Islamic religious education in Finland

Abstract

In Finland, over 95% of children are educated in governmental primary and secondary schools, where several religions, including Islam, are taught as a part of the school curriculum. However, RE is a knowledge-based subject guided by the general pedagogical aims of governmental schools rather than by the interests of religious communities. During recent decades, the number of pupils attending Islamic RE has been constantly growing, especially in the Helsinki metropolitan area. In this chapter, we look at the way IRE is currently organised in Finland and the challenges that, in our opinion, need to be addressed. The current model of RE in Finland is being hotly debated at present, and the trend seems to be towards general Worldview Education instead of RE. If this were to happen, without doubt, it would have drastic consequences for IRE.