THE mother of a teenager killed in Syria has backed new guidelines to teach schoolchildren about terrorism - saying they could have saved her son.

A new Department for Education report setting out the curriculum for religious studies at GCSE level has stated schools must teach students about the link between religion and terrorism.

Khadijah Kamara, 36, lost her son Ibrahim when he travelled to the Middle East to fight alongside Al Qaeda terrorists with the al-Nusra Front, and has backed the curriculum.

The 19-year-old was killed by a US air strike in September last year as he and other rebels attempted to topple the Assad regime.

His mother said: “I wish it [the curriculum] would have come sooner to save Ibrahim, but there are still kids that can be helped.

“I just hope it’s done for the right reasons.

“It’s not just non-Islam societies that need to learn, it’s Islamic communities too that need to be taught the right Islam because they don’t know the etiquette.

“I promise you that if you read the Quran there isn’t anything in there that would send people to terrorism – there is nothing like that.”

In the report education secretary Nicky Morgan states schools must teach teenagers about violence, war, pacifism, terrorism, just war theory, holy war, the role of religion and belief in 21st century conflict and peacemaking, the concepts of justice, forgiveness and reconciliation.

She also outlines how schools need to teach children how Britain is a Christian country, but Ms Kamara stressed the importance of educating properly and not to scaremonger to turn people against Islam.

Ms Kamara, who owns charity shop Strive in the Way of Allah in Lewes Road, Brighton, said: “The one thing I hope is that they do it right.

“Because if they do it wrong and they keep pushing and pushing Muslims, then they will actually turn to Islamic State (IS).

“If I had the power to eradicate it myself, I would, but we need to be careful.”

She told The Argus how she saw an influx of young Muslims stand alongside Al Qaeda after the way the religion was portrayed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York and fears if schools adopt a similar line on Islam, youngsters could see joining IS as a way of making a stand for their religion.

But Ms Kamara hinted it could be too late for some students.

She said: “No matter how somebody is taught every day, they can still go the other way.”