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On May 31, 2022, a user of the Islamic State (ISIS)-operated Rocket.Chat server posted several images which appear to be pages from an ISIS textbook for pre-school children, teaching them about Islamic practices and values, including jihad.[1]
Between May 8-17, 2022, the same user posted the book's preface, which highlighted its objective of countering the "clear impact" left on Muslim children by foreign curricula, stressing 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 print or release dates of the textbook, MEMRI JTTM's review suggests it may have been distributed between 2015-2017, 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 15-18," which instruct children on daily Islamic prayers and the requirements for performing them, such as the ritual of ablution, as well as 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." Each lesson page ends with a sentence telling children that as "cubs of the Islamic State," they must perform these practices, as explained by the textbook.
[1] June 2, 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.
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