Mosul schools empty as IS instates rigid anti-West curriculum

The extremist-held Iraqi city of Mosul is set to usher in a new school year. But unlike years past, there will be no art or music. Classes about history, literature and Christianity have been “permanently annulled.” The Islamic State (IS) militants have declared patriotic songs blasphemous and ordered that certain pictures be torn out of textbooks. Iraq’s second-largest city has—at least so far—responded to the Sunni militants’ demands with silence. Although the extremists, also known as ISIS or ISIL, stipulated that the school year would begin Sept. 9, pupils have uniformly not shown up for class.

What’s important to us now is that the children continue receiving knowledge correctly, even if they lose a whole academic year …

Unnamed Mosul resident

Part of IS’s core strategy is to establish administration over lands that it controls to project an image of itself as a ruler and not just a fighting force. Students also face hardships elsewhere across Iraq amid growing pressure to cater to more than 1.8 million people people displaced by the militants’ advance. Nationwide, the school year has been delayed by a month because many schools have been converted into makeshift shelters for displaced people from regions seized by IS. In Baghdad alone, 76 schools are occupied by displaced Iraqis.

This announcement is binding. Anyone who acts against it will face punishment.

Islamic State statement on education guidelines

Middle East Islamic State