Study: A small percentage of Muslim students participate in Islamic education lessons in Germany

Only a small percentage of Muslim students in Germany participate in Islamic religious education lessons in schools, according to a study conducted by the Media Service for Integration (Mediendienst Integration).

According to the study, the number of participants in Islamic education lessons in public schools has increased since 2015 to about 84,000 students, meaning that the number has doubled what it was before.

But this does not mean that the percentage of students participating in these lessons has increased to the same extent, but rather the number of Muslims residing in Germany has increased as a result of the migration of refugees from Syria, among other things.

According to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, about 4.7 million Muslims lived in Germany in 2015, and last year, the office estimated the number of Muslims with an immigrant background from countries of Islamic origin in Germany at between 6.6 and 7 million people.

Islamic education lessons are not available in all parts of Germany

Islamic religious education lessons are limited in some German states while absent in others. In the 2025/2026 academic year, Islamic religious education lessons based on religious affiliation or Islamic studies lessons were offered in nine German states: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Schleswig-Holstein, and Saarland.

While interfaith religious lessons including Islam are also offered in Bremen and Hamburg, these lessons are not available in the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Thuringia and Brandenburg.

Fewer Muslims participate in religious education classes

According to the integration information service, the percentage of Muslim students who recently participated in Islamic education lessons in the state of Saarland did not exceed 2 percent, while in North Rhine-Westphalia it was 7 percent, while in Lower Saxony it was about 4 percent.

In Bavaria, 15 percent of Muslim students participated in Islamic religious education lessons, and there Islamic studies lessons are offered under the responsibility of the state.

In Baden-Württemberg, where, according to data, about 11,800 students recently participated in Islamic education lessons, the Sunni Schools Council Foundation is responsible for the religious and content aspect of the lessons.

Mathias Roh, a scholar of Islamic studies, called for expanding the scope of these lessons, which he deems necessary, especially in light of the extremist Islamic propaganda that is spreading on the Internet. “Children can learn in Islamic religious education lessons how to confront this,” Roh said, noting the need to provide more jobs designated for Islamic education teachers.

There are no statistics on the number of Muslim children and adolescents in Germany who participate in religious education courses offered by mosques.