Renate Heugel The Double Taboo of the Holocaust
The Description of World War II in School Textbooks of Six Arab Countries, Iran, and Turkey since 1950
– in englischer Sprache –
Hamburg 2026, 302 pages
[…] This is careful, source-driven work — long stretches of primary material translated and presented so readers can draw their own conclusions — and it speaks directly to why Holocaust distortion in educational systems matters far […]
About this book
The Arab-Israeli conflict has engaged the world for almost eighty years. Yet today’s debates are not significantly different from those of the 1950s:
Is a two-state solution within reach or is it still a distant prospect? While media coverage often focuses only on superficial events, the underlying causes usually remain obscure. But what is the cause of this seemingly ‘eternal problem’? Is there a connection between its ‘insolubility’ and the veneration of Adolf Hitler that is often found in the Arab-Islamic world?
To get to the bottom of this question, this study translated and analyzed schoolbooks from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Iran, and Turkey, on the topics of World War II, German National Socialism, and the Holocaust. The texts are drawn from 81 textbooks published between 1950 and 2018. They address the impact of the Second World War on the respective regions, as well as international events – ranging from the Treaty of Versailles, frequently cited as a cause of World War II, to the figure of Adolf Hitler, the course of the war, and its conclusion with the founding of the United Nations. The thematically structured analysis of the translated original sources enables readers to form their own opinion regarding the historical perception of the countries in focus.
Based on the results, it can be said that most teaching materials show a keen interest in the Second World War and German National Socialism, but the classification and assessment of events varies greatly from country to country. The situation is different with regard to the Holocaust: The extent of the extermination of the Jews is concealed in all schoolbooks, and if discrimination is mentioned, blame for their persecution is put on the Jews themselves.
Given the significance the Holocaust holds in the Western self-image, its denial in the textbooks examined is disturbing and reveals a tragic discrepancy. Yet, awareness of this contradiction is of fundamental importance for successful intercultural dialogue. This applies not only to the Middle East conflict but also to migration from the Arab-Islamic world to Western countries.
Bibliography
| Author | Renate Heugel |
| Title | The Double Taboo of the Holocaust |
| Subtitle | The Description of World War II in School Textbooks of Six Arab Countries, Iran, and Turkey since 1950 |
| Further Details | |
| Pages | 302 |
| Year of Publication | 2026 |
| Publication Date | 06.08.2026 |
| Place | Hamburg |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-3-339-14954-1 |
| eISBN (eBook) | 978-3-339-14955-8 |
| Series | ﻧﻮﺮ ﺍﻠﺤﻜﻤﺔ Nur al-hikma Licht der Weisheit. Interdisziplinäre Schriftenreihe zur Islamwissenschaft |
| Volume | 20 |
| Language | english |
Reviews
[…] This is careful, source-driven work — long stretches of primary material translated and presented so readers can draw their own conclusions — and it speaks directly to why Holocaust distortion in educational systems matters far beyond the classroom, shaping public discourse on the Middle East conflict and beyond. I know Renate Heugel‘s work and have read parts of the manuscript; this is a serious and valuable contribution to the field.
About Renate Heugel
After completing her secondary education, Renate Heugel trained as a Technician before obtaining her high school diploma (Abitur) through evening classes a few years later. Driven by her interest in Arabic music, she went on to study Islamic Studies, Iranian Studies, Jewish Studies, and Musicology at the University of Tübingen.
During an extended language stay in Damascus in 2002/03, she was directly confronted with the widespread admiration for Adolf Hitler and the denial of the Holocaust in the region. This experience motivated her to examine the Syrian education system in depth. Her Master’s thesis on the representation of German history in Syrian textbooks was nominated for the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) Alexander Rave Scholarship in 2012.
In 2025, she completed her PhD at the University of Bonn. Her doctoral dissertation focused on history textbooks from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Iran, and Turkey published between 1950 and 2018, analyzing their coverage of World War II, National Socialism, and the Holocaust.
Contact the Author
Further Publication by the Author
Renate HeugelDie deutsch-arabische Freundschaft
Deutsche Geschichte (1815–1945) in syrischen Schulbüchern
Hamburg 2013
[…] Die Autorin stellt deutlich heraus, dass die angebliche Verbundenheit zwischen deutscher und arabischer Geschichte vor allem aus der Annahme resultiert, […]
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