2023-05-08 11:49:39
Vienna (OTS/IGGÖ) – This morning, the results of the study on the range of courses offered by mosques in Upper Austria, which the Islamic Religious Community of Upper Austria also participated in, were presented at the “Koran Schools in Austria” symposium.
First of all, it should be noted that the term “Koran schools” – as noted by the study authors – should be avoided due to the abundance of leisure activities on offer. Rather, the use of the term “mosque instruction” is recommended, which is an essential part of religious educational work, which enjoys legal anchoring and serves to convey religious practice and understanding of religious content.
During the panel discussion, Binur Mustafi, head of the education department of the IGGÖ and chairman of the IRG Upper Austria, emphasized the satisfaction of students and parents expressed in the surveys with the Islamic religious education offered by the IGGÖ in public schools. For two years now, the IGGÖ has been working on the development of pedagogical concepts that see religious instruction and what the mosques offer as complementary. The first measures to reform mosque instruction have already been taken. The aim is now to build on the study results, which offer valuable insights into the experiences and perspectives of Muslim young people.
“I would like to emphasize, however, that comprehensive reforms require a strengthening of the faith community and political support, but also cooperation with the Muslim grassroots. After all, the offer has to be accepted by them,” says Mustafi.
The task of religious institutions and places of worship is not the implementation of integration policies and the teaching of language skills, but the spiritual home of their believers. Mosques serve as a safe space for many Muslim young people, in which they do not have to take a stand on their beliefs and do not experience the associated discrimination. Nevertheless, strengthening Muslims’ sense of belonging to society as a whole and creating equal opportunities for participation is one of the most important concerns of the IGGÖ, which is why it welcomes measures that promote more anchoring of Islamic institutions within social communities and their integration into public life.
Questions & contact:
Maj. Valerie Mussa
Press spokeswoman for the IGGÖ
Mobil +43 676 840 524 208
Mail presse@derislam.at
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