The United Arab Emirates will start including studies about the Holocaust in its classrooms, the country’s embassy in the United States has announced, in a move that has been described as a welcome step for the Middle East.
“In the wake of the historic #AbrahamAccords, the UAE will now include the Holocaust in the curriculum for primary and secondary schools,” the Emirati embassy tweeted.
The teaching of the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War, will take place in primary and secondary schools
The teaching of the Holocaust, the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War, will take place in primary and secondary schools, with the timescale and details now being worked out.
Alex Peterfreund, a member of the UAE Jewish community, who had relatives who perished in the Nazi death camps, commented “I feel like this region is understanding the importance of telling this story. I will no longer have to tell my story to teenagers who think I am talking fiction.”
The Holocaust is rarely taught in schools in the Arab world, with a few exceptions. Indeed, as The Jerusalem Post reported, this move makes the UAE the first Arab nation to officially add Holocaust education to its schools.
Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The UAE’s decision is a historical precedent, as it is the first Arab country to take this step, and its decision stands in the face of the Holocaust deniers.”