Controversy in Italy over a local judge’s decision to order the removal of school crucifixes has died down, following intervention by higher authorities to guarantee their presence. Despite initial appearances, the matter was not a question of church-state conflict. Neither was it a simple Christian-Islam clash.
An Italian judge suspended Friday, October 31, an earlier verdict on removing crucifixes from a kindergarten, after it triggered uproar across the secular but largely Catholic country.
A radical Muslim leader has won a court battle to remove the crucifix from a state school where his children attend – a decision which has shocked political and public opinion and caused deep concern within Italy’s Muslim community.
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…
The Social Science Institute of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has published a new study titled “Islam and Muslims in Germany: The population’s view”. Just over 2000 respondents were questioned on the phone with respect to their perception of Islam’s place in German society. The study’s results can be accessed here. Although it is not…
