Six Years After Saddam, Iraq's History Is Updated [audio 3 minutes 43 seconds]
After a delayed start due to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Iraqi students are heading back to school. Many of Iraq's schools lack electricity and running water, but they will be getting something new this year: a history book that reflects the enormous changes the country has been through and includes historical events that were once forbidden topics.
At a boys' high school in central Baghdad, history teacher Naba Abbas begins a lesson about the Crusades. The changes in the curriculum come later, she says, in the modern history section.
The old textbooks referred constantly to Saddam Hussein's triumphs. Six years after his removal, hundreds of fawning references to him have been taken out of Iraq's official history.
Read entire article at NPR - Morning Edition
At a boys' high school in central Baghdad, history teacher Naba Abbas begins a lesson about the Crusades. The changes in the curriculum come later, she says, in the modern history section.
The old textbooks referred constantly to Saddam Hussein's triumphs. Six years after his removal, hundreds of fawning references to him have been taken out of Iraq's official history.