The Promise and Limits of Germany's Islamkolleg

The Promise and Limits of Germany's Islamkolleg

When Germany set out to train imams domestically, it was intervening in one of the most sensitive fault lines of its integration debate: The relationship between state and religion. 

Islamic theology departments were established at German universities following recommendations by the German Council of Science and Humanities in 2010. The establishment of the Islamkolleg was, therefore, no coincidence. Based in Osnabrück and set up as a registered association to train imams, the Islamkolleg is funded by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony. 

Its foundation reflects both an institutional effort and a broader policy objective: to foster forms of Islamic education in Germany that are locally grounded and less dependent on external influence. “The Federal Government has set itself the goal of promoting, under the auspices of the German Islam Conference, training for imams and other religious staff in Muslim congregations in Germany that is autonomous and independent of foreign influence,” said Dr. Markus Kerber, former State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community, at the Islamkolleg’s opening ceremony. According to Kerber, the training program marked a key milestone in achieving this goal and is “self-confidently German and Islamic in the spirit of an Islam rooted in German society.”