German army, intelligence agencies, and CDU party embroiled in far-right network

The elite KSK brigade of the German Army is a notoriously secretive military unit: composed of 1,000 hand-picked soldiers, it is tasked with conducting covert operations, hostage rescue abroad, and counter-terrorism interventions. In recent weeks, however, the KSK – the abbreviation stands for Kommando Spezialkräfte – has been dragged into the spotlight: after two soldiers…

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Proposal to make handshakes mandatory for Danish citizenship criticized for targeting Muslims

Criticism of a proposal by Denmark’s ruling right-wing coalition, which requires a handshake as part of a citizenship naturalization ceremony, is growing because of its deliberate targeting of Muslims, some of whom place a hand on their chest during the ceremony for religious reasons. The proposal is the latest in a series of anti-Muslim policies in the country.

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Integration of Muslims progressing in Germany, study finds

The German Bertelsmann Foundation has published a new report examining the lives of Muslims in Europe. Taking a comparative approach, the study’s authors rely on data from five countries – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the UK. More than 3,000 Muslims participated as respondents in the surveys for the report. Enhanced labour market participation According…

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German Interior Minister revives the debate on a ‘guiding culture’ to which Muslims must assimilate

  Periodically, the German discourse on immigration is marked by the resurgence of a distinctly German notion – the idea of a ‘guiding culture’ (Leitkultur), supposed to connote an essence of Germanness that needs to be safeguarded amidst what appear to be accelerating migratory flows. Leitkultur – history of a debate The term was first…

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Germany’s Muslims Are Skeptical towards Their New President

Muslims are divided in their views on the new German president, Joachim Gauck. Many are concerned about his evident understanding for the views of Thilo Sarrazin on Muslims in Germany. Jan Kuhlmann reports It was a broad coalition in the Federal Assembly which elected Joachim Gauck to the German presidency last Sunday. Christian Democrats, Social…

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