Islamic Instruction in German Schools?

The German Islamic Conference wants Islamic Instruction in the schools to be directed by Imams. Bundesminister Thomas de Maiziere reported this upon his interaction with the second Islamic Conference on Monday in Berlin. At the same time the Minister spoke to the Muslims of Germany, encouraging them to participate more strongly in society.

Begin Work

This Monday the assembly of the new German Islamic Conference (DIK) began work. The eleven page work program, that the assembly diseminated, was concerned primarily with questions of educational politics. There should be model concepts for religious instruction in Germany, proposed the Bundesminister. Otherwise, Muslim communities should be supported, in order to work towards the status of public bodies in the civil law like established churches. The goal is, that the Muslims in Germany could be treated indentically by Laws dealing with religious communities. The debate on the participation of Muslims must be brought to the kitchen table, and not only left to the academic area, proposed Thomas de Maiziere. Even so the differences are important: where there is a bit of discrimination of women, must be reported, if the problems would be blamed on Islam itself or not much more through the point of view of a certain Islamic community's view.

It callled for more participation and better integration of Muslims in Germany. He cautioned, only to speak again about the legal structures for Islam and proposed a stronger practical relevance. De Maizere expressly praised the level of the dialogue at the Assembly meeting.

Platform for Dialogue

The German Islamic Conference is a platform for dialogue between the State and representatives of around four million Muslims in Germany. The former Bundesminister Wolfgang Schäuble had spoken to their lives, in order to promote the integration of Muslims. In the second phase the members want to effect their findings to the first round of discussions in the preceding legislative period.

It only depends on contents

Two large governing bodies are going to be missing at the second conference, in any event: The Islamic Council and the Central Council of Muslims in Germany. The Islamic Council was disinvited because of the determinations of some of its functionaries. The Central Council held aloof from the meeting, because of the meager participation of the Mosque Communities and the negligible occupation with prejudice against Islam as a theme. De Maizere described the debate on assembling of the conference, meanwhile as at an end. It all comes down to content, he said.

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