This is an association that mainly deals with the analysis of Arab media in Germany.  For the "Living Equality" project they are developing options for discussions among youths about the topics of antisemitism and Islamophobia.


It is a well-known fact that we need educational interventions in order to fight bigotry and hatred effectively.  Certain forms of bigotry, such as antisemitism and homophobia, are especially widespread among teenagers with a Muslim background.  But teachers in the Neukölln area of Berlin who wish to tackle the problem need to acquire a real understanding of and background knowledge about the different and often controversial debates among Muslims living in Germany.  A real understanding of the underlying problems is the precondition for pluralistic debates when dealing with Islam, especially in the Muslim community.

This is where the association “Ufuq.de” comes in (“ufuq” is the Arab and Turkish word for “horizon”).  Ufuq.de wants to enable teachers to overcome barriers and fears and to make teachers as well as school wardens aware of the topic of bigotry among Muslim youngsters.  Furthermore the project aims to empower them to intervene against antisemitism in the classroom.  Here is a good example of how this can happen in a creative way:  young Lebanese-German students wrote their own rap songs about the Lebanon War, which clearly helped them learn more about the Middle East conflict and Israel.  The students appreciate the fact that their teachers take the topic seriously:  it shows them that they are respected.  The teachers do not need to be more acquainted with the Koran than their Muslim students, but they should have an idea of the current and historic magnitude of Islamic religion and culture.


Antonia Oettingen

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