Headscarves face ban in Germany

[rodbarnett]

German states are gearing up to ban headscarves in public schools

Germany's constitution might guarantee religious freedom, but political tensions over Muslim women wearing headscarves have been growing following the moves by several states to ban what are called religious symbols from public schools. Ernest Gill reports.

A national debate over whether Muslim girls and women should be allowed to wear headscarves in public schools is heating up with regional lawmakers moving to bar such practices in one state.

The legislation is being introduced in Baden-Wuerttemberg and is expected to be followed by similar legislation in neighbouring Bavaria and other states.

Critics immediately announced plans for protests, and pro-Islamic groups vowed to draw thousands onto the streets of Berlin for a massive protest march.

http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=52&story_id=3598

[Rowdyboy]

1. Strongly secular societies such as Germany do not encourage

religious "symbolism" in their public schools. Each society should be free to decide just how tolerent about religion they want to be in their public schools.

[Kellanved]

2. careful about calling Germany "secular"

It is not.
Or rather: not everywhere. The conservative party is called "Christian Democratic Union" for a reason (not that their politics were Christian, just their members).
While north/eastern states generally are pretty secular, the south-western states aren't. Especially Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg, but regions in North-Rhine-Westpahila and Rhineland-Palatinate as well, are extremely religious/christian. You can find crosses at the walls of almost all class- and court rooms in those states. Even censored schoolbooks aren't totally unheard of.

But federal politics aren't totally secular either: the Government collects the taxes for the major recognized religious groups (i.e. the catholics church, the protestant churches and the central Jewish council - the missing of an Islamic organization is due to the fact that there is none that meets the requirements for being recognized.).
Schröder skipping the "so help me god" during his swearing in caused minor uproar (supported by the US ambassador, I wonder since when it's his job to criticize the faith of other governments).

[MichaelUK]

4. Germans following the French

I think this is on the back of what happened in France a while ago. Legislation was passed that prevented school children wearing any item of clothing or jewelry that has religios significance (e.g. head scarves for female muslims, crosses for christians and catholics, skull caps for Jewish boys, etc). I forget the exact details.

[Kellanved]

6. not unlike the move in France

But in France it's an older tradition. Basically the rule is one hundred years old in France; Germany hasn't got a secular tradition to justify it. It's a really difficult matter. Even more unlike in France however, thinks like that are a state affair in Germany. The federal Government has no say in it.

The move is not exactly a piggyback of the French move, the debate just came into the spotlight because of it. Originally it was a single case in a southern state, where a woman wasn't accepted as teacher because of her wearing hajib. That case got before the German supreme court, which ruled that the state had no right to deny her the job. To change that legal fact several states proposed legislation, which would ban teachers from wearing religious symbols there. Some of those state Governments have voiced their desire to make Christian symbols special and unaffected by those laws. It is safe to assume that all those laws will end up in the supreme court again.

Banning religious symbols for students as well is not (yet) really part of the debate.

[Muddleoftheroad]

3. Unsurprising

The Germans and French pretty much run the DU. It's only natural that the Germans would follow their French buddies down the path of discrimination.

[MichaelUK]

5. It's not discrimination

I'd argue that it's not discriminatory, but rather a lame attempt to make children accept other races as equals. There's still a fair amount of racial tension in Europe, and this is a step (although a very poorly chosen one) at removing it.

[bicentennial_baby]

7. Muslims aren't a race

Muslims come in every color...and I agree with the above poster. Discrimination, pure and simple.

[Muddleoftheroad]

8. Of course it's discirmination

It singles out religious minorities and forces them to toe the line that others set. Yes, there is racial and religious tension and Europe and this will make it worse.

[Vernunft II]

9. The headscarf is a symbol of oppression,

thus, a teacher who is employed by the state (and in her function representing the state) must not wear this. I don´t see anything wrong with that, I wouldn´t want my children taught by a fundamental muslim (or christian or jew) who has to wear her faith like a war banner either.

[MichaelUK]

10. Oppression and discrimination

It's like a clan thing. In battle, you used to wear a uniform so you knew who not to kill. In ancient Rome, the Senate once discussed making all slaves wear a mark. It was shouted down because "then they would know how many of them there were". Same principle applies here.

Yes, it would be nice if countries didn't have to resort to such heavy handed techniques to get the point of "one nationality, many races", but educating people hasn't been working. Personally, I think that living in close proximity to more culturally diverse races should just about do it, but I guess the French and German governments want to make a more emphatic point.

[Vernunft II]

11. As far as I know the german ban only applies

to muslim women in official functions representing the german state. Since we have (almost) no private schools all teachers are "Beamte" and thus they have to follow certain guidelines. If you don´t you can´t work for the government.

The entire issue is really not that bad as it is made to appear by alot of people who want to see their religious agenda in the press.

Lots of smoke, little fire.