According to estimates, there are more than 900,000 pupils with a Muslim background attending government schools in Germany at present. In accordance with the German constitution, school education in Germany includes religious instruction as a regular school subject (article 7,3 Grundgesetz). In order to conform with this constitutional basis also for Muslims, and to counter the identity and integration problems faced by Muslims in Germany, attempts have been made to provide Islamic religious instruction in several German states.

In this research paper, rationales for this concept are presented and framework conditions are shown. The paper enters into details about the different projects in the individual states and investigates the pilot project „IRU“ („Islamischer Religionsunterricht“ = Islamic religious instruction) in the state of Baden-Württemberg in particular. Results of empirical research are presented and analysed for that purpose. In addition, an attempt is made to answer questions regarding religious education which arise from the topic „Islam at School“; these questions sometimes trigger discussions on legal and socio-political issues. In trying to answer them, both educators and laymen, Muslim and non-Muslim readers is shown a comprehensive picture of theory and practice in Islamic religious instruction.

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