ABSTRACT
In September 2008, Vatican Radio in Germany announced “Muslims Fire Theology Professor”. 1 This provocative headline refers to the case of the German Islamic theology professor, Muhammad Sven Kalisch, whose historical-critical perspectives on Islam and the Qur'ān led him to believe that the Prophet Muhammad may never have existed, that he probably is a Gnostic figure and that the Qur'ān is not of divine but Gnostic origin. Consequently a conflict arose among three parties: Muslim communities, the German Ministry of Science and Muhammad Kalisch, with the University of Münster caught in between. 2 It ended with the university dismissing Kalisch from the chair for Islamic pedagogy and, as can be inferred from various public statements, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Science. 3 In the wake of these events, a widespread discussion arose about free research and teaching at German universities, the influence of Muslim communities on the German Government, and the experiment of training religious educators in Islam at a public German university.
