Development of Interreligious Competencies Among Islamic Religious Teachers

This contribution centers on a study examining the perception of interreligious competencies among Islamic religious teachers in southern Austria. It aims to capture both the subjective perception and the necessary prerequisites for interreligious encounters and the development of interreligious competencies within the professional environment of Islamic religious teachers. Drawing on literature concerning interreligious learning and interreligious competence as well as empirical findings, a profile of interreligious competence among Islamic religious teachers is established. This entails an examination of how Islamic religious teachers perceive their interreligious competencies in the school setting, what prerequisites they consider necessary for interreligious interactions within Austrian society at large, and whether their perception of interreligious competence aligns with the current discourse in religious education. Given the prevailing research focus on the interreligious competencies of students, this work aims to bridge the gap by examining the competencies of teachers. Additionally, it investigates whether an existing profile of interreligious competencies from a Christian perspective can be applied to Islamic religious pedagogy and teachers. Furthermore, the study explores the conditions that can influence and shape the professionalization and development of interreligious competence among the respondents. This research project employs a qualitative approach and gathers data through episodic interviews. The participants are Islamic religious teachers with varying levels of professional experience and from diverse school contexts with a range of backgrounds in terms of origin and education. Data analysis is conducted using Mayringʼs structured content analysis, with categories derived inductively. The goal of the study is to develop a profile of interreligious competencies among Islamic religious teachers, which is examined from various perspectives.