GERMAN FUNDING OVER WHICH KIND OF ISLAM SHOULD BE STUDIED UNDER FIRE FROM MUSLIM GROUPS……..

 It’s too ‘moderate’……….

Last week, German Federal President Joachim Gauck visited the institute, a move the center’s director considered supportive. “It’s a great sign of appreciation,” said Institute director, Mouhanad Khorchide. “With our center we are pioneers, because there is no other place like it in Europe that offers such training.” Khorchide sees himself as a researcher. As a result he rejects strict, fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran, as some conservative followers are demanding.

So he immediately falls outside the mainstream of Islamic thought and teaching, which places emphasis on the portion of the Koran (Medina) that supersedes the more tolerant, abrogated portions of Islamic texts, stemming from the Meccan period. Read Bill Warner’s piece on Duality and Abrogation.

Three years ago Daniel Garske converted to Islam. For the past year he’s studied at the Center for Islamic Studies in Münster, the largest of four such centers in Germany where teachers of Islam and imams are trained. Garske is one of the few converts amongst the Muslim students. He wants to stay at the university, teaching and researching. In principle the Islamic theology program should also prepare pastoral practitioners, such as imams. Currently many Turkish communities in Germany import imams from Turkey.

Dispute over the ‘correct doctrine’

Daniel Garske converted to Islam three years ago

It may take a few years, but Islamic theologians trained in Germany can be integrated into m osques in Germany, Daniel Garske says with confidence. The centers, which are supported by the German federal government with about 20 million euros ($27 million), are met with criticism by some Islamic organizations. As a result, the German Central Council of Muslims is keeping its distance and questions the teachings of the Münster-based center. One of the allegations says there’s too little focus on what is allowed and forbidden in Islam. Behind closed doors, it’s a hotly debated topic.

Last week, German Federal President Joachim Gauck visited the institute, a move the center’s director considered supportive. “It’s a great sign of appreciation,” said Institute director, Mouhanad Khorchide. “With our center we are pioneers, because there is no other place like it in Europe that offers such training.” Khorchide sees himself as a researcher. As a result he rejects strict, fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran, as some conservative followers are demanding.

More here. H/T: Fjordman