Although Islamic religious education (IRE) has been offered in Austrian public schools since 1982, public opinion and the general opinions of several stakeholders in the school system tend to be negative. One of the main reasons is the shortage of professionals, which led to recruiting personnel from different disciplines, who often lack the proper qualification for IRE. Public discourses do not consider the possibility of professionalisation after lateral entry into the career as an IRE teacher. Based on empirical research considering the biographical experiences and professional development of IRE teachers, the present paper examines how IRE teachers themselves perceive and asses their professionalisation and professionalism. The study’s findings show that professionalisation and recognition as a professional depend on many factors, such as the degree of teachers’ training and education at academic institutions, their work schedule, state accreditation, different types of employment contract, and more. The research results reveal, moreover, the different beliefs and views of IRE teachers regarding their profession and subject. This article focuses on the concept of performative competence staging as part of the professionalisation processes of IRE teachers in the Austrian context and beyond.

Muslims in Austria have, since 1982/83, had the unique privilege of providing Islamic religious education in secular public schools, including primary, middle and secondary schools. As well as opportunities, this privilege brings responsibilities and challenges to the Muslim community. Since its beginnings, Islamic religious education in Austria has, among other things, been especially characterized by the heterogeneity and diversity of its participants, as well as the general diversity in society and the secular context of public schools. In this context, theoretical discussions about the orientation of and justification for Islamic religious education in secular public schools suggest that for both teachers and the subject itself, an awareness, appreciation and inclusion of diversity, dialogue, multi-perspectivity and reflexivity is required. The empirical study on the professionalization of Islamic religious education, drawn on in this article, is based on Muslim teachers’ own perspectives and experiences. The research findings of that study show how Muslims become Islamic religious education teachers, how Muslim teachers see their roles in secular public schools, how they teach and approach Islam or Islamic topics, what the challenges of teaching Islamic education in public schools are, and other related topics. This article (re-)analyzes used and unused data from the study and focuses on how diversity and controversial topics can be approached in the context of Islamic religious education.

In recent decades, Islamic education and the religiosity of young Muslims have received considerable attention in academic research in German-speaking countries. However, an analysis of the different learning environments of religious education and their respective significance has yet to be carried out so far. Using Austria as an example, this paper explores these different processes of religious education among Muslim adolescents. Based on qualitative guided interviews, the experiences and learning processes in the family, in the mosque, in the school, and online are depicted from the learners’ perspective. In this way, this paper assigns Muslim adolescents a constitutive role in the analysis. In this context, we discuss how the understanding of education, pedagogical approaches, and person-centredness differs in the learning environments of Muslim religious education.

In kulturell und religiös pluralen Gesellschaften existieren unterschiedliche und dadurch naturgemäss kontroverse Standpunkte, Wertvorstellungen und Glaubensüberzeugungen. Als Beitrag zu einem produktiven und friedvollen Miteinander in Schule und Gesellschaft will der Religionsunterricht, sei er konfessionell oder religionskundlich ausgerichtet, Räume des Lernens und Reflektierens anbieten, in denen die Lernenden durch verantwortungsbewusste und begründete Urteilsbildung Mündigkeit erlangen. Ein solches Verständnis bedeutet auch Meinungen und Positionen entwickeln zu können, die nicht im Einklang mit jenen stehen, die etwa von Lehrenden vertreten werden. Sichtweisen, die als kontrovers erlebt werden, gilt es mit Blick auf das Bildungsziel Pluralitätsfähigkeit akzeptieren und anerkennen zu lernen. Die Befähigung der Lernenden zum Umgang mit Kontroversität ist freilich nur dann zu erreichen, wenn auch im Rahmen des Religionsunterrichts die Wertigkeit von Pluralität reflektiert wird. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird im Beitrag die Notwendigkeit und Herausforderung von Kontroversität im (islamischen) Religionsunterricht als Bedingung für eine selbständige und reflektierte Urteilsfindung und damit für Pluralitätsfähigkeit thematisiert.

Islamic religious education in Austrian and German public schools is uniquely characterised by controversy and plurality, both in its content and among its participants, including teachers and learners. These stem from the differing cultural and religious traditions, teachings, and perspectives (controversies) that participants bring into the classroom. This controversy and plurality present both challenges and opportunities for Islamic religious education, particularly in fostering the ability to engage with controversy and pluralism.This paper introduces ‘positional controversy’ as a pedagogical principle and approach which incorporates differing Islamic traditions, teachings, and positions into Islamic religious education as a resource for deeper understanding and engagement. The paper provides a conceptual framework for understanding controversy, discusses its historical and theological underpinnings in Islamic discourses, and examines its implications for the contemporary Islamic religious education in Austria and Germany. By embracing controversy as a pedagogical and educational principle and approach, Islamic religious education can help students develop their own informed judgments, perspectives, and positions, enabling them to navigate controversy and plurality within and beyond their own religious traditions.