Education and Schooling
Austria debates democratic credentials of its Islam teachers
Austrian politicians and media are raising significant concerns over a recent survey that said a fifth of all Islamic religious education teachers here hold anti-democratic views. In the survey of 210 teachers, conducted as part of a PhD thesis, 21.9 percent agreed with the following statement: “I oppose democracy because it is not compatible with…
Latin America: first institute for Latin American imams
The first institute for the training of imams and preachers in all of Latin America is set to open its doors beginning in March 2009. The Latin American Institute for Islamic Studies is located in the city of Maringa in the northern state of Parana, will not simply be the first of its kind in…
Sweden: Debate over language ban proposal in schools and classrooms
According to a Liberal Party working group, elementary students in Sweden with foreign backgrounds should no longer be allowed to study math in their native language. “We are very skeptical toward the experiment taking place around Sweden right now, with maths being taught in Arabic. The risk is that it will worsen students’ development of…
Princess Royal celebrates with youth
The Princess Royal’s visit to Nottingham was for a celebration of the Muslim Youth Development Project, which trains young Muslims to become voluntary youth leaders. Wearing a calf-length tweed coat and flat knee-high boots, she made her way through the modest entrance of Bobbers Mill Community Centre, the Tardis-like hub where the project officially started…
Ire in Austrian politics over anti-democratic Islam teachers – Feature
After a study found one fifth of Austria’s Islamic religious education teachers to have anti-democratic views, politicians are voicing concerns, and far-right parties are calling for drastic measures. In a dissertation project on Islamic religious education in Austria, 21.9 per cent of surveyed teachers said they were opposed to democracy because it is at odds…