Islam and Me. Children and Young People Discuss Their Life-worlds in Open-Space Debates

Abstract

What does Islam mean for the life-worlds of both Muslim and non-Muslim children and young people in Germany? To explore this question, in 2003/4 the initiative Schule ohne Rassismus—Schule mit Courage (School without Racism—School with Courage) set up five open spaces involving approx. seven hundred students from Berlin, Dortmund, Cologne, and Neinkirchen. Participants included students aged twelve to twenty-one from all types of schools excepting primary schools and special schools.

In the course of the open space debates it became clear that young people are far less interested in the theological issues of Islam than in issues more closely related to their immediate life-world. Sexuality, friendship, family, and worries about the future were a frequent topic, but Jews, Israel, Palestinians, and the Middle East conflict were also the subject of heated debate. It also transpired that teachers frequently do not know how to deal with Islamist anti-Semitism and have too little information about the historical, socioeconomic, and religious roots of gender roles and images.