This article bemoans the reluctance of many in Germany to make accommodations for Muslims. The idea that Muslims should assimilate into German society rather than German society adapting to them is simply not on the table. The principle is always and everywhere the same: in Muslim countries, one must conform one’s behavior to Islamic sensibilities. And in non-Muslim countries, one must conform one’s behavior to Islamic sensibilities.
“Islam still faces obstacles on path to be part of Germany,” by Christoph Strack, DW, September 19, 2020:
It was a short statement that had a lot of impact. In his speech almost 10 years ago on the 20th anniversary of German reunification, Germany’s then-President Christian [Wulff] declared that Islam was a part of Germany.
The claim sparked a nation-wide debate on the role of Islam in the country — one that had continued to this day. Wulff’s 2010 statement enraged some, while resonating deeply with others.
Today, millions of Muslims call Germany their home. Some families have been living in the country for two, three and even four generations. But, for some, the question of integrating into German mainstream society, and gaining recognition, has not been without its difficulties.
Riem Spielhaus, an expert on Islam at the University of Göttingen, says Wulff’s statement struck a chord. In the following years, she says, much progress was made in terms of the integration of and acceptance towards Muslims. But by 2016 this process stagnated, she says. “And we have partially seen advances undone.”
Where, exactly, has progress been made? And where are improvements needed? Spielhaus says the German government rarely has the power to push for nation-wide changes, such as the introduction of a Muslim chaplaincy in the German military.
In many cases, the expert says, Germany’s various states are the ones with the legal means to make society more accommodating towards Muslims. This relates to things like Islamic burials, giving time off on Islamic holidays, offering spiritual care in hospitals and jails, and teaching Islamic theology at universities. German states differ the most when it comes to Islamic religious lessons in school.
Spielhaus welcomes that German courts are changing their perspective, too. When ruling on fundamental religious issues, many are now emphasizing the importance of religious plurality….