Dutch history teachers' perceptions of teaching the topic of Islam while balancing distance and proximity

Teaching about the topic of Islam may be challenging. We report the results of a survey study (N = 81) of Dutch history teachers and six in-depth interviews examining the sensitivities experienced when teaching Islam-related issues and the motives that underlie teachers' decisions. We developed an analytical framework comprising three dimensions that describe the proximity and distance between teachers and students from interpersonal, identity and knowledge perspectives. Our results show that differences between teachers and students regarding their sources of knowledge and epistemological authority are an important factor affecting the sensitivity of Islam-related issues. •Dutch history teachers can perceive the Islam-related issues as sensitive.•Teachers' experiences are captured in 3 dimensions: interpersonal relationship, perceived identities, sources of knowledge.•Teaching context and aims influence teachers' proximity and distance toward students in these three dimensions.•Differences between students and teachers regarding their epistemological authority can be a sensitivity factor.•Undefined use of the word ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslim’ can increase tensions in the classroom.