Catalonia Introduces Optional Islamic Education in Public Schools

Islam will be taught in public schools as an option, in primary and secondary schools, reports Muslim Post. In Spain, religious education has been part of the school curriculum since the existence of a traditional agreement between the State and the Catholic Church. The debate on the subject is raging. While secularists disapprove of the teaching of religion in public schools, the Muslim community (nearly 3% of the population) calls for equal treatment.

"If schools are to be sources of integration and diversity, they must also embrace this diversity of beliefs. Another debate is whether religious education should be taught in school. I don’t think so," explains Mayte Aymerich, Director General of the Department of Education of Catalonia.

During the last Catalan elections, the debate on the subject resurfaced. The far-right formation Vox, which had practically made it a campaign issue, came out with 11 deputies, thus becoming the fourth party in Catalonia. While it is true that the debate on the secularism of public education is agitating Catalonia, the issue of Islam in Catalan schools creates more tensions, due to the jihadist attacks of 2017 in Barcelona.

"We’ve already seen it after the August 17 attacks, when a minority wanted to break Catalan society, by focusing hatred on the Muslim community and Islam. And the response of Catalan society was formidable. The goal is not the Muslim community, but to break the coexistence of Catalan society," says Mohamed El Ghaidouni, delegate of the Islamic Commission of Spain in Catalonia.

By opting for the teaching of Islam in school, the government is convinced that it will have a positive impact on society. "The experience has been very positive. And it has helped to break down some prejudices. Taking Islam out of these more closed and restricted spaces has allowed us to better understand this religious choice in a more natural way," says Mayte Aymerich.