Profile of Germany
Education (preschool, primary and secondary school, university level)
Officially hijjab is banned for teachers in public schools only in a number of federal states (though allowing dresses respective attire specific to Christians and Jews). Hijjab-wearing students are reported to have been subjected to considerable pressure, exerted by school authorities/teachers. It is difficult to determine what is actually going on in classrooms. Individual cases of harassment have come to the light, however the estimated number of cases appears to be high.
There have been recent attempts, notably in the State of “Baden-Württemberg”, to extend the headscarf ban to “kindergartens”(nurseries). In general there are considerable differences in the treatment of Muslim students (and teachers) in the different federal states. Upon application by parents, Muslim students may be exempted from attending school on Muslim holidays, Muslim teachers may be required to make good the lost time by working extra hours.
There have been problems regarding the participation of Muslim students (mainly female) in excursions involving overnight stays as well as sex education classes, though the rise of these difficulties vary on the ethnic background.
Sports
Problems exist in the area of school sports, in particular swimming lessons for girls as Muslim parents refuse to let their daughters (and sons) participate when members of the other sex are also involved. Legal sites run by muslim lawyers offer assistance to muslim parents who desire exemptions for their children with standardised/”fireproof” letters.
Army
The army provides rations for Muslims not containing pork. Those Muslims we have spoken to who served in the German Army (“Bundeswehr”) did not report discrimination, though there have been individual cases where Muslims claimed that they might not be able to practise their religion in a barracks environment.
Prisons and hospitals
Muslim prisoners in penitentiaries can be visited. As regards hospitals, information booklets for hospital staff is available explaining special requirements of Muslim patients. One hospital in Hannover has opened a complete ward for Muslims with mostly Muslim staff, though the criteria for considering something “muslim” is quite often understood to be synonymous with “turkish”.
Public Institutions & Representation of Muslims
This is difficult to gauge as it mostly happens on a local or regional level. Generally it must be said that as long as existing religious associations and communities are not officially and hence legally recognised as proper religious institutions akin to Christian Churches (as is the case in Austria), Muslims have no representative access to public institutions such as press and media (radio and TV) supervisory councils.
Two muslim councils with federal character are currently working together to form a unified federal structure ,so that a legal recognition can be obtained.
Press
There exists one national Muslim newspaper (“Islamische Zeitung”), which is published twice a month.
Work (prayer, hijjab)
This is a case by case situation. In some working places it is possible to perform prayer, in particular during lunch break and in some companies a special area is earmarked for prayer. This, however, is rather the exception than the rule.
There have been cases in which employers have banned the headscarf during work, sometimes for safety reasons (it could get caught in machinery) but also out of concern for the dislikes of customers. In one particular case this went through the labour courts and the employer was sentenced to pay an indemnity and continued employment. It is quite obvious that in the public and private sphere muslim women do experience serious discrimination in the labour market.
Legal pluralism
There is no place for special rights for Muslims in the German legal system.
Imam training
The University of Münster is now offerering a course in German language for teachers of Islamic religion and Imams. The responsible Professor is a German Muslim who is a qualified jurist and has graduated in Islam Science.
Belal El Mogaddedi