April 22/14 In an interview with the internet portal Qantara.de, the President of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau Volker Jung spoke about German Muslims and the churches’ answers to the challenges of a changing society. He pointed out how Germany has become a migration society, where there are fully integrated immigrants, born…
The Dutch cabinet has passed a ban on burqas in the Netherlands which would take effect from next year, making the Netherlands the second European Union country to ban the burqa after France. The ban is to apply in public spaces, to face covering clothing including the niqab, but also balaclavas and motorcycle helmets worn…
The Supreme Court extended the principle of church-state separation to shield religious schools nationwide from discrimination suits from teachers and school employees who serve as “ministers” of the faith. In a unanimous ruling, the high court for the first time concluded the Constitution includes a “ministerial exception” that protects churches and their schools from undue…
The Protestant and Muslim religious communities complain that their difficulties in maintaining their temples are growing. Town Councils are increasingly demanding more requirements for opening new temples, and are closing those that they consider that do not meet the minimum requirements. The fact that there is no specific legislation on places of worship increases the…
28 June 2011 In a leaked copy of a speech, Dutch Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen addresses Christian Democratic Party members with the message that worries about foreigners are ‘understandable’. Verhagen seeks to distance himself from the increasing populism in the Netherlands yet recognizes what drives it. He notes that “People are concerned about churches…
