Hamburg to guarantee more rights to Muslims

Date 16.08.2012
Author Christina Ruta / srs

Hamburg wants to make an agreement with Muslims and Alevi cementing their rights and responsibilities. It would be the first such pact to be undertaken by a German state.

Hamburg might soon make it a right for Muslims and Alevi to receive religious teaching in public schools and to take off on special holidays. Social Democrat (SPD) Olaf Scholz presented a draft of these provisions to the mayor of Hamburg on Tuesday (14.08.12). He was joined by representatives of the Muslim organizations and the Alevi community.

Hamburg is home to some 130,000 Muslims and 50,000 Alevi, a Muslim group primarily rooted in Turkey. If the pact goes through, they will receive guarantees for school holidays, religious instruction and funeral rituals.

A first for Germany

The draft plan comes at the end of a five-year-long negotiation period initiated by the previous Christian Democrat (CDU) mayor, Ole von Beust.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16169442,00.html