"The Islamic-Christian dialogue in Germany is of the Catholic Church's priorities," Leman

By Khaled Schmitt, IOL Correspondent

BONN, September 26 (IslamOnline.net) – In a new bold step towards ending  religious discrimination in Germany, the council of Catholic bishops called on all institutions to secure legitimate rights to the three-million-estimated Muslim community and positively interact with them.

The council members decided at the end of their meeting Wednesday, September  24, to exert all efforts needed for Muslims to get the rights entitled to them legally and constitutionally, read a document issued out of the gathering, a copy of which was sent to IslamOnline.net.

Entitled "Christians and Muslims in Germany", the 200-page document contained the council's adamant support for putting Islamic teachings on the curriculum of Muslim students in public schools and providing halal food at work places, schools and universities.

More Mosques

The document called on local governments to facilitate procedures for building mosques in the country and allowing Azan (call for prayers) to blare out and certain areas be allocatted for Muslims to do their five-time prayers.

It urged opening up the society to Muslims and showing a greater degree of respect for their burial rituals by, for example, providing suitable graves and encouraging up the work of Islamic burial societies.

Hijab Still Suspending

In the meanwhile, the council of Catholic bishops declined to comment on the issue of preventing Muslim women teachers from wearing hijab in public schools, but expressed regret over the inability of Catholic Church to intervene for their help.

But the document carried the bishops' support of the Muslims' demands as legitimate and normal, adding they are concerned as Christians about showing the true image of religious freedom in the country.

In return, it called on Arab and Islamic countries to alleviate restrictions on their Christian minorities, noting that the restrictions do not mean identically tightening measures on the Muslim community in Germany.

More Dialogue

Head of the German Catholic Church, bishop Karl Leman, said the document is part of a series the body has begun to publish since 1982 as part of efforts to promote ties between the country's Catholics and Muslims.

Long years since the beginning of the Christian-Islamic dialogue, Leman admitted, Islam is still not introduced well here because of negative stereotypes long etched into the minds of people of the European country.

Nevertheless, Muslims showed all along last decades readiness for dialogue and interaction with the society, but Germans shied away from engaging in any cooperation with their Muslim neighbors, he said.

Halting Islamophobia

Leman said his institution had formed groups of priests, media specialists and psychologists to remove all preconceived ideas on Islam and Islamophobia.

He said  at the end of the document that the Islamic-Christian dialogue in Germany is of the Catholic Church's priorities.

Half of Germany's population is Catholics, and the other half is protestants, but large numbers quit the two sects every year to embrace no religion.

Also, there are some 72,000 churches that are deserted facing closedown or being offered for sale because Germans are not frequenting them.