Azerbaijani Jewish history and broader Jewish historical narratives, pointing to this as an area for further improvement.

However, the findings in “Israel and Jews in Azerbaijani Education,” the title of the Impact-se report, are the latest signs of the friendly relations between the two countries. Israel is presented as an ally, with references to shared military expertise, and derogatory references to domestic and international policy have been tempered.

“The textbooks demonstrate a clear rejection of the extreme Islamist values promoted by their near-neighbor Iran,” IMPACT–se CEO Marcus Sheff said in a statement. “Instead, they promote tolerance, diversity, and a heartfelt respect for Jews and Israel, which serves as an important model for many other majority-Muslim states.”

Azerbaijan’s ties with Israel have long been significant, with the country serving as the Jewish state’s most vital ally in the Caucasus and Central Asia for more than three decades, fostering a partnership that spans energy security, defense, and intelligence.

Last week, Israel and Azerbaijan’s state oil company, SOCAR, struck a major energy deal, marking one of the latest examples of Azerbaijan’s emerging role as a strategic player in the Middle East.

The post Azerbaijan Becomes First Muslim-Majority Country to Include Antisemitism Definition in School Curriculum first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.

The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.

They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.

Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.

Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.

The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.

The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.

Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.

He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.

The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.

Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.

Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.

Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.

Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.

The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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