Teachers’ demonstration in Vienna
In France, where the number of Muslims is estimated to be between five and ten million, schools have become the scene of a bloody culture war. The principal of a Paris high school, Maurice Ravel, resigned in March after receiving death threats after asking a female student to remove her headscarf. He was accused on social media of slapping the child, but to date there is no evidence of this. A high school teacher in Issou also received threats after a XVII. showed a baroque painting from the 19th century. Giuseppe Cesari’s painting Diana turns Aktaion into a deer shows female figures bathing naked. The Muslim students theatrically covered their eyes when they saw the painting. The parents accused the teacher of intending to offend Muslims by displaying the painting. Most recently, a school principal reported an eight-year-old student who kicked his peers and threw chairs at school. Despite this, the child can continue his studies at the René Bry school in Trélon, but the principal got sick of the hopeless struggle.
Teachers are scared after several of them were killed in an Islamist-motivated attack in France. All this is aggravated by the fact that the justice system is not on their side either. For example, the court handed down a scandalously light sentence in the case of the French history teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded in the open street on October 16, 2020. Five of the six convicted minors received a suspended prison sentence (they helped identify the teacher as his killer), and their sixth companion was sentenced to six months in prison, which he can serve under electronic monitoring! The Chechen killer was shot by the police on the spot.
And that’s not the end of the series of teacher murders in France. On October 13 last year, a former student of his, Mohamed M., killed his former teacher, Dominique Bernard, in northern France. The teacher of the Gambetta Carnot High School in Arras, northern France, was stabbed to death in front of the school entrance by the then twenty-year-old, radicalized Islamist, and then stabbed two other people before being arrested by the police. The attacker’s brother was detained in 2019 for preparing an attack and was sentenced to prison as a member of a terrorist organization. The seven-member M. family should have been deported already in 2014 because they did not have the right to asylum, but the local civilians prevented this at the last moment.
The state of public safety is well illustrated by the fact that the Palace of Versailles was evacuated seven times this year alone, and the Louvre also had to be evacuated. Security forces are escorting thousands of students out of schools across the country.
Who integrates whom?
According to a recently published survey by the Ifop Institute, 50 percent of Muslim students surveyed believe they have the right to boycott the school curriculum if it violates their religious beliefs. Even more shockingly, 16 percent did not want to unequivocally condemn the murder of teacher Dominique Bernard.
Teacher training universities do not prepare future teachers to defend against confrontational religious manifestations. Educational theorists see Muslims as a homogenous group who, in their opinion, are oppressed by the majority society, just like any other minority. In this worldview, Islamism is not a dangerous ideology, but an illusion of rights, but even at best it is only a natural response to “exclusion” and “discrimination.”
This attitude remains rigid despite the fact that this spring fifty teachers, students and families of high schools around Paris received threatening videos of beheadings and planned terrorist attacks in the name of the Islamic State through an internal digital ENT system similar to the domestic CRETE, which teachers, students and parents use to communicate with each other. Due to the shocking content, several people needed the help of a psychologist.
Investigators are treating the incident as a cyber crime because the perpetrator may have apparently taken control of a user account or hacked into the system to carry out their act.
Burning schools
After the sixth school burned down in Belgium last fall, the government announced increased police preparedness. The supposed reason for the arson attacks was to make sex education a compulsory subject. Hundreds of people protested the program on social media and in Brussels, as sex education is taboo among some Muslims. The Walloon Minister of Education, Caroline Désir, also failed to calm the mood, more than thirty schools remained closed due to a bomb alarm last November.
The Western European school is now the scene of ostracism, humiliation and physical and mental violence.
In a recent video uploaded to social media, a student from Limburg slaps his teacher. The violence committed by young people increasingly goes beyond everyday verbal aggression and culminates in physical attacks.
The self-defense of the host society is just waking up, but the Flemish regional government has declared zero tolerance for violence against teachers. The new Minister of Education, Zuhal Demir (National Democrats), announced that the state will join the injured teacher as a plaintiff in the future.
Pure foreign class
Intolerable conditions also prevail in Vienna’s public education institutions, making integration almost impossible, as immigrants have become the majority in almost every class in 90 percent of the capital’s schools, according to a study by the University of Vienna. Since the children do not speak German at home, there is a lack of language examples and they are not motivated to learn the language of the host country. Currently, around 30,000 students are taking German language preparatory classes, but they should leave these courses after two years and continue their studies within the framework of normal school education. But there they fail in the first year, so the school principals found a loophole that goes against the guidelines of the Ministry of Education. 70 percent of the 300 directors interviewed stated that they do not follow the ministry’s guidelines at all or not at all. This means that the children are kept in the language preparatory department for longer than the required two years. But in vain: according to a primary school teacher in Graz, the problem is not only that they don’t know German, but that nine-year-old Syrian and Afghan children are unable to count to ten, and many of them are illiterate. It is almost impossible to teach in this way, there is a huge shortage of teachers, but there is also a shortage of support staff, so the teachers take care of the school administration tasks themselves at the expense of their free time. Six weeks after the start of the school year, the teachers’ unions organized a demonstration We can’t take it anymore! with a password.
Viennese teachers complain that education is notoriously understaffed, the composition of the student body is extremely heterogeneous, they do not understand the curriculum, and they cannot follow the lessons. You hear about disrespect and attacks every day, while the teachers have no way to punish the recalcitrants. At the same time, they are afraid of being held responsible at work or legally, and also of the students’ parents. “What if they spy, ambush, attack, destroy my car, or something like that?”
in Germany either, public conditions similar to Austria prevail, but there is a huge difference. German teachers cannot talk openly about their grievances at work: the topic is taboo in public discourse and in the media.
Time.news Interview: The State of Education Amidst Cultural Tensions
Editor (Tina): Welcome to Time.news. Today we have the privilege of speaking with Dr. Alice Miller, a sociologist specializing in education and cultural integration. Dr. Miller, thank you for joining us.
Dr. Miller: Thank you for having me, Tina. It’s a pleasure to be here.
Tina: Let’s dive right in. Recent events in France and beyond highlight a rising tension in schools regarding religious and cultural differences. What’s your assessment of the current situation?
Dr. Miller: Unfortunately, we are witnessing a severe cultural clash in educational institutions across Europe. The incidents in France, like the resignation of principal Maurice Ravel after receiving death threats, underscore how volatile the atmosphere has become. Such reactions stem from a perceived threat to cultural identity, particularly among some Muslim communities.
Tina: It’s unsettling to hear that teachers are feeling unsafe. The article mentions several violent incidents targeting educators. How do these events affect the morale of teachers?
Dr. Miller: The current environment is profoundly disturbing. Teachers are feeling increasingly vulnerable to threats and violence. The assassination of Samuel Paty, in particular, instilled fear not just among educators but also among students and their families. When educators are not supported by the justice system, and perpetrators face minimal consequences, it significantly diminishes the sense of safety that’s essential for effective teaching and learning.
Tina: You also pointed out that many Muslim students don’t feel compelled to adhere to the national curriculum when it conflicts with their religious beliefs. What implications does this have for integration?
Dr. Miller: Those statistics are alarming. Half of Muslim students claiming the right to bypass school curriculum reflects a disconnect from the educational institution itself. If large segments of the student body reject the fundamental principles of the national education system, integration becomes nearly impossible. This mindset can foster divisions rather than inclusivity.
Tina: Turning our attention to the issue of school violence, particularly in Belgium, protests erupted over mandatory sex education, leading to school arsons. How do you interpret such extreme reactions?
Dr. Miller: The fear that some communities feel regarding certain educational content, like sex education, can lead to drastic measures such as protests and even violence. This reflects a broader struggle over cultural values, where differing beliefs about moral education clash violently. The fact that multiple schools were targeted indicates a systemic issue that requires more than just policy adjustments; it necessitates a deep-rooted dialogue around values and education.
Tina: It seems that in places like Vienna, integration within schools is becoming more complex as immigrant students often dominate classes. How can educators handle such a challenging environment?
Dr. Miller: Incentivizing language acquisition is crucial for integration. However, when children are not surrounded by the language spoken at home, it creates a significant barrier to learning. Effective educational initiatives must be in place to address this. Also, educators need training to manage multicultural classrooms while fostering mutual respect and understanding.
Tina: Considering the statistics and events we’ve discussed, what changes do you believe need to occur in the educational framework?
Dr. Miller: It’s essential to reevaluate how educational institutions approach cultural differences and religious sentiments. More comprehensive training for teachers on how to engage with diverse backgrounds is vital. Additionally, creating an environment where open dialogue about values can exist without fear of reprisal is necessary for long-term resolution and harmony.
Tina: These are complex issues that require nuanced solutions. Thank you, Dr. Miller, for shedding light on the tension in our educational institutions today.
Dr. Miller: Thank you, Tina. It’s imperative that we keep the conversation going to work towards a more inclusive educational framework.
Tina: Absolutely. That concludes our interview today. Thank you to our audience for joining us at Time.news. Stay tuned for more discussions on pressing global issues affecting our societies.