The Interior Minister's proposition raises many serious questions. While the article notes that it has arisen in the context of mandatory religious education in German schools, where students presently have a choice between studying Catholicism, Judaism, and Protestantism, one key difference in this case is the need to address Islam's nature as a political movement that makes no distinction between religion and state.
Then, there is the matter of content. Who will design the curriculum? Who will ensure other material is not substituted for the approved curriculum? Who will oversee teacher training? Will those classes teach that it is okay for a man to beat his wife (or multiple wives, for that matter)? Will they instill in students the goal of overthrowing the secular government in order to impose Islamic law?
"German minister says schools should teach Islam," from the International Herald Tribune (with content from Reuters and the Associated Press):
BERLIN: Schools in Germany should offer Islam - along with Christianity and Judaism - as a required religion class in the future, the interior minister said Thursday, but he insisted that the courses be taught in German.
How will they handle verses from the Qur'an?
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said that it would take a while before Muslim community leaders worked out a legally binding agreement with the state, but that an agreement on the issue had been reached.
"It will take some time, but we are moving ahead," Schäuble said after a third conference with representatives of Germany's estimated three million Muslims. Other participants said it would take several years before the classes became available.
Both sides have wrangled for years over the teaching Islam in state-run schools, where religion classes are required by law. Pupils now only have the choice of Roman Catholicism, Protestantism or Judaism. Many schools also offer ethics classes as an alternative.
Offering Islam in schools will be "a very, very considerable contribution to integration and peaceful coexistence," said Bekir Alboga, a spokesman for the Muslim participants. [...]
The Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches in Germany, as well as the Jewish community, already have established legal partnerships with the state.
Participants in the conference, set up in 2006 in an attempt to improve often strained relations between Germans and the nation's Muslim community - dominated by roughly 2.2 million Turks - also agreed to support construction of more mosques in Germany and fight against Islamic radicalism.
For the latter point, did they provide any specifics on how they intend to go about it?
And who will be authorized to review and approve of the curriculum to be taught in the proposed religion classes, and who would be the teachers and what would be their qualifications? Any guesses?
I agree. The first lesson should be related to US history and Jefferson's response to the Islamic Barbery pirates.
That's a real time-saver regarding Islam, in my opinion.
"The flesh is yours, but the bones are mine!" meaning, "You can beat him, but don't break his bones."
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2007/01/there-is-no-in-religion.html
While it is their physical bodies that may be bound, it is the souls of these children that the Muslim teachers desire.
http://illustratedpig.blogspot.com/2006/12/children-in-chains.html
And I thought Germany was an advanced, civilized country. They're way behind the United States. We've been teaching Islam in public schools for years.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=59707
http://www.textbookleague.org/tci-az.htm
Schaeuble is a good man.
Perhaps the last of the most capable of a generation that is on its way out. He sees the threat of Islam, but he doesn't know how bad it really is.
He recently had a discussion with Ralph Giordano, a famous writer and holocaust survivor, who tried to set him straight, but 86-year old Giordano gave up frustrated.
Would you like me to post a link? Unfortunately its only in German...
huh?
The fact is no religion should be part of the curriculum! Religion is a personal matter and should not be taught in a place where science and knowledge is present. Religion should only be present in churches, synagogues,mosques or whatever place of worship of any religon, superstition should not be taught in school.
"a very, very considerable contribution to integration and peaceful coexistence,"
well I agree. Germans are intergrating very nicely into Islam.
Now will people begin to grasp the concept of separation of church and state?
One could hardly avoid seeing the consequences of not doing so in the German situation.
Yes, DrCancerMan, religion should not be taught in government-run schools (except in historical contexts). But remember how young an idea that is, and where in the world (literally), it's applied.
What am I missing? I read this article three times, and didn't find any reason why Islam should be offered in German schools except that somebody said it should.
If it's a matter of being progressive, or some other such PC term, German schools should offer classes in atheism, as well.
No, atheism is not a religion. It's an ideology about God and religion, and it makes much more sense to offer such a course, than to offer one in Islam.
If these classes are mandatory, in that the student is required to chose one as an elective, a class in atheism is obviously a better and more equitable choice.
As happy as I am in my own religion, I don't approve of shoving religion down a child's throat in school. That's the child's parents' job.
I'd be in favor of this because knowing the enemy is always a good idea. But because most likely this will be an exercise in brainwashing with the usual "Islam is peaceful" theme I think this idea stinks. They might as well teach Nazism as well-at least it would be harder to sugarcoat THAT turd.
Aarrgh! Sorry about all the bold print, folks. I forgot to turn it off after "about".
Now hold on just a darn minute. I posted this about Wolfgang Schauble on March 4th:
A must-read from "Sons of Apes and Pigs" today - Western Backlash! Read what German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble has to say!
http://www.sonsofapesandpigs.org/2008/03/the-western-baclash-we-predict.html
Posted by: darcy at March 4, 2008 7:40 AM
And now he's saying WHAT?
Darcy,
Saudi money?
Abscedere;
The thing is, not even "atheism". Atheism in itself is only the rejection of god, for lack of evidence. What should be taught in schools, are only the subjects needed for the learning of the child and its use in his/her future.
But if it is unavoidable, then maybe "critical thinking on religion" in which, how religions were formed, how the myth of creationism was formed, how abrahamic religions took power, other local and international beliefs, native americans, or even african beliefs. The point is, religion should be completely avoided in class, and the only option that is correct, is teaching the critical thinking on the mythology that involves religion and its deities(jesus, god, moHAM-MAD, Zeus, Thor, Isis, Osiris, Poseidon,Santa Clause...etc..etc)
Santa Clause? Santa is a deity?
You guy's seem to be oblivious to the fact that Christianity is the official, state sponsored religion in Germany. Germany even deducts a tax from the wages of its citizens which it does on behalf of the respective church that taxpayer belongs to.
In the not so distant past one could even experience unpleasant repercussions if one officially 'resigned' from the church, by paying some kind of fee to the local Rathaus in order to be de-registered.
Yes, I understand that is hard to comprehend for someone who grew up in an environment where church (or rather mosque) and state is strictly separated.
But as we can see in the US, the mosques are marching in and the nutroots are marching along. Quite a worrisome trend, really.
just a little info on German religion classes:
It's mandatory that schools offer them.
It's mandatory for church members (i.e. the Catholic and the "big" Protestant churches, which have contracts with the state for all kinds of things) - but no one needs to attend since:
Parents can ask that their children are excempted from those classes; a simple written note will do.
Teachers for religion classes are trained in German universities by regular theology professors provided by the state and approved by the churches.
The curriculum is agreed on by state and church.
University theology teaches mostly "modern theology", which is "purified" from "myths".
Contrary to this Islam classes would be taught by teachers trained and approved by the Muslim organizations, not by state institutions.
So here's the main problem. This Muslim organization represent only a fraction of Muslims in Germany; most of them have links to some radical Muslim groups. Many of the Turkish organizations are more or less financed and run by the Turkish government organization that provides for imams and teachers in their mosques. The others are mainly sponsored by Saudi Arabia.
Elric66
Nope, but i put it as a joke... hehe :P