Western Europe gets its first Faculty of Islamic Theology

On 1 July 2026 the University of Munster converted its Center for Islamic Theology into a full, independent Faculty of Islamic Theology — the first at a state university in Germany and in Western Europe. Regular operations begin in the winter semester 2026/27, and the formal inauguration on 24 September 2027 will coincide with the opening of a 'Campus of Religions' that houses Catholic, Protestant and Islamic theology on one site. The distinction between a center and a faculty is not cosmetic: a faculty controls its own professorships, degrees, budget and academic council, which means Islamic theology in Munster now reproduces itself institutionally rather than existing at another faculty's pleasure. The degree tracks — Qur'an studies, Islamic law, systematic theology, philosophy, intensive Arabic — feed academic posts, religious education in state schools, chaplaincy and mosque communities. This is what durable Muslim presence in Europe looks like on paper: not a statement, but an org chart.

This is a QeRN summary by Ahmed Qerni. Read the original at University Herald: https://www.universityherald.com/articles/80390/20260706/university-munster-introduces-islamic-theology-faculty-inauguration-scheduled-2027.htm.