"Resistance movement"

Hamas definition in school textbook is changed

Bodycam image of a Hamas fighter during the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

In late autumn, reports about an HTL textbook in which the terrorist organization Hamas was defined in a glossary as an "Islamic resistance movement" caused a stir. In the meantime, the Ministry of Education has asked the publisher to revise the chapter. Schools are now to distribute the corrected pages to their pupils.

The NEOS had submitted a parliamentary question on the matter to Education Minister Martin Polaschek (ÖVP). In its response, the ministry emphasizes that although Hamas is described as a radical organization in the body text, at least the explanation in a marginal column of the book "no longer corresponds to the current state of science and the goals of political education and democracy education". However, this has not been the case for a long time: Hamas has been classified as a terrorist organization in the European Union since 2001.

Middle East conflict to be actively addressed
How the Middle East conflict should be taught in schools is a matter of international controversy. Since the beginning of the most recent Gaza war in the wake of the massacres and kidnappings of Israelis by Hamas, the topic has also become much more present in Austrian schools. Schools have been encouraged by the ministry to actively address the Israel-Palestine conflict in lessons - through its historical classification, but also a clear rejection of anti-Semitism, extremism and violence.

The definition in the glossary of the textbook (see below) caused a stir:

The Ministry of Education cannot say at how many schools the book in question is used in lessons for the 4th grade HTL geography, history and political education subject. School materials are ordered independently by the respective location and the Federal Chancellery is responsible for organizing the textbook campaign. This is where the Family Burden Equalization Fund, which is responsible for financing, is located.

"Content-related nonsense" unavoidable
According to the NEOS, the Ministry justified the fact that the complex system of textbook approval cannot prevent "nonsense in terms of content" with the sheer volume of procedures. With 1900 approvals per year, "occasional errors and mistakes" could not be completely ruled out, despite the efforts of all those involved. In the event of justified complaints, the relevant pages would also have to be replaced by the textbook publishers, regardless of the time of approval.