Saudi Arabia has reportedly removed several sensitive religious references from its latest school textbooks. The changes include hadiths concerning Jews and other religious communities.
The reported revisions have attracted international attention. They are being viewed as part of Saudi Arabia’s wider education reforms under its Vision 2030 programme.
Among the reported changes is the removal of a hadith about end-times events. The narration had described Muslims fighting and killing Jews and had previously appeared in Saudi educational material.
A Grade 7 Social Studies textbook has also reportedly been revised. Its latest edition no longer includes a hadith that had been interpreted as suggesting that Jews were destined for Hell.
Another change was reported in a Grade 7 Life and Family Skills textbook. An earlier edition contained a hadith referring to Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism as false religions.
That reference has reportedly been removed from the updated edition. The changes have raised questions about how Saudi Arabia is reshaping religious content in its education system.
The reported reforms have drawn attention in Washington. A senior US State Department official welcomed Saudi Arabia’s curriculum changes and linked them to efforts promoting tolerance and coexistence.
Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the US State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, praised Saudi Arabia’s reported efforts to reform its educational material.
Kaploun said the changes were consistent with broader efforts to promote peace and coexistence in the region. He also referred to the approach associated with the Abraham Accords.
The developments followed a review by Israeli think tank IMPACT-se. The organization examined 136 Saudi textbooks used between 2024 and 2026.
According to the review, Saudi Arabia has removed or revised many themes considered intolerant toward Jews and Christians. The reported changes include removing antisemitic language and references viewed as hostile toward religious communities.
The revisions reportedly also include lessons that promote coexistence between different communities. Supporters of the changes have described them as part of Saudi Arabia’s broader push toward moderation.
However, the reported reforms do not appear to represent a complete change in Saudi Arabia’s position on Israel. Some references concerning Israel reportedly remain unchanged in the textbooks.
According to the review, Saudi educational materials still do not recognize Israel and continue to describe it as an occupying power. The changes therefore appear focused mainly on religious references and language toward other faiths.
Saudi Arabia has not yet issued an official statement explaining the reported curriculum revisions. The changes nevertheless continue to attract international attention as the Kingdom pursues wider education and social reforms.
