NOW PUBLISHED: Policies and Politics of Teaching Religion, by Prof. Theodore HANF & Dr. Karim EL MUFTI

In many states the role of religion and religious communities is becoming crucial. While this is particularly true of predominantly Muslim countries, it also holds for Europe. Controversies regarding religious instruction have become frequent.

What is the legal basis of religious instruction, in which institutions does it take place, who draws up the curricula, who trains the teachers? Do states seek to instrumentalise it to strengthen their legitimacy? Do other forces in society use it to influence govern- mental policies? What is its impact? Does it trigger, deepen or reduce conflict?

These questions are examined in case studies of Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Lebanon, Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey and the UK. A comparison reveals commonalities in the pattern of problems and con- flicts, but also gaps in the state of our knowledge, and, hence, the need for further research. 

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