ON ISLAM: HELSINKI – Seeking to teach younger generations about Islam, Finland has introduced textbooks about the Islamic faith and Muslim traditions in public schools.
"The stories are set in Finland so that the events would have resonance with the lives of the pupils,” Suaad Onniselka, an author of the textbook, said, reported Ahlul Bayt news agency.
The new book, tilted [sic] “Salam – islamin polku[“] (Salam – the Path of Islam), teaches pupils about the Islamic calendar and Muslim traditions.
It also teaches young Finnish [sic] about other religions and the importance of tolerance for others.
The book features two Finnish Muslim children, Fatima and Adam, who visit a forest, a grandmother’s farm, and bake wheat buns.
“The status of Islam as a minority religion is reflected in the fact that the stories also teach how it is possible to live along with other people even though the religion and customs are different,” said Onniselka, who teaches Islam at the lower level comprehensive school in Vesala in the east of Helsinki.
The textbook is designed for the first and second school grades. Books for higher grades are currently being drafted. » | Thursday, October 13, 2011
