The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On June 21, 2022, a user of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket.Chat server posted several images showing pages from an ISIS textbook for preschool children, teaching them about Islamic practices and values, including jihad.[1]
From May 8-17, 2022, the same user posted the book's preface, which highlights its objective of countering the "clear impact" on Muslim children of foreign curricula and stresses that ISIS views itself as responsible for correcting that path by introducing a purely Islamic educational vision.[2]
While the user listed no details about the printing or release dates of the textbook, MEMRI JTTM's review suggests it may have been distributed between 2015 and 2017, when ISIS controlled territories in Iraq and Syria. This is because pro-ISIS media outlets disseminated similar content on social media during that period.[3]
The recently posted images showed pages depicting lessons 19-25, which instruct children on fasting, charity, honoring elders, and etiquette for going to the toilet.
The lessons include two short chapters from the Quran, one of which is Quran 106:1-6, which consist of verses saying that Muslims and unbelievers do not worship the same God. This lesson features an image of an ISIS fighter knocking down a statue, apparently taken from a video published online in February 2015 showing ISIS fighters destroying statues in Mosul Museum in Iraq.[4]
One lesson promotes the idea that those who join jihad will be rewarded with the highest level of heaven, included a saying by Prophet Muhammad that "the path to Heaven is attained through the sword." It advises the teacher to explain that Allah has "100 levels in heaven for the mujahideen."
Lessons 15-18, which were shared on May 31, 2022, instruct children on daily Islamic prayers and the requirements for performing them, such as ablution, and on a short verse from the Quran. Another lesson tells the teacher to "instill in the children a love of Prophet Muhammad," adding that his "love is part of [Islamic] belief."[5]
[1] June 21, 2022.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report ISIS Supporter Posts Excerpts From ISIS Textbook For Pre-school Children Glorifying 'Virtue Of Jihad', May 24, 2022.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM report Telegram Channel Circulates Full Copies Of Children's Textbooks Used By ISIS, January 31, 2017.
[4] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Destroys Archaeological Treasures in Mosul, February 26, 2015.
[5] See MEMRI JTTM report ISIS Supporter Posts Excerpts From Textbook Instructing "Cubs Of The Islamic State" How To Pray, June 2, 2022.
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