German lessons at a new secondary school in the Viennese district of Neustadt are causing a stir among some parents. In the second semester of a fourth grade class, a book dealing exclusively with the Islamic State (IS) is to take centre stage. The FPÖ Lower Austria sharply criticises this lesson plan.
Michael Sommer, education spokesman for the FPÖ Lower Austria and member of the provincial parliament, described the school’s approach in a press release as a ‘genuflection to radical Islam’. He calls for an immediate change in the content of the lessons and explains: ‘German lessons should teach pupils our language in spoken and written form and not spend an entire semester working on a book about IS and the holy war.’
Some parents have concerns about the subject matter of the book and find it unsuitable for 13 to 14-year-olds. ‘Some mums and dads are downright desperate,’ says Sommer. One concerned mother describes her impressions: ‘My son goes to secondary school. They have been given a book that they have to read. I looked at it and it made me sick.’ Although the parents expressed their concerns, these were dismissed by the school. The school had emphasised that the choice of reading and topics was their sole responsibility.
The content of the book is criticised in particular, which according to Mr Sommer ‘glorifies radical Islam and IS and brands Christians as enemies’. He is outraged that pupils ‘have to empathise with such people in their school work and write texts from their point of view’. This is ‘almost scandalous’, said the FPÖ education spokesman.
Mr Sommer announced an enquiry to the Lower Austrian Education Directorate to clarify the incident. ‘There must be complete clarification and consequences,’ he said. It is particularly worrying that the content of the book is the only source material for the next school assignment, although it causes some children ‘massive discomfort when reading’.
According to the report published by Heute, the book in question is entitled ‘’Crescent over Rakka‘’. The description reads: ‘Nico’s former girlfriend, Leila, ran away from home and went to fight in the jihad in Syria. How could this happen without anyone in the class noticing anything unusual about her?’ During his investigations, Nico meets Ahmed, a teenager with whom he used to play football, in a mosque. Nico spends a lot of time with Ahmed and his friends, but gets deeper and deeper into the network of radical Islamists and at the same time into the sights of the state security services.
Later, he and Ahmed want to leave for Syria, but Nico’s mother prevents her son from doing so. So Ahmed travels alone. He sends Nico ‘enthusiastic emails’ from Syria. But then the situation changes, as the book description continues, ‘and soon Ahmed is no longer sure whether the enemy comes from outside or is inside IS’.