Since the attacks in Halle and Hanau, the dangers of right-wing extremism have become the focus of public attention.
The quite new phenomenon of Islamist anti-Semitism, which manifests itself in some German schools, remains rather underexposed.
In the course of the minute's silence for the history teacher Samuel Paty, who was threatened by Islamists and finally murdered, around 800 "incidents" occurred in France which resulted in the exclusion of more than 170 students from classes.
On this side of the Rhine the minute's silence was mostly dignified for Paty, but here, too, there were pupils' comments such as “Whoever sows the wind, will reap a storm” or “It is your own fault that he is executed if he is so provoked”. Students belittled and asked why there wasn't a minute's silence for the victims of the Izmir earthquake. This happened especially in hotspot schools. So far, there is no precise empirical data.
There are also developments here that we must be concerned about. After the terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015, a colleague reported how a minute's silence should be held for the victims at her school in the Ruhr area. However, two Muslim students broke the silence in the classroom with a loud "Allah Akbar", whereupon almost the entire class joined in the shouts. Other teachers found that some of their students did not want to talk about any religion other than Islam. In history class, they cut or crossed out the word “Jew” from the worksheets they were given out. Individual colleagues reported on Muslim students who openly sympathize with National Socialism and Hitler. According to a colleague, some cheered at the treatment of the Crusades,when “their” party won.
Historical illiteracy in times of pandemic
As important as the discussion about the pedagogical approach to right-wing and left-wing extremism and Islamist extremism is, it also distracts from the real problems of history lessons.
History teachers are more concerned than the practical implementation of a pure prevention of extremism - as essential as this is - that the meaning of freedom is no longer properly understood by a growing number of people.
That promises of salvation sometimes seem more attractive than exhausting opinion disputes and the laborious search for compromises.
The longing for simple answers to complex challenges is growing everywhere - even among young people.
Especially now in times of the pandemic, historical illiteracy seemed to be rampant: A girl felt as isolated “like Anne Frank” because she was not allowed to celebrate her children's birthday as planned. A 22-year-old student stylized herself as the new Sophie Scholl in her struggle for freedom against the Robert Koch Institute and the Federal Government - and the strongest opposition party in the Bundestag compared the current Infection Protection Act with the Enabling Act from March 1933.
In history lessons, students learn how absolutist and totalitarian governments have dealt with political opponents, minorities and dissenters in the past, what significance the struggle for and for human and civil rights therefore has and how it is attempted here, from history for the present and Future to learn. Anyone who has understood and internalized this will in any case not fall for the talk of an allegedly emerging new "(Corona) dictatorship". History lessons are intended to raise awareness of human rights and freedoms and make people skeptical of simple answers, half-truths and manipulations. It should enable students to make independent and responsible judgments.