Islamic Religious Education in German-Speaking Countries

The article examines the models of Islamic religious education in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. In Austria, there has been a presence of Islamic religious education for over four decades, with initial challenges related to the pedagogical and linguistic training of teachers. The Islamic Faith Community in Austria (IGGÖ) is responsible for Islamic religious education in Austria. Islamic religious education is financed by the state, similar to the religious education of other legally recognized churches and religious societies, and it is a compulsory subject for pupils who belong to a recognized religious community, although deregistration is possible in the first five calendar days of the school year. In Germany, Islamic religious education is implemented in a variety of ways. Responsibility varies from federal state to federal state, and there are models such as Islamic religious education under the responsibility of the state, under the responsibility of Muslim organizations, teaching about Islam (Islamkundeunterricht), and cross-denominational approaches. The recognition of religious communities at the federal state level is one of the greatest challenges. In Switzerland, there are considerable differences in the regulations for religious education due to the federal education system. Freedom of religion and religious neutrality are anchored in the Swiss Federal Constitution. However, denominational Islamic religious education is currently limited to only a few schools in German-speaking areas of Switzerland. The three German-speaking countries are taking different approaches to the integration of Islamic religious education, yet, all three countries face common challenges: Recognition, teacher training, and funding play an important role in shaping the future of this teaching.