Against the backdrop of the war between Israel and Hamas, which broke out after Hamas invaded southern Israel on October 7, 2023, massacred over 1,000 civilians and kidnapped over 200, Qatar's education system has been promoting antisemitic and anti-Israel content in kindergartens, schools, and universities. In a prayer service held at a Qatari school, the imam cursed the Jews and called them enemies of Allah; at an event held by the Education Above All foundation, which is headed by the Qatari Emir's mother Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and is partnered with UNICEF and UNESCO, participants chanted the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!", which calls for the destruction of Israel; in activities at various kindergartens, schools, and universities, maps of Palestine from the river to the sea completely ignore the existence of the State of Israel.
It should be noted that the Qatari curricula likewise promote antisemitic content, such as depictions of the Jews as vengeful, treacherous, deceitful, scheming, weak, lowly, and as people who slandered and killed Allah's prophets due to their "evil nature." Moreover, Judaism is presented as a fake and distorted religion.[1]
It should also be noted that, for many years, Qatar has been harboring Hamas's leadership in its territory and aiding this movement economically. This support has continued since the October 7 terror attack: The Qatari media lavishes praise on Hamas, and Qatar's Al-Jazeera Network serves as a propaganda mouthpiece for it.[2]
This report will provide recent examples of antisemitic and anti-Israel content in Qatar's education system.
In Prayer At Qatari School In Mesaieed, Imam Curses The Jews, Calls Them Enemies Of Allah
On November 8, 2023, a boys' schools in Mesaieed, in southeast Qatar, held a prayer ceremony "for strengthening Islamic identity among students, for the sake of the people of Gaza." At the ceremony, the imam cursed the Jews, calling them enemies of Allah, and hoped for jihad against them. He said: "O Allah, punish the usurping Jews… Give victory to your monotheistic servants in Gaza, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, be their helper, supporter, ally, and protector… With you, we fight. O Allah, You are our support and our ally, help us against the Zionist invaders… O Allah, grant us jihad against the Jews with our souls, our wealth, and our words… O Allah, be support for our oppressed brothers in Gaza… Grant them victory over your enemy and their enemy."[3]
The school prayer in Mesayed
Exhibition At Doha School Presents Jews As Arrogant, Deceitful, Corrupt And Jealous
The Talha bin Ubeydullah elementary school in Doha held an exhibition of students' artwork titled "Gaza in Our Hearts," and uploaded some of the works to the school's Facebook page. The exhibition included a display titled "The Traits of the Jews," which presented these traits as described in several Quranic verses, alongside a map of Palestine from the river to the sea. Among the traits listed in the display were: arrogant, jealous, deceitful, corrupt, prophet-killers, divided and polytheistic.[4]
Slogans Calling For The Destruction Of Israel At Event Held By Qatar's "Education Above All" Foundation, Headed By Sheikha Moza And Partnered With UNICEF, UNESCO
Education Above All, a Qatari foundation run by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the mother of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani and the wife of the previous emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Aal Thani, held on October 24 a show of solidarity with the children of Gaza. The event was held at the Qatar Foundation's Education City in Al-Rayyan. It should be noted that Education Above All is a partner of UNICEF[5] and UNESCO.[6]
The event featured a march of solidarity, a moment of silence, and sports and arts activities. It was attended by students from 25 schools, and one of the whiteboards at the event bore the slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."[7]
Maps Of Palestine In Kindergartens And Schools Ignore The Existence Of The State Of Israel
At events in solidarity with Gaza held in schools and kindergartens throughout Qatar, maps of Palestine depicted it as stretching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, ignoring the existence of the State of Israel.
At an activity marking International Palestinian Solidarity Day at the Zainab bint Jahsh girls' school in Doha, such a map was hanging on the wall, and another was printed on a shirt worn by one of the girls, colored to match the Palestinian flag and captioned "Palestine."[8]
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At a girls' elementary school in Doha, an activity in solidarity with the Palestinians included a display titled "Palestine through Qatari Eyes," which likewise featured a "map of Palestine" from the river to the sea.[9]
An exhibit at the Al-Zubayda girls' high school in Doha shows a Palestinian flag hugging a map of Palestine from the river to the sea, captioned: "Palestine – The Hope."[10]
At a morning assembly at the Umm Al-Qura boys' elementary school in Doha, a student held up a map of Palestine from the river to the sea captioned: "No Alternative to Palestine but Paradise." A post on the school's Facebook page explained: "In a show of solidarity with the Palestinian people, in order to spread the [Palestinian] cause and instill values in the hearts of our students, parts of the Thursday [October 19, 2023] morning assembly were dedicated to this subject."[11]
The school was decorated with similar maps and with Palestinian flags.[12]
The Abdullah bin Ali Al-Misnad boys' elementary school in Al-Khor, in northern Qatar, held a competition in which the boys constructed puzzles of the "map of Palestine" from the river to the sea.[13]
Similar maps were displayed at a solidarity activity at the Osama bin Zayd boys' middle school in Al-Rayyan.[14]
Art Exhibition At Qatar University Displays "Maps of Palestine," Bust Of Hamas Terrorist
On November 9, 2023, Qatari Environment and Climate Change Minister Faleh Al-Nasser Aal Thani attended the opening of an art exhibition at the Qatar University's education faculty that displayed maps of Palestine from the river to the sea, as well as a bust of Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida.[15]
Qatari Environment and Climate Change Minister Faleh Al-Nasser Aal Thani at opening of art exhibition at Qatar University's education faculty. Poster features map of Palestine from the river to the sea, and says "We return there" (Image: Al-Raya, Qatar, November 10, 2023)
Maps of Palestine at the exhibition (Images: Al-Raya, Qatar, November 24, 2023; Al-Watan, Qatar, November 10, 2023)
A bust of Hamas military wing spokesman Abu Obeida at Qatar University's education faculty exhibition (Image: Al-Sharq, Qatar, November 24, 2023)
[1] See MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 1442 - Review Of Qatari Islamic Education School Textbooks For The First Half Of The 2018-2019 School Year – Chapter IV: Attitudes Towards Jews And Christians, Islam's Superiority Over Other Religions – February 19, 2019.
[2] See MEMRI reports: Special Dispatch No. 10840 - Qatar And Qatari Press Express Unreserved Support For Massive Hamas Terror Attack On Israel, Hold Israel Solely Responsible For It - October 9, 2023; Special Dispatch No. 10872 - Qatar Enabling Hamas' War Against Israel - October 15, 2023; Special Dispatch No. 10974 - Arab Journalists: Al-Jazeera Is A Mouthpiece Of The Terrorist Organizations – November 22, 2023. .
[3] Twitter.com/MesaiyedS, November 8, 2023.
[4] Facebook.com/talhaprboys, November 12, 2023.
[5] https://www.unicef.org/partnerships/education-above-all-and-unicef-announce-new-programmes, March 27, 2022.
[6] https://www.educationaboveall.org/our-partners/unesco; https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/unesco-and-eaa-announce-10-million-restore-damaged-schools-beirut, November 4, 2020.
[7] Al-Raya (Qatar), October 25, 2023.
[8] Al-Sharq (Qatar), December 3, 2023.
[9] Al-Sharq (Qatar), December 4, 2023.
[10] Al-Sharq (Qatar), December 1, 2023.
[11] Facebook.com/ummalqorapsb, October 22, 2023.
[12] Facebook.com/ummalqorapsb, November 28, 2023.
[13] Twitter.com/almisnad_pp, November 21, 2023.
[14] Twitter.com/obzschool, November 21, 2023.
[15] Al-Raya (Qatar), November 10, 2023.
