[Islam-Online- Europe]

Institutions and organizations
Early on the Muslim immigrants to Germany came together in neighborhoods and created self-help groups to assist each other in coping with the new environment. These small groups were mostly organized along national lines, a fact that partly explains why the present Muslim organizations tend to be differentiated between Turkish Muslims and others. People came together in private homes to exchange news and pray together. Over time these small organizations had to compete with more universal movements and the official religious organizations controlled and supported by the Turkish State. Estimates suggest that there were about 2,500 local religious associations. Over the years, many of them have joined one or more of the approximately ten umbrella organizations. They all provide spaces for worship, Qur'an schools, libraries, training centers, but also for weddings, mourning and other rituals relating to life and death.

Probably the largest organization of Turkish Muslims in Germany is DITIB (Diyanet Isleri Tuerk-Islam Birligi). It is the representative of the Turkish state Islam with its principle of separation of state and religion. It was founded in 1982 in Berlin and has since then expanded into all parts of the Federal Republic where Turkish Muslims live. The leading council consists entirely of Turks who are residents of Germany. Its policy is highly influenced by a five-member group of officials in Ankara who are related to the ministry of religious affairs. Studies and DITIB itself conclude that almost half of the Muslim Turks in Germany are in one way or the other associated with DITIB through attendance of prayers and events. The Turkish State pays for the imams of these mosques. They are 'imported' and often have difficulties relating to the particular problems of Turkish migrants in Germany. Also they usually do not speak German.

The most important of the more multi-national umbrella organizations is the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (whose chairman Dr. Nadeem Elyas was interviewed by Islam Online earlier). The council represents 18 Muslim organizations and functions as an umbrella for approximately 700 mosques in the country. Its constituency is multi-national. It was founded in 1994 and is apparently in part financed by Saudi Arabia.

Several Sufi orders working in Germany should be mentioned. Some, such as the Chishtiya and the Bektashi order, can date the existence of a branch in Germany back to the begining of the 20th century. Others such as the Naqsbendis, the Suleimancis and the Mevlevis can point to a mixed Turkish and German membership, though little is actually known about the orders as they do not seek public attention or political participation in any form.

Generally one can say that there are two main schools of thought about Muslim organizations in Germany. The first consists of Muslims who seek acceptance and a certain degree of integration and try to establish Islam as the second religion in Germany after Christianity. Their policy is characterized by dialogue, assistance for the followers in integration and settlement in Germany, provision of fatwas, guidance for a Muslim life in a non-Muslim country and pragmatic alliances with other political groups. The other direction seeks to separate from German society, rejects any form of integration and tries to keep a pure Islamic lifestyle. Some of them go as far as attempting to forcefully turn Germany into an Islamic country. Many of these groups are defined as 'radical' or 'extremist' by the German security organizations and their activities are kept under surveillance.

As in other European countries, it stays a considerable obstacle to Muslim representation that there are so many Muslim groups and organizations. Of course they reflect the wide range of religious and national traditions their members come from, and serve the various needs of the diverse Muslim community.

Education and media
Approximately 750,000 Muslim children and teenager under age 16 live in Germany, more than half of them born in the country. About 400,000 of them are under the obligation to attend school. Very few Islamic kindergartens exist, many Muslim kids go to either secular or Christian schools. Often Muslim parents prefer Christian kindergartens for they expect them to teach the children at least some kind of religious values. The only acknowledged Islamic primary school in Germany is in Berlin, whereas Munich has a secondary Islamic school and the King Fahd Academy in Bonn can be seen as an example of a Muslim school totally separated from the German educational system. It is funded and built by Saudi Arabia and opened in 1996. The school teaches more than 600 pupils. Language of instruction is Arabic, second language is German and the third one is English. Students finish this school with a Saudi Arabian high school degree.

Of course many of the several hundred mosques offer Qur'an courses, more than 10 per cent of Muslim children attend these courses regularly. Other activities are aimed at teaching religion and include summer camps and Qur'an competitions.

A hot issue between Muslim associations and representatives of the educational system is religious instruction in public schools. Some federal states solved the problem by offering ethics and religion classes instead of Christian teaching. Others pay the teachers and allow the churches to set the curricula. In a recent court ruling, a court in Berlin decided that there is no legal basis that prevents particular Muslim organizations, in this case the Islamic Federation, to offer religious instruction for Muslim students. The senator for education had refused the participation on the grounds of declaring the organization fundamentalist. The Islamic Federation has long ago developed curricula and even offered to train German teachers for public schools