06.05.2011
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is planning on introducing Islamic religious education in approximately 130 schools next year. To date, it is uncertain, however, how many of the 320,000 Muslim students want to participate in Islamic education. Therefore, the need for additional teachers cannot be determined yet; roughly 60 teachers will complete an additional course in Islamic education this summer.
The state government considers the introduction of the new subject to be a milestone towards better integration and praises the cooperation with the Muslim umbrella organization Koordinationsrat der Muslime (KRM), which unites the four largest Muslim organizations in Germany. However, other Muslim organizations, such as the Alevi Community, have criticized the initiative, as the KRM does not represent all Muslims in Germany.
