Spain To Teach Koran In Schools ‘To Counter Islamic Extremism’

Spanish schools plan to “tackle extremism” by segregating Muslim students and teaching them more about the Koran and Islam, according to new government guidelines.

Critics say the guidelines — which suggest the teaching of many aspects of Islamic doctrine, culture and history — will discourage Westernisation and integration, which are better ideals to promote in order to counter Islamic extremism.

The government quietly published the new guidelines for tax payer funded Islamic curriculums in public pre schools, primary schools and secondary schools in the official state gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado) on March 18.

According to translations by the Gatestone Institute, in primary schools (ages 6-12), the guidelines call for children to, “recognise Mohammed as the final prophet sent by Allah and accept him as the most important.”

They also encourage students to, “recognise Mohammed as the final prophet sent by Allah and accept him as the most important”, and, “recognise that the Koran is a guide for all of humanity.”

The government says they will promote a “moderate” reinterpretation of Islam based on coexistence, diversity, equality and human rights.

However, they have agreed to allow local Muslim organisations to draft the course, choose textbooks, and even influence who teaches them. This could leave schools open to entryism by Spain’s active Muslim Brotherhood factions and other Islamists.

According to the guidelines, Muslim students will be allowed to opt for an hour of Islamic religion studies, where they will segregate from their Christian classmates.

The guidelines, therefore, could result in, “stirring religious fervor and promoting Islamic identity among young Muslims in Spain”, suggested Soeren Kern, an analyst for European politics.

Mr. Kern also suggested the guidelines amount to “a full-fledged Islamic studies curriculum at public schools nationwide” which could lead to more radicalisation.

Others, too, have suggested that less Islam rather than more is the way to promote human rights and Western values – pointing to the 100 plus references to killing infidels in the Quran and the prophet Muhammad’s bloody example.

The guidelines could even be interpreted as promoting Islamic conversion over integration and the preservation of Spain’s Christian and (short) democratic history.

The demand pre school children (ages 3- 6) are to learn the Islamic profession of faith, the Shahada, which asserts that “there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger.” The Shahada being the way one becomes a Muslim, by repeating it three times in front of a witness.