The fact of sectarianism in primary and secondary education Religious Culture and Ethical Knowledge textbooks

The main purpose of this study is to analyse the sectarian phenomenon in primary and secondary school Religious Culture and Ethics textbooks: 2023-2024 academic year is to try to determine the characteristics of the handling and processing of the sect phenomenon in the Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge textbooks. Document analysis method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The data collected from Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge textbooks through document analysis were evaluated using content analysis. In line with the aim of the study, it was tried to determine the views of the preferred theological and political sects regarding the issues of belief with the characteristics of the handling and processing of sects in Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge textbooks. In addition, controversial issues between sects were evaluated in terms of their suitability to the understanding of supra-sectarian religious education. In this context, it has been observed that in the Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge textbooks, sects, which are seen as differences of interpretation in Islamic thought, are handled in a descriptive narrative and with a supra-sectarian approach without going into details, that the emergence of sects is a natural phenomenon and that they are considered as an intellectual richness. Although the subjects of belief were mostly covered in accordance with the supra-sectarian understanding of religious education, it was determined that the views of the Mâturîdiyye sect were preferred in some theological issues. Keywords: Sects of Islam, Religious Education, Religious Culture and Ethics textbooks