ABSTRACT
Based on the work of the later Jürgen Habermas, it is argued in this concluding chapter that in post-secular states, education about Islam (and about other religions) deserves an established place in the curriculum in regular schools, without undermining the possibility to organise optional education into Islam for those parents and pupils who want this kind of IRE. In both cases, particular attention should be given to a processual, pluralist conception of Islam; non-essentialist hermeneutics; well-established academic embeddedness and teacher training; improvement of textbooks and curricula; the importance of critical reflection; and the institutional embeddedness of Islam and IRE. The chapter concludes with a plea for more comparative research in IRE. This kind of research can reveal not only similar deficiencies, but also different initiatives for improvement which can, in their turn, inspire future IRE policy in different European nations.
