German Constitutional Court backs hijab bans in the judiciary

Over the past twenty years, the Federal Republic of Germany has witnessed a slew of court cases surrounding Muslim women’s right to wear the hijab in different situations. Much litigation has revolved around two sites: schools and teaching personnel on the one hand, and courts and judicial employees on the other hand. Gradually, after years…

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German Muslims celebrate Ramadan, in spite of recurring political debates

Adherents to the Islamic faith across the world are currently celebrating Ramadan – including millions of Muslims who live in Germany. In many respects, German Muslims’ experience is hardly unique. Ramadan in Germany also comes with its specificities, however – and these are not only due to lengthy daytime hours in northern Europe, forcing believers…

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Germany mulls ‘mosque tax’ to enhance control over Islamic places of worship

German policy-makers are debating the introduction of a so-called ‘mosque tax’, to be paid by German Muslims and collected by the German state in order to fund the provision of Islamic religious services. The ostensible model for such a levy is the ‘church tax’ (Kirchensteuer) already in existence: depending on their Land of residence, members…

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Council on American-Islamic Relations civil rights report: Trump’s Muslim bans have fuelled Islamophobia

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has published its 2018 civil rights report which details the impact of anti-Muslim bias in the United States in 2017 and CAIR’s response.

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Bavarian court upholds hijab ban in the judiciary

Germany’s long-running judicial wrangling over the ability of Muslim women to wear the hijab in public employment has been enriched by a further episode. The Bavarian Administrative Court in Munich decreed that prohibitions banning court personnel from wearing the Islamic headcovering were permissible. Decisions based on formal criteria The case concerns a legal trainee who,…

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