Din, min eller vår islam? : En kritisk diskursanalys av fyra religionsläromedel för gymnasiets framställning av islam

This paper investigates the presentation of Islam in textbooks used in the study of religion in high schools. The papers focus on two main questions concerning the ways in which Islam is presented in the analysed textbooks, and how the new curriculum has influenced the portrayal of Islam in the materials. Here, the paper utilizes a method of critical discourse analysis with Faircloughs three-dimensional analysis. The paper then concludes that the presentation of Islam is negative in nature, with the content and view of Islam having been simplified and stereotyped. Often the textbooks studied frame Islam as being an aggressive and oppressive religion, especially in matters con-cerning women. Furthermore, the descriptions given in textbooks can be interpreted as presenting the content of the Islamic faith as fundamentally incompatible with the values of the Swedish society. This paper claims that the wider impact of these teach-ings can be found in how we speak, write, and talk about Islam in the Swedish society. In order to overcome this, constructive discussions both in and around the content provided in the textbooks are necessary, especially in areas where such negative views of Islam are presented