Der islamische Religionsunterricht als Mittel der Radikalisierungsprävention

This article discusses the contribution of Islamic religious education to the prevention of islamistic radicalization in Germany. Special emphasis is laid on exploring the role of teachers within religious education that play an important role as multipliers within the religious socialization of young Muslims. Religious education is a regular school subject and the right for religious education is even stated in the German Constitution (Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, Article 7). Nevertheless, the school-based implementation of the constitutional education laws varies on the federal state level according to the so called "Kulturhoheit der Länder". Due to the increasing proportion of students with a Muslim background, Islamic religious education was implemented in most of the Federal states of Germany. In view of the growing proportion of people who define themselves as Muslims in Germany, Islamic religious education is gaining in importance throughout Germany. In response to this social development, Institutes for Islamic Theology were established at universities for instance in Nuremberg, Frankfurt and Berlin to guarantee a scientific based education of teachers for Islamic education. The implementation of Islamic religious education in schools is connected with the hope of preventing Islamist radicalization and giving Muslim children and youths access to a modern and well-founded understanding of Islam. The religious education of teachers to be who are currently trained at universities, plays a decisive role in this context. Empirically, the influence of migrant and, in particular, Muslim teachers on students has been insufficiently empirically explored. This desideratum is being addressed by two projects. One examines the attitudes of university students of Islamic theology for example concerning the goals of Islamic religious education. The other project determines what causes university students of Islamic theology and the staff at the Institutes for Islamic Theology see for the rise of Islamism and what approaches they propose for prevention.