31 March 2011 When for the first time new Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich convened the German Islam Conference, there was palpable opposition and anger at his approach. First organised in 2006 by then interior minister Wolfgang Schäuble and subsequently by his successor Thomas de Maizière, the assembly was considered a sign of progress, telling of…
Despite the hype in German newspapers, the Islam conference is not very well known among the country’s Muslims. 43 per cent of Muslims in Germany have never heard of it before. The Expert Advisory Board for Integration and Migration (SVR) conducted a survey among more than 5,500 participants on integration politics, which proved to be…
The continuation of the German Islam Conference is worthwhile, writes Loay Mudhoon for Qantara. The public row over those attending and the new orientation of the second session of the conference must not be allowed to overshadow the meeting’s success up to this point in advancing Muslim integration in Germany, the author argues. The circumstances…
Members of Parliament are calling for a debate with justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin regarding a conference scheduled at the end of May on the future of Islam in the Netherlands. The Telegraaf reports that the MPs are concerned about the involvement of the Muslim Brotherhood in the conference, entitled “Islam in Holland- Meditating on…
The Muslims will have to organize if they want to ensure themselves of a place within the system of constitutional law on religion. In order to conduct negotiations on religious matters the neutral state requires someone to talk to. A commentary by canon lawyer Hans Michael Heinig Symbolic Picture of Islam in Germany and the…
