According to the newspaper Nederlands Dagblad with data from the Muslim school organization ISBO, at least half the teachers in Muslim elementary schools in the Netherlands are not Muslim. However, the number of Muslim teachers in Muslim schools are increasing; in 1996, just 25% of elementary teachers were Muslim, compared not to half – as more and more Muslims get a teacher’s education. According to principals of Muslim schools, most non-Muslim teachers have a Christian background. ISBO manager Yassin Hartog says that if no qualified Muslim teachers are available, people of the book are preferred, though they are asked to respect the Muslim religion.
