"This is an evidence the Green Party deal with Muslim and integration issues more seriously than others," said Elias

By Khaled Schmitt, IOL Correspondent

BONN, July 21 (IslamOnline.net) – The German Green Party has drafted an initiative regulating the relation between the legislative and executive authorities in Rheinland-Pflaz state and Muslims through the creation of a unified Muslim Shura Council, a proposal welcomed by the Muslim community.

The Green's parliamentary bloc has worded a six-point proposal outlining an official policy to deal with Muslims and issues of concern for them, the party said in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net on Wednesday, July 21.

The initiative calls on the state's government to set up an official body and invite mosques and Islamic institutions in the state to voluntarily register with the body.

It asks registered mosques and organizations to pledge to abide by the German constitution and all of the country's laws, especially the penal code.

Mosques and Islamic organizations should, according to the blueprint, elect representatives to a proposed Muslim Shura Council of the sizable one million community in the state, through secret ballots.

The council will pick its board members from those representatives, who will, in turn, elect a board chairman.

According to the Green Party's initiative, the elected chairman of the Muslim Shura Council will be the legitimate representative of Muslims in the state and deal on their behalf with the administrative, legislative and legal authorities.

Once the Shura Council is formed and its chairman elected, the state should apply the minority protection law on Muslims, granting them the highest possible protection as a religious minority.

Standing Policy

The Green Party said their initiative would guarantee a long-standing official policy towards Islam in the state that would not be subject to changes according to circumstances.

Another objective, added the part, is to have a democratically-elected representative of the Muslim community to cooperate with the local government and its bodies to run affairs of community members.

The Greens expect positive results from their initiative, including obliging state schools to teach Islam to Muslim students with Muslims being allowed to participate in outlining the curriculum.

The party had repeatedly criticized the local government in the past years for failing to launch dialogue with the million Muslim residents, including 200,000 who have the German nationality.

It noted that issues such as hijab, sheep sacrifice, Islamic cemetery as well as religious and sex education are now taking center stage in parliament session and even in court.

The Green Party also criticized Muslim organizations for failing to agree on common stances and elect a representative to speak on their behalf with the state authorities.

Welcomed

The two largest Muslim groups in the country welcomed the initiative, but had some reservations.

"This is an evidence the Green Party deals with Muslim and integration issues more seriously than others," Nadim Elias, the head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, told IOL.

The initiative contains many positive aspects Muslims could benefit from in putting their house in order, but there are still broad ideas that require extensive discussions, he noted.

The German Islamic Council also welcomed the initiative.

The Green Party has invited representatives from the government, parliament, other parties, Islamic centers and churches for an extraordinary conference on October 8 to give their viewpoints on the initiative.

The government's integration commissioner and other experts are expected to turn up at the gathering.

There are some 3.4 million Muslims in Germany, including 220,000 in Berlin alone.

An estimated two thirds of them are of Turkish origin.

On January 7, officials of Baden-Württemberg state decided to introduce Turkish as an optional language in all schools.

The issue of the Muslim women's right to wear hijab has proven controversial in the country.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder voiced on December 21 his opposition to public servants wearing hijab, but said he was not against students wearing them in schools.

Seven German states have backed a legislation barring  hijab at a recent meeting of 16 regional ministers for culture, education and religious affairs in the western German city of Darmstadt while eight opposed such laws.

In September, Germany's highest court ruled that the government of Baden-Wuerttemberg was wrong to forbid a Muslim female teacher from wearing her hijab in the classroom.