ISIS bans math, social studies for children
In swaths of Syria now controlled by ISIS, children can no longer
study math or social studies. Sports are out of the question. And
students will be banned from learning about elections and democracy.
Instead, they'll be
subjected to the teachings of the radical Islamist group. And any
teacher who dares to break the rules "will be punished."
ISIS revealed its new
educational demands in fliers posted on billboards and on street poles.
The Sunni militant group has captured a slew of Syrian and Iraqi cities
in recent months as it tries to establish a caliphate, or Islamic state,
spanning Sunni parts of both countries.
In the letter, ISIS said alternative courses will be added.
Syria's war drives off U.N. peacekeepers
Major problems in the fight against ISIS
It also said teachers
must erase the phrase Syrian Arab Republic -- the official name of Syria
-- and replace it with Islamic State, which is what ISIS calls itself.
Educators cannot teach
nationalistic and ethnic ideology and must instead teach "the belonging
to Islam ... and to denounce infidelity and infidels."
Books cannot include any
reference to evolution. And teachers must say that the laws of physics
and chemistry "are due to Allah's rules and laws."
The letter ends with a firm warning:
"This is an obligatory announcement, and all violators will be punished."
200 Syrians killed in one day
The brutal advances of ISIS in Syria come as the country grapples with a three-year civil war with no clear victor in sight.
At least 200 people were
killed on Tuesday alone, the opposition group Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights said. It said about 60 were killed by regime airstrikes.
The state-run Syrian
Arab News Agency, meanwhile, said terrorist attacks in Damascus, Hama
and Homs left at least three civilians dead.
In all, the United
Nations estimates more than 190,000 people have died in the violence
between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and rebels seeking an end to
four decades of al-Assad family rule.
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