Germany

Arts & Entertainment

‘A Regular Woman’: Remembering honor killing victim Hatun Sürücü The film 'A Regular Woman' tells the true story of Hatun Aynur Sürücü, shot dead in 2005 by her own brother to 'protect the family honor.' The haunting work gives a voice to the victim.

May 9, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) “I was an honor killing” and “The bundle under this shroud is me”: Through sentences like these, an off-screen voice speaks in the name of Hatun Aynur Sürücü, who was shot by one of her brothers on the street in 2005. The film A Regular Woman unsparingly […]

Academics & Education

German conference on Islamic veil sparks controversy Islamic veils are a hot topic in Germany, particularly due to a growing Muslim population. Now, outcry over an academic conference on the issue has surprised even its organizer, who says freedom of speech is at stake.

May 2, 2019 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Islamic veils and headscarves remain the subject of heated public debate in Germany. Some view them as part and parcel of religious freedom; others as a symbol of women’s oppression in Islam. The German court system has already taken up […]

Crime

Germany: Afghan asylum-seeker stands trial for grisly murder An Afghan asylum-seeker is accused of slitting an 85-year-old retiree's throat while he slept. Prosecutors have called the German man's daughter a key witness in the case.

April 29, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) A German court on Monday opened a trial against a 20-year-old Afghan asylum-seeker for murdering an 85-year-old sleeping pensioner last year in the small town of Wittenburg. Details of the case: The asylum-seeker is accused of slitting the pensioner’s throat. […]

Children & Teens

IS fighters’ parents stage German protest

April 29, 2019   

(AFP) German parents and relatives of Islamic State militants demonstrated Monday outside the foreign ministry, urging Berlin to repatriate wives and children of fighters held in Syria. Some brought posters saying “Children are not responsible,” while others held up banners reading “Innocent […]

Government & Politics

Germany stops processing some Syrian asylum applications: report Germany has postponed decisions on asylum for some Syrians. Refugee organizations fear the Interior Ministry will deny temporary protection to some Syrians based on an assessment portraying parts of the country as safe.

April 27, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany will put off ruling on asylum applications for some Syrians pending an assessment of the security situation in the war-torn country, according to a report on Saturday. Funke Media Group, citing the Interior Ministry, said for the past several […]

Immigration

Germans increasingly hostile towards asylum-seekers More than half of Germans view asylum-seekers in a negative light, a new study shows. Prejudice against the newcomers has grown even as fewer migrants come to Germany.

April 25, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Right-wing populist attitudes have become “normal” in Germany’s mainstream, said authors of a new study presented by the left-wing Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Berlin on Thursday. “The center is losing its footing and its democratic orientation,” researchers said. The foundation […]

News: Europe

How a German mining town became a recruiting ground for IS The western town of Dinslaken became known as a Salafi hotbed in 2013 when a group of local youths traveled to Syria to join the 'Islamic State.' Years on, the community is still trying to leave the past behind.

April 20, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) A deep-seated mistrust is noticeable, even from inside the car, as we drive slowly through the streets of Dinslaken-Lohberg. Due to bad weather, only a few people are outside, following us with their glances. “That’s normal in Lohberg,” social worker […]

Government & Politics

Germany confirms Islamic Relief ties to Muslim Brotherhood Federal government aid payments to British-based charity under official scrutiny

April 17, 2019   

(National-UAE) German officials have accused Islamic Relief Worldwide of “significant” connections to the underground Muslim Brotherhood, triggering concerns among politicians over the diversion of official funds to Islamists. A submission to the Bundesrat revealed that the powerful Federal Court of Audit was […]

News: Europe

Widow of prominent IS terrorist reportedly living quiet life in Germany German citizen Omaima A. went to Syria, joined the Islamic State group and married late terrorist Denis Cuspert. Now that same woman seemingly lives a quiet life in Germany, as a Lebanese reporter has uncovered.

April 16, 2019 , and   

(Deutsche Welle) When Jenan Moussa, an acclaimed war reporter for the Arab TV channel Al Aan, received the contents of a smart phone from a “trusted source,” she immediately knew she had been handed a treasure trove. The phone, she says, belonged […]

Children & Teens

IS can still launch attacks in Germany: intelligence chief The head of Germany's domestic intelligence agency has warned against underestimating the threat posed by 'Islamic State' despite the militant group's apparent defeat in Syria and northern Iraq.

April 14, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, Thomas Haldenwang, the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) — Germany’s domestic intelligence agency — warned against an increasing threat posed by the return of “Islamic […]

Clerics & Preachers

Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams to join Bundeswehr chaplains German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen wants the Bundeswehr's military chaplaincy to include rabbis and imams. She would like to have it done by the end of 2019. But there are still several potential issues.

April 12, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Since he became the first rabbi to complete an internship with the German military chaplaincy in 2004, Konstantin Pal has fought to make the Bundeswehr more open to different religions. Back then he accompanied a Catholic priest who was assigned to […]

Law Enforcement

Police raids across Germany target alleged Hamas-linked charities German police have raided charities alleged to provide support to the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. The enclave on the east Mediterranean Sea suffers from one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

April 10, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Police carried out raids across Germany on Wednesday targeting charities suspected of providing “financial and propaganda” support to the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, the interior ministry said. Around 90 properties in ten states were searched, with the focus of the raids targeting […]

Children & Teens

Germany brings home ‘Islamic State’ children from Iraq Germany has started repatriating the children of jailed 'Islamic State' fighters from conflict zones [in] the Middle East. European countries are grappling with how to handle returning foreign fighters and their families.

April 5, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The German Foreign Ministry said Friday it had brought several children of convicted “Islamic State” (IS) militants back to Germany from Iraq. The returns were carried out with the consent of the parents, a ministry source said, adding that the number of […]

Academics & Education

Germany to push for imams to be trained locally, not abroad In an effort to curb foreign influence and foster integration, the German government is pressing for imams to be educated locally, in Germany. Are German Muslim communities willing to back the idea? DW investigates.

April 5, 2019 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Forty-three-year-old imam Murat Gül is president of the Islamic Federation of Berlin and teaches Islam at the local Rosa Parks primary school. “Ever since I was a young boy, I had a love for the Koran,” said Gül, who was […]

Citizenship

Germany approves stripping dual national terrorist fighters of citizenship Germany's cabinet has approved a change to the law allowing dual nationals to lose their citizenship if they fight for a foreign terrorist militia. The new law will not be applied retroactively.

April 3, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Germans with dual nationality who join foreign terrorist militias will lose their citizenship in the future, the cabinet decided on Wednesday. “Someone who goes abroad and actually participates in combat operations for a terrorist militia shows that they have turned […]

Burkini

Muslim fashion for women exhibition stirs controversy in Germany First shown in San Francisco, an exhibition taking a look at Islamic fashion has provoked strong reactions ahead of its opening in Frankfurt. 'Contemporary Muslim Fashions' confronts stereotypes on both Islam and style.

April 3, 2019 and   

(Deutsche Welle) Muslim head coverings have always been a controversial topic, as they embody so many issues, whether women’s rights worldwide or Western prejudice and discrimination against Muslims. Now that the first exhibition dedicated to fashion consciousness of women in Islam is […]

Academics & Education

Germany: Muslim kindergarten loses appeal against closure State officials had ordered 'Al Nur' to close following revelations that inappropriate literature had been shared at the kindergarten. The day care center is the only Muslim kindergarten in Rhineland-Palatinate.

March 27, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The only Muslim kindergarten in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate lost its appeal to stay open after an administrative court confirmed state officials’ concerns about the school’s ties to an Islamist ideology. The state’s decision to revoke Al Nur kindergarten’s license was […]

Government & Politics

Germany to cut refugee cash in new budget Finance Minister Olaf Scholz was pummelled with criticism from all sides as he presented Germany's budget plans. Local governments are particularly upset over plans to cut the money for processing asylum-seekers.

March 20, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has faced massive criticism from Germany’s local authorities after his federal budget plans show he wants to slash their means for integrating refugees and asylum-seekers. But at a press conference on Wednesday after a meeting of […]

Academics & Education

Germany: Bavarian court upholds headscarf ban for judges, prosecutors Bavaria's constitutional court has confirmed the legitimacy of the southern German state's ban on judges and prosecutors wearing headscarves. It said the presence of crosses in courtrooms was another matter altogether.

March 18, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The Bavarian constitutional court on Monday rejected an appeal by an Islamic religious community to overturn a ban on judges and prosecutors wearing headscarves, saying that justice officials in particular were obliged to be neutral in questions of religion and ideology. The […]

Crime

Chemnitz murder trial begins amid questions of impartiality Daniel H.'s stabbing death led to weeks of unrest and the sacking of Germany's domestic intel chief. Now, the murder trial has begun despite major evidence 'gaps' and concern about lay judges' conflicts of interest.

March 18, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The trial of Alaa S. began in Dresden on Monday morning in the middle of a media scrum and fears of far-right protests, following the killing last year of Daniel H. in Chemnitz — an incident that led to a week […]

Government & Politics

Berlin passes first-ever state plan to combat anti-Semitism The German capital has put together a comprehensive approach to fight anti-Semitic hatred. So why is this initiative happening at a local and not a federal level? The reasons, DW found out, are complex.

March 13, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) There have been many reports about anti-Semitism in Berlin over the past year or so, ranging from the story of a Jewish youth bullied out of his high school to accounts of an Israeli symbol being burned at a Palestinian […]

Government & Politics

A Muslim as German chancellor? CDU leader slammed for saying ‘why not’ The party of Chancellor Angela Merkel has been roiled by a debate about whether a Muslim could lead the CDU and one day become chancellor. One lawmaker couldn't believe anyone would even suggest such a thing.

March 7, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) The parliamentary group leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) has sparked a divisive debate after he said a Muslim could be a future CDU leader and chancellor of Germany. Asked by media outlet Idea if a Muslim could lead […]

Citizenship

Germany to strip ‘Islamic State’ fighters’ citizenship — report Germany's Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry have reportedly agreed on a proposal to expatriate IS fighters. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had tried to link the legislation with broader citizenship reform.

March 4, 2019   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s governing coalition has agreed to strip fighters of the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group of their citizenship, according to German outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR. The new law would apply only to jihadis who are of age, have a second […]