Tue, Feb 09 2010

Islam in schools, the latest numbers

Sat, Mar 28 2009 18:18 CET 1441 Views 5 Comments
Islam in schools, the latest numbers

The village's mayor, also detained by SANS in a pre-dawn raid, was feted as a hero upon return to Ribnovo

Photo: Anelia Nikolova

Of the 820 000 high school students in Bulgaria, just 3600 were studying Islam, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev told Parliament during question time on March 27 2009.
 
This was eight per cent fewer than a year earlier, he said. He was answering a question regarding the row around the school in Ribnovo village in southwestern Bulgaria. The village has a population of about 3000 people, all of whom are Muslims.
 
On March 14, independent MP Yane Yanev accused Mourat Boshnak, a teacher of Islam in the school, of preaching radical Islam. Boshnak was questioned by the State Agency for National Security (SANS) and released with no charges pressed.
 
What followed was a lot of speculations about whether Bulgaria was under a threat from organisations preaching radical Islam among Muslim Bulgarians. Stanishev said that SANS was monitoring the situation carefully.
 
Students are allowed to pick religion as one of their classes with the approval of their parents.  
 
 

Comments

AnonymousNo-wayThu, Apr 02 2009 16:11 CET

This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained

Anonymous Detelina Mon, Mar 30 2009 22:51 CET
Inappropriate comment?

A Muslim family live near us in Sofia .They are very nice people,ethical educated and with calmness .In my opinion Islam had a good affect on their life .

Anonymous One people - one faith Sun, Mar 29 2009 23:56 CET
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Yes, 95% quite likely are peaceful, and this is true for most of the people of the world. But when the radical element in each of these people comes into play, then certainly all these 95% turn into armies under the flags of their respective radicals. The goal of the radical Islam is not to conquer the world by itself alone but by employing this inert mass of 95% ... and the seeds are now implanted into the soil of Bulgaria. This is not about the fancy of tollerance - it is about 'to be or not to be' on long run.

Anonymous Peace at home Peace at abroad Sun, Mar 29 2009 22:01 CET
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Peaceful Muslims never used by anyone and they all refuse all type of radicalism. For instance, 99% of population of Turkey are Muslim and just 4 or 5% of them are radical Muslims. That mean is 95% of Turkish Muslims are peaceful Muslims in Turkey. The peaceful Islam is always against radical Islam and radicalism. The radical Muslims have no chance to change this situation in Turkey. We all need to find against radicalism in collaboration. But we also need to be aware that "one people - one faith" is also definitely a type of radicalism!!

Anonymous One people - one faith Sun, Mar 29 2009 21:23 CET
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Where however is the fine line between the peaceful Islam and the radical Islam? "Peaceful" Muslims can very easily be turned into the latter, or used by it. Much easier than other faiths. The 'peaceful Islam' is the supply of the radical one. "One people - one faith" would be much safer for Bulgaria, and Europe by extension.

Anonymous Peace at home Peace at abroad Sun, Mar 29 2009 17:10 CET
Inappropriate comment?

Islam is peace. But not radical Islam! All kind of radicalism must be refused all over the world. I hope Christian & Muslim Bulgarian citizens will live together forever within the peace.

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