Muslim names in school books: parents unsettled!

Muslim names in school books: parents unsettled!

In the past few weeks, a Facebook post by the Styrian social media star Marco Wagner has caused a stir. He criticizes a sentence in a textbook for elementary school students in Styria: "Köpek ısırma değildir" (the dog does not bit). This discovery has triggered concern for many parents who are asking why such sentences are contained in Austrian school books that should convey quality educational content. Parents report similar experiences, with a mother emphasized that her daughter had to deal with strange -sounding words in the 2nd class. It irritated that the lessons contained such names and not easier like Paul or Susi.

The questions that arise here relate to the intentions of the authors of the textbooks. Many parents suspect that they may want to avoid discrimination against Turkish and Muslim children. This may also be due to the fact that many students with a migration background are now being taught in Austrian elementary schools.

context and background

The example of the sentence about the dog is in the context of a wider phenomenon. Many children in Austria come from families who had to leave their homes due to economic concerns, war or natural disasters. Migration is defined in Turkish as "moving individuals or societies from a country to another for economic, social or political reasons". The civil war in Syria, which started in 2011, forced millions of Syrians to flee to other countries, including Turkey. According to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, over 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey lived on January 15, 2016, which illustrates the dimension of the problem.

The challenge of integration faces both migrants and for the receiving companies, not least in literature. A current study on children's literature is examined, such as topics such as migration, adaptation difficulties and the future dreams of migrant children in literary works. The analysis of specific texts shows that the experiences of migrants in the literature are reflected and thus a broader social discussion could initiate.

religious aspects and meaning

Another critical point is the use of the name "Yasin" in another textbook, where second graders have to write down the sentence "Yasin mixes a potion" in writing. The name has deeper roots in Muslim culture and is often associated with the Koran because a Surah (chapter) in the Koran has the same name. In Arabic script, Yasin is written as "يس" (yā-sīn) and has a spiritual meaning that is associated with faith and closeness to God. The cultural perception and the connection of names to specific religious contexts are also relevant aspects that should play a role in the discussion about school books.

The debate about the content of Austrian school books is therefore complex. It ranges from the question of the cultural relevance of the names used to the need to integrate the reality of migration and integration into education. The investigations and reports indicate that the challenges associated with migration should take a central place in education policy. In order to strengthen all students in their identity and respect their cultural roots, the creation of a balanced and inclusive learning environment could play a key role.

For further information and deeper insights into the topic of migration and literature, the work of Nuran Özyer and other studies on children's literature are recommended that deal with these important questions Diyalog reports that .... The framework conditions of migration in Turkey also provide information about the challenges that migrants in many countries, including Austria, are facing Dergipark (…. The discussion about textbook content is further fueled by the public perception, not least through the information about parents and their experiences with the education system [Exxpress ...] (https://exxpress.at/news/fake-in-oesterreich-schulbuechern-es-s-s-s-so-- von-muslimischen- name/).