Germany edition

Muslim

The following articles have been tagged with "Muslim":

Politician slammed for remarks on Sharia courts

Politics: 4 Feb 12
The justice minister in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate has sparked outrage after proposing that Germany could permit Sharia courts, which operate according to Islamic law, to preside over some civil cases in the country. READ »

'Muslim taxi' offers gender-segregated rides

Society: 27 Jan 12
A German man has created a new website to arrange shared car trips with a twist – it’s targeted toward Muslims, and drivers can only offer transport to members of the same sex. READ »

Asylum applications jump to eight-year high

National: 24 Jan 12
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany has jumped to its highest point in eight years, although it is still well below early-90s levels, a newspaper report said Tuesday. READ »

Al Qaida 'planned to take German hostages'

National: 22 Jan 12
Documents seized in May linked to al Qaida leaders indicate that the terrorist organisation was aiming to take hostages in Germany and other Western countries as part of a "war of attrition," according to a newspaper report. READ »

Critics slam 'recycling' of notorious Sarrazin book

National: 14 Jan 12
Thilo Sarrazin’s book “Germany Abolishes Itself” is once again the focus of controversy. Plans by a Czech artist to recycle copies of the book have been severely criticized for perceived Nazi connotations. READ »

Islamic studies gain foothold in state schools

Education: 22 Dec 11
German Education officials are making moves to establish Islamic studies as a regular subject in North Rhine-Westphalia's public schools, in line with other religious courses about Catholic or Protestant Christianity. READ »

School allowed to ban Muslim pupil's praying

Society: 30 Nov 11
A German federal court on Wednesday backed banning a Muslim pupil from praying according to Islamic rites at a Berlin public school, ruling it could jeopardise its smooth operation. READ »

Neo-Nazi killings spark intelligence revamp plan

National: 21 Nov 11
The chairman of parliament's interior affairs defended the German authorities' approach towards far-right extremism on Monday, but said state domestic intelligence agencies needed reform in the wake of a neo-Nazi murder spree. READ »

Neo-Nazi terrorists compiled target list

National: 16 Nov 11
A neo-Nazi terror group responsible for 10 murders was apparently planning political assassinations. President Wulff announced he will meet with the victims’ relatives amid growing concerns about damage to Germany’s reputation abroad. READ »

Marched down the aisle

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Nov 11
Thousands of forced marriages take place in Germany each year. Many involve German citizens but society continues to look the other way, comments Cigdem Akyol from ZEIT ONLINE. READ »

Neo-Nazi terrorism sparks calls for NPD ban

National: 14 Nov 11
As more details of an extreme-right terror cell continued to emerge on Monday, German politicians promised a full investigation into a series of murders and renewed calls to ban the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD). READ »

Nearly half of forced marriage brides German

Society: 9 Nov 11
Nearly half of those in forced marriages or in danger of such in Germany are German citizens, while around a third are minors, according to the most detailed study of the practice to date. READ »

Germany looks back at 50 years of Turkish immigration

Society: 26 Oct 11
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the treaty bringing hundreds of thousands of Turkish "guest workers" to Germany, a move which dramatically altered the fabric of German society. READ »

Neo-Nazi boss to appeal to top court for hotel ban

Society: 16 Oct 11
Udo Voigt, chairman of the far-right National Demcrocratic Party, is preparing to appeal to the German Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe, after he was allegedly barred from a hotel for his political views. READ »

Pope pleases Muslims, disappoints Protestants

National: 23 Sep 11
Pope Benedict XVI met representatives of the German Muslim community on Friday before leaving Berlin to head for the heart of Lutheranism. While Muslim leaders were pleased with his comments, he left some Protestants disappointed. READ »

Protesters rally as pope speaks to parliament

Society: 22 Sep 11
As Pope Benedict XVI addressed the German parliament, Erin Huggins took to the sealed-off streets of central Berlin to see who was demonstrating against him. READ »

Turkish president urges integration, respect for Turks in Germany

Society: 16 Sep 11
Ahead of a visit to Germany on Monday, Turkish President Abdullah Gül has said Turks in Germany deserve more respect, but should also work harder to integrate. READ »

Pope's visit sparks security lockdown

National: 16 Sep 11
Pope Benedict XVI’s official visit to Germany next week will be accompanied by unprecedented security measures, including ordering residents not to open their windows when the pontiff's motorcade passes and relocating a Muslim extremist. READ »

Schoolbooks distort Islam, study shows

Education: 16 Sep 11
European school books present a distorted image of Islam and Muslims, using stereotypes that breed mistrust of the faith and its people, according to Germany’s Georg Eckert Institute for textbook research. READ »

The morality of pope bashing

Analysis & Opinion: 13 Sep 11
Members of The Left party are boycotting the pope's speech to the German parliament during an official visit to Berlin. For Malte Lehming, leftist attitudes toward Catholicism are no different from right-wing populist bigotry against Islam. READ »

Merkel urges vigilance in face of terror threat

National: 9 Sep 11
A day after police in Berlin detained two men on suspicion of planning a bombing attack, Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Friday that terrorism remained a clear and present danger. READ »

Hamburg looks back a decade after 9/11

National: 9 Sep 11
A decade after the 9/11 attacks, Hamburg remains stigmatised by perceptions it was a breeding ground for Islamist terrorists, according to the director of the city's domestic intelligence service. Hannah Cleaver reports. READ »

Official blames Sarrazin for hindering integration

Society: 30 Aug 11
The German government’s integration commissioner said Tuesday that former central banker Thilo Sarrazin damaged efforts to integrate immigrants with his controversial book “Germany Abolishes Itself,” which was published a year ago. READ »

Urban gardening takes off at Berlin's fabled airport Tempelhof

Society: 29 Aug 11
It's sunflowers instead of planes and kale instead of kerosene at the German capital's legendary Tempelhof Airport, site of the Berlin Airlift and now home to one of Europe's biggest urban gardens. AFP’s Deborah Cole reports. READ »

Neo-Nazis slammed for 'gas' campaign poster

Politics: 11 Aug 11
The neo-Nazi National Democratic Party is being accused of deliberately invoking the Holocaust in a Berlin election poster that shows leader Udo Voigt on a motorcycle with the slogan “Gas geben!” READ »

Berlin MP charged in fight over currywurst

Politics: 9 Aug 11
A Berlin Green Party parliamentarian has been charged with assault after he allegedly started a fight over the price of currywurst at a city snack stand last Friday. READ »

Friedrich's call to identify bloggers meets broad resistance

Science & Technology: 8 Aug 11
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich’s call to end anonymity for internet bloggers in the wake of the Norway massacre has been slammed by the opposition and even the conservatives’ coalition partners, the Free Democrats. READ »

Honour killings not rising

Society: 3 Aug 11
Researchers who have analysed more than 70 cases of so-called "honour killings" in Germany say they are not on the rise – and suggest that better integration of migrants could help in preventing such crimes. READ »

Muslim footballers allowed to eat during Ramadan

Sport: 3 Aug 11
The Central Council of Muslims said it was advising professional football players in Germany that they need not fast during Islam's holy month of Ramadan ahead of the regular season resuming Friday. READ »

German Muslims worried after Norway massacre

Society: 26 Jul 11
Top Muslim leaders in Germany are calling on the federal government to take immediate action to stamp out growing anti-Islamic sentiment in the wake of the Norway massacre. READ »

Friedrich sees no threat of far-right terrorism

National: 24 Jul 11
Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said Sunday that the authorities routinely kept track on Germany's far-right scene, and had found no signs of the type of terrorism that struck Norway on Friday. READ »

Muslims call for imams in the German military

National: 13 Jul 11
Muslim leaders have slammed the lack of an Islamic spiritual counsellor in the German armed forces in spite of the fact that an estimated 1,200 Muslims serve in the Bundeswehr. READ »

Islamist charged for US airmen killings

National: 7 Jul 11
German federal prosecutors said Thursday they had indicted a 21-year-old Islamic extremist from Kosovo over an attack on US troops at Frankfurt Airport in March that killed two airmen. READ »

Victim asks for Germany to help save racist killer

National: 6 Jul 11
Nearly slain by a racist killer in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Rais Bhuiyan is now hoping to prevent the man's execution on Texas' death row. On Wednesday, he even asked for the German government for help. READ »

Muslims say fight against terror must not lead to general suspicion

Society: 24 Jun 11
The Central Council of Muslims has warned against putting all Muslim people under general suspicion of being radical or terrorists, ahead of Friday’s ‘Prevention Summit’ being held by the Interior Ministry. READ »

Big win against Azerbaijan in Euro football qualifying

Sport: 8 Jun 11
Germany went ten-points clear at the top of their Euro 2012 qualifying group on Tuesday as stars Mario Gomez and Mesut Özil scored in a 3-1 win over minnows Azerbaijan. READ »

German judge appointed to oversee Mladic trial

National: 28 May 11
Germany’s Christoph Flügge has been appointed presiding judge in the forthcoming war crimes trial of former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic READ »

Merkel’s coalition conundrum

Analysis & Opinion: 24 May 11
Hemmed in by an ascendant Green party and facing life without a natural political partner, could the woes of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives help boost right-wing populists in Germany? READ »

Azerbaijan scoops Eurovision first place

Lifestyle: 15 May 11
Azerbaijan scored a spectacular first-ever victory in the 56th Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday, Europe's annual pop extravaganza watched by tens of millions of people. READ »

Germany’s civilized killjoys

Analysis & Opinion: 9 May 11
Are Germans right to criticize the joyous reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden? Der Tagesspiegel’s Moritz Schuller detects a misplaced whiff of condescension. READ »

Merkel reevaluates 'joy' over bin Laden killing

Politics: 7 May 11
Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to tone down her now controversial expression of joy at the killing of Osama bin Laden on Saturday by expressing 'relief' after a swelling disapproval of her initial reaction. READ »

Sarrazin blasts SPD immigrant quota plan

Politics: 4 May 11
Former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has made further inflammatory remarks about immigrants just days after he was given a reprieve by his own Social Democratic Party. READ »

German media roundup: The death of bin Laden

Analysis & Opinion: 3 May 11
History’s most extensive and expensive manhunt has come to an end. In The Local's media roundup, the German press on Tuesday gauge the symbolism versus the reality. READ »

Beheading al-Qaida: Is Germany safer?

National: 2 May 11
The death of Osama bin Laden is a historic moment coinciding with key al-Qaida arrests in Germany. But does it make us safer? The Local asked Christian Tuschhoff, terrorism expert at Berlin's Free University. READ »

Germany on high alert after bin Laden death

National: 2 May 11
The United States embassy as well as American military bases in Germany are on high alert to the risk of terrorist reprisals after President Barack Obama announced late Sunday that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden had been killed. READ »

Al-Qaida suspects seized with explosives

Society: 29 Apr 11
German police on Friday detained three alleged members of al-Qaida, federal prosecutors said, as a report said they had been plotting attacks in Germany. READ »

Sarrazin pardon sparks fierce SPD backlash

Politics: 26 Apr 11
There was mounting resentment Tuesday among centre-left Social Democrats against the party’s decision not to expel Thilo Sarrazin over his incendiary statements on immigration. READ »

Central Council of Jews renews call for neo-Nazi NPD party ban

Politics: 22 Apr 11
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has renewed its call for the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NPD) to be banned. READ »

Islamist preacher ordered to leave Germany

National: 21 Apr 11
A radical Muslim preacher has been ordered by German authorities to depart the country immediately. The move comes after he attended an Islamist rally in Frankfurt that took place despite the objections of city leaders. READ »

Flashmob to break Easter dance ban in Frankfurt

Society: 20 Apr 11
A flashmob is set to descend on central Frankfurt on Friday morning to deliberately break the law – by dancing in public between the hours of 4 am and 12 noon during the Easter holidays. READ »

No quick change in Libya, says intel chief

National: 17 Apr 11
Ernst Uhrlau, head of the German intelligence agency BND, said in an interview on Sunday that Berlin is not expecting swift regime changes in either Libya or Syria. READ »

Man accused of spying on Uighurs for China

National: 9 Apr 11
German prosecutors said Friday that they have indicted a 64-year-old German man for allegedly spying on the country's Uighur community and passing information to Chinese intelligence. READ »

Friedrich: Muslims must help catch extremists

National: 29 Mar 11
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said Tuesday Muslims should help root out Islamists in their community, announcing a new initiative targeting extremists like the one responsible for a recent deadly attack on US soldiers. READ »

US troops ordered not to wear uniforms

National: 24 Mar 11
US troops in Germany have been banned from wearing their military uniforms in public in the wake of the Frankfurt Airport shooting that left two American airmen dead and two seriously injured. READ »

Schäuble says Islam is part of Germany

Society: 22 Mar 11
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble on Tuesday warned Germany must not discriminate against its Muslim population, saying that Islam was a part of its society. His comments contrast starkly with those of Interior Minister Friedrich. READ »

Muslims forming charity system for kindergartens and care homes

Education: 18 Mar 11
Muslims in Germany want to form their own charity to support retirement homes and kindergartens nationwide, leader of the Central Council of Muslims (ZMD) said Friday. READ »

EU sees billions in Libyan assets frozen at German banks

National: 13 Mar 11
German banks including the Bundesbank have frozen over €10 billion in Libyan assets following a European Union decision, news magazine Der Spiegel reported in its edition to be published Monday. READ »

Coalition proposal would tie residency permits to German skills

Politics: 10 Mar 11
Chancellor Merkel’s coalition is reportedly considering altering immigration laws in a bid to force foreigners to learn German. The measure would require certain immigrants to pass an exam to receive more than a temporary residence permit. READ »

FDP's Lindner compares Bavaria's CSU with Islam

Politics: 9 Mar 11
Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Democrats are no strangers to anti-Islam sentiment, but a recent remarks by Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich has inspired a political rival to suggest that his party needed to integrate as well. READ »

Ageing immigrants spark new nursing care niche

Society: 9 Mar 11
Many foreigners who came to Germany in the 1950s as “guest workers” have retired and now require special care. The situation has sparked a new niche market for retirement homes that cater to the needs of ageing immigrants. READ »

Interior Minister Friedrich reignites Islam debate

Politics: 4 Mar 11
Germany’s new Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich reignited a bitter debate over Islam this week after he said the religion did not “belong” in the country, prompting calls for him to give up charge of the government's Islam conference. READ »

German media roundup: Frankfurt's lone terrorist

Analysis & Opinion: 4 Mar 11
What caused a young man in Frankfurt to turn to radical Islam and kill two US airmen? Newspapers in The Local’s media roundup on Friday try to make sense of a senseless act. READ »

Shooting was 'revenge' for Afghanistan war

National: 4 Mar 11
German prosecutors said Friday that an alleged Islamic radical accused of shooting dead two US airmen at Frankfurt airport did so in revenge for Afghanistan but had no links to international extremists. READ »

Islamist shooter radicalized in Germany

National: 3 Mar 11
Arid Uka, the 21-year-old Kosovar who has admitted to killing two US airmen in Frankfurt, was a loner only recently turning to radical Islamist ideology, according to investigators. READ »

Karneval – the history

Lifestyle: 2 Mar 11
The Local’s Karneval guide delves into the traditions of Teutonic debauchery. READ »

Erdogan slams 'xenophobia' and urges Turks to integrate

Society: 28 Feb 11
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday evening slammed "xenophobia" in Germany and urged Turks to integrate into German society without abandoning their own culture. READ »

German-Turkish comedy looks at the lighter side of immigration

Society: 16 Feb 11
"Almanya," a Turkish-German film debuting at the Berlinale, has received rave reviews for its humorous take on immigration and integration. The Local spoke with the sisters behind the movie about learning to live and laugh together. READ »

Germany offers Egypt help in run-up to vote

Politics: 14 Feb 11
The German government wants to help Egypt develop democratic institutions as it prepares for free elections, a senior official in the Foreign Ministry told the Berliner Zeitung on Monday. READ »

Lower Saxony mulls burka ban for officials

Politics: 3 Feb 11
Lower Saxony is set to follow the state of Hesse in banning the wearing of burkas – the Muslim dress that covers a woman’s face – by public sector workers, possibly creating a wave of regulations across the country. READ »

Hesse bans burkas for state workers

Society: 2 Feb 11
The state of Hesse has banned the wearing of the burka – the Muslim dress that covers a woman’s face – by state employees during work hours, officials announced late Tuesday. READ »

Merkel steps up pressure on Egypt's Mubarak

Politics: 31 Jan 11
German Chancellor Angela Merkel pressed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to refrain from violence in dealing with the protests in his country during a phone conversation Sunday, her office said. READ »

Sarrazin's wife mulls book on education

Society: 23 Jan 11
Taking a cue from her husband, ex-Bundesbank official Thilo Sarrazin – who wrote a controversial bestseller on immigration and integration – Ursula Sarrazin has said she is considering penning her own book on education. READ »

Suspect arrested in mosque arson case

National: 22 Jan 11
A 30-year-old man was arrested Friday evening in Berlin's Neukölln district on suspicion of arson, following a series of attacks on several mosques in the German capital, a police spokesman said. READ »

German Coptics fear Islamist attacks

Politics: 3 Jan 11
German politicians of all stripes have called for a tougher line against religious intolerance after 21 Coptic Christians were murdered in Egypt, while Copts in Germany warned on Monday they also feared violent attacks. READ »

2010: The year in review

National: 29 Dec 10
As 2011 prepares to kick off, The Local takes a look back at some of the stories that caught our attention during the past year in Germany. READ »

Sarrazin earns millions with anti-immigration book

Society: 17 Dec 10
Former Bundesbank board member Thilo Sarrazin has become a millionaire many times over thanks to the proceeds of his inflammatory book attacking Muslim immigrants. READ »

Islamist groups raided in three German cities

National: 14 Dec 10
German authorities on Tuesday mounted raids against two Islamist groups suspected of seeking to overthrow the government and establish a religious state, the Interior Ministry said. READ »

Importing talent for an export-driven future

National: 10 Dec 10
A new law should help 300,000 foreigners in Germany have their qualifications recognised. But as David Wroe reports, much more needs to be done to safeguard the German economy from a looming demographic implosion. READ »

Islamic centre hit by arson attack

Society: 9 Dec 10
An Islamic centre in Berlin was hit by an arson attack on Thursday, with an assailant hurling a petrol bomb against the building’s facade. It was the third such incident involving a Muslim building in the capital in a fortnight. READ »

Wealthy lean toward 'social Darwinism' after economic crisis

Business & Money: 3 Dec 10
Hostility towards minorities and the poor has increased significantly among Germany's middle and upper classes, a development likely stemming from the global economic crisis, according to a new study. READ »

Family of 'veil martyr' files case against Dresden judges

National: 3 Dec 10
The family of the pregnant Egyptian woman murdered last year in a Dresden courtroom has filed a case against the two judges on the bench that day for not preventing her death, city officials said Friday. READ »

Germans less tolerant of Islam than neighbours, study finds

Society: 2 Dec 10
Germans are more critical of Islam and less tolerant of building mosques than their neighbours in France, Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal, a new survey has found. READ »

Minister slams 'macho' Muslim culture

Politics: 26 Nov 10
Family Minister Kristina Schröder slammed on Friday what she sees as a growing tendency to violence stemming from a “macho culture” among young Muslim men. READ »

Conservatives call on Muslims to report radicals in their midst

Politics: 25 Nov 10
As police brace themselves for a possible terrorist attack, the ruling conservatives have called on Germany’s Muslim community to root out extremists at mosques and report them to authorities. READ »

Pope says condoms are sometimes acceptable

Society: 21 Nov 10
Pope Benedict XVI has said for the first time that using condoms is acceptable "in certain cases", notably to reduce the risk of HIV infection, in a book due out Tuesday, apparently softening his once hard-line stance. READ »

Suspected bomb meant for Munich-bound flight

National: 18 Nov 10
Namibian police have hindered a possible terrorist attack on a flight from Windhoek to Munich, federal police said Thursday. A suspected explosive device was found in a piece of luggage discovered as the LTU flight was being loaded. READ »

De Maizière warns of imminent terror attacks

National: 17 Nov 10
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière on Wednesday warned the government had indications Islamists were planning terrorist attacks in Germany later this month. READ »

Politician demands more police in Muslim areas

Society: 17 Nov 10
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Uwe Schünemann on Wednesday said more police were needed in predominately Muslim districts in Germany and Islamists should be banned from using mobile phones and computers to fight terrorism. READ »

Muslims call for public service immigrant quota

National: 4 Nov 10
Germany’s top Muslim group called on Thursday for an immigrant quota in public services such as the police and the bureaucracy. READ »

Merkel: Public service needs more immigrants

National: 1 Nov 10
Only two weeks after saying attempts to forge a multicultural society had failed, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for more immigrants in the country's civil service and deplored discrimination in employment. READ »

From cleaning woman to doctor: Brandenburg recruits foreign physicians

National: 20 Oct 10
As a noisy debate about immigration grips Germany, the country is hoping new plans to recognise diplomas gained abroad will lure highly qualified foreign professionals looking for a new home. Brandenburg is already recruiting doctors. READ »

Wulff wins praise for bridge-building speech

Politics: 20 Oct 10
President Christian Wulff has won praise from Turkish leaders and German politicians for his speech about integration, while Education Minister Annette Schavan broke ranks and called for more optimism on the issue. READ »

Wulff urges Turkey to respect Christians

Politics: 19 Oct 10
German President Christian Wulff on Tuesday urged Turkey to respect the religious freedoms of Christian minorities and offered a conciliatory message to Turks living in Germany. READ »

Wulff condemns ‘blanket judgement’ of Turks

Politics: 19 Oct 10
President Christian Wulff on Tuesday attempted to tone down Germany's simmering integration debate, slamming “blanket judgement” of Turkish immigrants at the start of his state visit to Turkey. READ »

Wulff visits Turkey as integration row simmers

Politics: 18 Oct 10
German President Christian Wulff flew to Turkey Monday for a four-day visit amid a heated debate in his country over the integration of Muslim immigrants, many of them Turkish. READ »

Merkel joins Seehofer to bury multiculturalism

Politics: 17 Oct 10
Chancellor Angela Merkel positioned herself closely to controversial Bavarian state premier Horst Seehofer at the weekend, saying the concept of multiculturalism had failed utterly. READ »

Turkish president encourages Turks to integrate in Germany

National: 16 Oct 10
Turkish President Abdullah Gül on Saturday encouraged Germany's 2.5-million-strong Turkish community to better integrate into German society. READ »

The new anti-Semitism

Analysis & Opinion: 15 Oct 10
Having seen the disastrous consequences of virulent anti-Semitism firsthand, Germany must lead the fight against Europe’s rising intolerance towards Muslims, writes The Local’s Marc Young. READ »

First university Islamic studies courses unveiled

National: 14 Oct 10
Education Minister Annette Schavan announced on Thursday that the universities of Tübingen, Münster and Osnabrück would offer Germany’s first Islamic studies courses – part of the government’s effort to curb extremist views. READ »

Xenophobia takes root in German mainstream

National: 13 Oct 10
The acrid immigration debate sparked this summer by Thilo Sarrazin has had an effect on the German public. A poll released Wednesday showed that one-tenth want a “Führer,” and one-quarter had strong xenophobic attitudes. READ »

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