Second German State Bans Headscarf

Al-Jazeerah.info ^ | 30 April 2004 | Agence France Presse

[MegaSilver]

HANOVER, 29 April 2004 — Lower Saxony became the second German state to ban Muslim public school teachers from wearing headscarves after regional deputies voted in a new law to that effect yesterday.

The state Parliament dominated by a coalition of the conservative Christian Democratic Union and the liberal Free Democrats pushed through the vote, with support from the Social Democrat opposition.

On April 1, the legislature in the southern state of Baden-Wuerttemberg voted almost unanimously for a similar law, which goes into effect this month.

Germany’s highest tribunal, the constitutional court, ruled in September that Baden-Wuerttemberg was wrong to forbid a Muslim female teacher from wearing a headscarf in the classroom.

But it said Germany’s 16 states could legislate independently to ban religious apparel if it was deemed to unduly influence children.

Six states have put forward draft laws banning headscarves or other religious symbols in public institutions.

Muslim groups have fiercely criticized the ban as compromising their freedom of religious expression. Germany is home to around three million Muslims, making Islam the country’s third religion, after Roman Catholicism and Protestant denominations.

[2banana]

Muslim groups have fiercely criticized the ban as compromising their freedom of religious expression.

Saudi Arabia - Conversion by a Muslim to another religion is punishable by death. Bibles are illegal. Churches are illegal.

Yemen - Bans proselytizing by non-Muslims and forbids conversions. The Government does not allow the building of new non-Muslim places of worship

Kuwait - Registration and licensing of religious groups. Members of religions not sanctioned in the Koran may not build places of worship. Prohibits organized religious education for religions other than Islam

Egypt -Islam is the official state religion and primary source of legislation. Accordingly, religious practices that conflict with Islamic law are prohibited. Muslims may face legal problems if they convert to another faith. Requires non-Muslims to obtain what is now a presidential decree to build a place of worship

Algeria - The law prohibits public assembly for purposes of practicing a faith other than Islam. Non-Islamic proselytizing is illegal, and the Government restricts the importation of non-Islamic literature for distribution.

Jordan - Has the death penalty for any Muslim selling land to a Jew.

(All information is from US State Department Human Rights Reports)

I could go on with more examples.

[sarasota]

Don't you just love how the French and now the Germans are taking such a strong stand against Muslims?

[Flipyaforreal]

"I could go on with more examples."

Please do, it needs to be said, all of it and more.

[mudblood]

Europe is neither free nor progressive. We should cut them loose.

[MegaSilver]

Europe is neither free nor progressive. We should cut them loose.

Europe is my mother continent. I will hold on to them through the finish.

[Protagoras]

making Islam the country’s third religion, after Roman Catholicism and Protestant denominations.

There seems to be one religion missing here.

[MegaSilver]

There seems to be one religion missing here.

Judaism has far too few followers to be counted as a major religion in Germany.

[Protagoras]

Europe is my mother continent.

What the heck is a "mother continent"?

Is is like one's "mother planet"?

[tiamat]

I wouldn't be a Jew and living in Germany.

France either, for that matter!

[Protagoras]

Judaism has far too few followers to be counted as a major religion in Germany.

I didn't suspect it was. The article says three religions. And since it only lists two (one with two denominations) I wondered what else was ahead of Islam.

[Protagoras]

?

[tiamat]

Ah!

I see, ( i think! )

Misunderstanding and I was making cryptic remarks about how few Jews there are on the ground in Germany.....

[mudblood]

I meant, but should have said, remove our troops from Germany. Actually, I think we should move our troops to eastern europe. They seem to appreciate us more.

[Protagoras]

Actually, I think we should move our troops to eastern europe.

How about moving them home and let those people defend themselves on their own dime?

[CzarNicky]

There seems to be one religion missing here.

Even at its height Jews constituted maybe 600,000 of Germany's population

[Protagoras]

Even at its height Jews constituted maybe 600,000 of Germany's population

I wasn't talking about Judism.

But that sounds odd. Since the Germans murdered 10 x that amount. They must have looked high and low for them in all those other countries.

[mudblood]

That's an interesting alternative and I'm not sure how to answer it. On the one hand, it'd show them that we no longer are interested in them. But on the other, a strong show of support for eastern europe would do the same thing to western europe, gain us new allies who MIGHT appreciate us the way we'd surely appreciate them, and generally insure that our airforce bases over there can launch attacks in the world where they are needed (not sure of the logistics of this, just thinking). I like some presence in europe, but not in germany. I love their beer, ALOT! But their political ideology has become nothing more than flimsy bumper-sticker politics: Bush is dumb, America is bad, We're smarter than them, etc.

[Protagoras]

On the one hand, it'd show them that we no longer are interested in them.

Not at all. Let them defend themselves (as all countries should do) and show them we are interested in them by trading with them.

Nothing is better for peace than mutual cooperation in the pursuit of a better life.

Washington was right.