Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Germany's Muslims to unite so Islam can be taught in schools

Germany's many Muslim groups plan to unite under one umbrella in an effort to ensure that Islam can be taught in public schools, better integrating children and combating the influence of fundamentalists.

"It is vital to resolve this problem and ensure that Islam can be taught in German in schools," said Nadeem Elyas, president of one such group, the central council of Muslims.

"If we don't, the next generation of Muslims will grow up without values, and if they don't get their religious education in schools they risk being influenced by bad interpretations of the Koran," he said after a meeting of Muslim groups in Hamburg, northern Germany last weekend.

Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has been increasingly keen to improve the integration of Germany's Muslims, particularly with mainly-Muslim Turkey preparing to start talks to join the European Union.

Religious courses for the estimated 600,000 Muslim children living in Germany are guaranteed under its constitution, the Basic Law.

But the law provides only for the beliefs of "religious communities" to be taught in public schools and given the split nature of Islam here the Koran has not been accepted in the classroom.

But an estimated 4,500 religious instructors will probably be needed.

"The problem is that we can't massively bring thousands of teachers into the country from one day to the next," said Knopf, despite Schroeder's desire to better integrate foreigners.

Some teachers are being trained in Turkey under an accord between universities from both countries, but in Germany itself the first-ever faculty aimed at completing such a task was only opened last year.

4 Comments:

At March 02, 2005 10:42 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This move by Germany I feel is dangerous as it will I feel be used to influence and possibly undermine the values that western society teaches and practices in its schools, it is the start of a very slippery slope.

This move is done under the name of integration,if Islam gains access to young vulnerable minds and thus starts influencing them about the "religion of peace"
in the national education system
it can I feel only benefit Islam
and do very little for integration
or the stability of the future population..........erik

 
At March 03, 2005 3:30 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think this move will be positive in the long run because it will open more eyes to the threat.

 
At March 03, 2005 10:05 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have to agree with Eric. This move by muslims who happen to live in Germany, is just another gambit to get islamic texts in the classroom. Note that there are no proposals in Germany or anywhere else, for lessons in Christianity to be held in madrassas.

Posted by DP111

 
At March 05, 2005 12:29 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is terrifying. Why are they receiving their training in Turkey? There aren't enough knowledgeable Muslims in Germany to do the training? Could you imagine Catholics demanding that their religion be taught in German schools, and that the instructors be trained in the Vatican?

Europe is well on its way to heck in a handbasket. I'm beginning to think the descent is irreversible.

 

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