Författarens bild av muslimer? : En studie av framställningen av muslimer i läromedlen för religionskunskap, i relation till Religionskunskap 1

Sammanfattning: It is important that the authors of textbooks for religious studies think about how they express themselves. They could easily be misunderstood, or they could unknowingly create truths they themselves may not stand for. This study focuses on how authors express themselves when they write about Muslims, what is expected of them, the authors, when they are governed by the syllabus. Several previous studies show tendencies of othering/second-rate of Muslims in teaching materials for religious studies. These previous studies point to a problem, that the authors should avoid othering of Muslims. What my study shows is that there are traces of othering of Muslims as practitioners of Islam, if you do not include other aspects, like for whom is “this” textbook produced for. I highlighted the requirements of the syllabus and placed the textbooks for religious studies in a larger context, which led to the othering being erased. The study shows that the authors do not second-rate Muslims in the teaching materials. Instead of second-rate Muslims, the authors problematize different traditions and rituals within Islam in the material. Admittedly, some traditions and rituals violate the norms we have in Sweden and the western Christian world, but most Muslims do not agree with the conservative and sometimes violent interpretations that we hear through the media, among other things. The teaching materials meet the requirements of the syllabus Religious Knowledge by pointing to a diversity within the religions. And creates understanding that Muslims are not a homogeneous group that act and think alike.