In the following I will try to illustrate some of the specific problems of integration of Muslims and will raise up some questions for discussion. But before that, I will spend some words in general. The main problem why we haven’t face the integration as it came up was a wrong understanding in the Muslim people who came here. Currently there live 3.2 million Muslims in Germany mainly from turkey. They came here in the 60´s as guest workers. We have treated them as guests, we were not familiar with their religion, we have not try to integrate them in our society, we have let them do in the believe that they are just guests and that they will go back in their home countries sooner or later. And we had also prejudices
against Muslims that were even written down in for example a schoolbook from the late 70´s. Here is a quotation about the Islam from the book: “Allah is a violent and tyrannic god. Mohammed is uniquely tied to the evil: as a messenger of a violent god, he is violent himself, and so is Islamic man – violent, malicious, and driven by his instincts.” This quotation is hostile, ignorant, full of prejudices and wrong, but it was taught so in school and together with the public opinion it created frontiers and mistrust.
Nowadays we see that most of the people stay here and the first and second generation may feel that Germany is more there home as the country their parents or grandparents came from. Now we have the notion that these people are here and we must integrate them in our society without creating new frontiers and removing old prejudices. The main task – the first step - of the integration is that we must encourage the Muslims here to learn our language. At 9th of August this year there was a great fire in a residential house in
Berlin. Inhabitants mainly from Arabic countries couldn’t understand what the fire fighters told them. They said they should stay in their flats and don’t run in the hall, because of the fire
and the smoke. They didn’t understand these instructions so 8 people run out in their deaths. Surely a very drastically example of misunderstanding.
Table of Contents
1. Situation of the Muslims in Germany – Issues of Integration
2. Wearing a veil as a teacher
3. Ritualise slaughter
4. Exemption concerning participation in swim- and sport lessons for Muslim girls
5. Islam lessons in German schools
Objectives and Topics
This document examines the complexities of integrating the Muslim population into German society by analyzing the tension between Islamic traditions and the secular German constitution. It focuses on specific socio-legal conflicts to evaluate how integration can be improved while respecting both constitutional values and religious identities.
- Socio-legal conflicts regarding religious expression in public institutions.
- The role of language acquisition and education in successful integration.
- The legal status of Islamic practices such as ritual slaughter and wearing the veil.
- The structural challenges of implementing Islamic religious education in German schools.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Ritualise slaughter
The ritualise slaughter of animals is an Islamic tradition, but it is not necessarily so, that Muslims only can eat the meat of those animals which were slaughtered so. Also ultra short anaesthesia is allowed during the process of slaughter said an advisory opinion from the al-Azhar University of Cairo from 1986, but only ultra short anaesthesia so that the animal can bleed out correctly.
Nevertheless some Muslim grouping wanted to slaughter the animals without anaesthesia and the Bundesverfassungsgericht decided that they can do so – because the Jews do it also and for them it is obligatory – and that in that case freedom and especially equivalence of religion has more priority, but only under the condition that the animals even without anaesthesia don’t have to suffer too much and that a specific Muslim religious community see it as a necessary part of their religion, the individual opinion of one person is on the contrary not sufficient.
On the first sight, this decision seems to be unproblematic, but some disagree, they see it as a first step of foreign infiltration. They argue that the Muslims don’t want the permission to slaughter like their tradition told, because in other Muslim countries there is also an industrial slaughter, but they want to confirm their claims. They want to stretch our constitution until it fits in to their affairs and this can easily lead to a domino game where other parts of the Scharia are tried to confirm from courts in Germany.
Summary of Chapters
1. Situation of the Muslims in Germany – Issues of Integration: This chapter provides an overview of the history of Muslim migration to Germany and identifies language and education as fundamental barriers to integration.
2. Wearing a veil as a teacher: The chapter explores the conflict between secular neutrality in public schools and the religious freedom of Muslim teachers to wear a headscarf.
3. Ritualise slaughter: This section discusses the legal rulings regarding the ritual slaughter of animals without anesthesia in the context of religious freedom and animal welfare.
4. Exemption concerning participation in swim- and sport lessons for Muslim girls: The text evaluates the controversies surrounding mandatory physical education and class trips for Muslim students in light of religious modesty rules.
5. Islam lessons in German schools: This chapter examines the structural difficulties of establishing state-recognized Islamic religious education given the current lack of a singular representative body for Muslims.
Keywords
Integration, Islam, Germany, Constitution, Secularism, Religious Freedom, Education, Ritual Slaughter, Headscarf, Migrants, Cultural Identity, Social Conflict, Religious Lessons, Legal Status, Integration Policy
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this work?
The work primarily addresses the challenges of integrating Muslim communities into German society, specifically focusing on the intersection of religious practice and secular constitutional law.
Which thematic areas are covered?
The analysis covers education, language proficiency, religious attire for teachers, animal slaughtering practices, school-based physical education, and the formal structure of Islamic religious instruction.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The author aims to highlight specific areas of friction between Islamic traditions and German legal values to foster a discussion on how integration can be effectively managed without compromising secular principles.
What scientific approach does the author take?
The author uses a socio-political analysis, relying on legal precedents, the German constitution, and current social observations to evaluate integration issues.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body examines four key issues: the wearing of veils by teachers, ritual animal slaughter, participation in school sports and trips, and the establishment of Islam lessons in public schools.
Which keywords best describe the document?
Key terms include Integration, Islam, Secularism, Constitutional Law, Religious Freedom, and Education policy.
Why does the author consider language skills a key to integration?
The author identifies a lack of German language proficiency as a root cause for educational disadvantages, higher unemployment, and even tragic misunderstandings in emergency situations.
How does the author view the requirement for Islamic organizations to have a legal status?
The author notes that while a "body of public law" status is necessary for Islamic communities to take responsibility for religious education, the existing structures for such status are designed for hierarchical Christian churches and do not naturally fit Islamic organizational traditions.
- Citation du texte
- Martin Schultze (Auteur), 2005, Situation of the Muslims in Germany – Issues of Integration, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/128837
