The Jordanian Ministry of Education’s introduction of a song by the artist Samira Tawfiq into the school curriculum sparked a wide-ranging controversy on the streets of Jordan, with conflicting opinions between supporters and opponents.
In addition to Samira Tawfiq, the curriculum also included information from the biographies of the artists Juliette Awad, Musa Hijazin, and Abdo Musa, as well as the customs and traditions of Arab coffee in Jordan, the musical rhythm of the drum, the qanun and juz. instruments, and biographies of Jordanian athletes such as Musa Al-Taamari, Amer Shafi’, and Juliana Al-Sadiq.
A Jordanian woman wrote on social media: “Today, my daughter takes an art education book and looks at it to reach education? Our children are making music and they know who Samira Tawfiq is!!.. Where do they want to take their generation? learn the Qur’an, the rules, and its meaning… Where did this class go?!.. Samira Tawfiq, her life, and her music in a million thousand questions What do they want from this generation? And my son’s second grade book is drumming on me The drum and how he uses musical instruments.
She said: “We, the people, must resist the mockery that is happening because these people are responsible for us. These books must be destroyed. You are all shepherds and you are all responsible for your flock… I hope the matter will not be forgotten.”
On the other hand, one of the social media pioneers wrote: “Art book… What do you want to include in it about Al-Qaqa bin Omar Al-Tamimi? May God have mercy on the days of Ahmed Shawqi and Al-Mutanabbi.”
Another said: “Samira Tawfiq, from singing, dancing and spinning to being a role model for generations in education curricula…an ugly moment in every detail.”
Educational expert Professor Dhouqan Obaidat said that society and cynics do not know that we have a subject: music! What do we offer during it? Do we provide information about Saladin and Al-Mutawakkil? Or about musicians and singers? Aren’t there “Zaryab”, the singer “Wahid”, the singer “Ma’bad” and “Ibn Surayj” in our history?
Obaidat believed that the curricula would face a major parliamentary attack against the books they called “Samira Tawfiq’s curricula,” but personally he is very committed to studying art and music, and is not allowed to -to admire an artist, male or female.
Obaidat said that it was possible to talk about artists who have a measure of people’s conscience, such as Tawfiq Al-Nimri from Jordan, or Fayrouz, or Umm Kulhum from Arabs.
Curriculum defenders published pictures from textbooks for other subjects showing their interest in Jordanian heritage and Jordanian heroism, such as the biographies of the martyrs Muwaffaq Al-Salti and Firas Al-Ajlouni, the martyr Saed Al-Maayta, the martyr Muhammad Dhaif Allah Al-Maayta, and the martyr Rashid Al-Zyoud.
