Source: Deutsche Welle

Government & Politics

German government aims to expand Islam Conference with critical voices Germany's Interior Ministry wants to curb the influence of organized and often conservative Muslim associations at the country's annual Islam Conference. Critics say the move risks limiting religious dialogue.

July 13, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) By the time the summer comes to a close, things will be different at the German Islam Conference, an annual event aimed at fostering dialogue between the government and Muslims living in the country. At least that is the aim […]

Academics & Education

Turkey’s Gulen movement on the rise in Germany After Turkey's foiled coup attempt in 2016, many supporters of exiled Muslim cleric Fetullah Gulen were driven out of the country. But in Germany, the movement is increasingly gaining influence, writes Gunnar Köhne.

July 13, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) When the Turkish government crushed an attempted coup on July 15, 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed supporters of Fethullah Gulen, a Muslim cleric in self-imposed exile in the United States. There were plenty of rumors about Gulen’s involvement in […]

Crime

German Interior Ministry bans biker gang Osmanen Germania BC Germany has banned Turkish-nationalist biker gang Osmanen Germania BC, accusing the group of carrying out violent crimes. Officials believe the gang has ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

July 10, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer outlawed biker group Osmanen Germania BC (Germania Ottomans) on Tuesday, banning them from all activity. “The club presents a serious danger for individual legally protected rights and for the general public,” the ministry said in […]

Government & Politics

German interior minister presents his migration master plan German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has presented his long-awaited asylum 'master plan.' But he did not include the last-minute compromises made with coalition partners last week, which averted a government crisis.

July 10, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) Interior Minister Horst Seehofer finally got to present his migration “master plan” to the press on Tuesday, a month after it was blocked at the last minute by Chancellor Angela Merkel, precipitating a crisis in the German government that almost […]

Crime

German Jewish groups: German NGOs must fight anti-Semitism if they want public funds After several high-profile incidents of anti-Semitic violence, Germany's Jewish community has had enough. They have appealed to the government to institute a kind of anti-Semitism oath for groups seeking public funding.

July 9, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) Just last week, a man wearing the Star of David was beaten down and kicked right in the center of Berlin. Some weeks earlier, a similar incident in Germany’s capital caused public outrage and sparked a nationwide debate on anti-Semitism […]

Books

Germany’s Thilo Sarrazin in court over controversial book on Islam His controversial views have stirred much debate in Germany. Now Thilo Sarrazin has written a new book about Islam — and is battling his erstwhile publisher in court over it.

July 9, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) His highly controversial books sell in the millions. It all began with “Deutschland schafft sich ab” (“Germany is doing away with itself”). Thilo Sarrazin’s 2010 book stimulated a fiery debate over German immigration policy and migrants from Islamic countries. While […]

Academics & Education

Anti-Semitism in German schools to be tackled with anti-bullying commissioners German Family Minister Franziska Giffey wants to send bullying prevention experts to schools to curb a rise in anti-Jewish attacks. Berlin schools, in particular, have seen anti-Semitic bullying in recent months.

July 5, 2018   

(Deutsche Welle) Family Minister Franziska Giffey plans to fund 170 bullying prevention experts, who are to be sent to selected German schools, she told Thursday’s edition of German daily Rheinische Post. Asked if anti-Semitism is a growing problem in schools now that Germany […]