German parents may face trial over mosque field trip
Rebecca Staudenmaier
October 27, 2016
A German teen's parents have failed to pay a fine for truancy after the pair refused to allow their son to enter a mosque on a school field trip. The parents justified the move by citing "ideological reasons."
The visit to a mosque in Rendsburg (pictured above) was part of a geography lessonImage: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Rehder
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The prosecutor's office in Germany's Itzehoe is reviewing whether or not the parents of a seventh grader may have to appear in court because they failed to pay a truancy fine over a skipped field trip to a mosque.
The 13-year-old student's parents refused to allow their son to join his classmates on the June 14 school trip of this year to a mosque in the northern German town on Rendsburg, prosecutor Peter Müller-Rakow said on Wednesday. The field trip was reportedly part of a geography lesson.
A local education authority subsequently fined the parents a total of 300 euros ($328) for their son's truancy - which is a common practice in parts of Germany.
After the couple appealed the decision, the case was referred to Müller-Rakow who will now decide whether or not the parents stand trial over the case.
'Safety concerns'
The father justified the decision by citing "ideological reasons" in a written letter to the school which was published online by the family's lawyer Alexander Heumann.
The letter emphasized that the parents worried about their child's safety, saying: "For years we have been hearing reports about religiously-motivated violence connected with Islamic people."
The parents do not belong to any religious group and worried that their son could possibly be "indoctrinated" during the trip. The couple said no one can be forced to enter a house of worship.
According to German public broadcaster NDR, the family met the lawyer through the "Pax Europa" association - a movement which is concerned with the so-called "Islamization of Europe."
Heumann is also a former member of the far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) and was one of the organizers for "Dügida," a Düsseldorf-based offshoot of the anti-migrant, anti-Islam PEGIDA movement.
School principal: 'No exceptions'
The school's principal, Renate Fritzsche said that there are no exceptions to Germany's mandatory school law.
"We also have Muslim children with us and Muslim parents also know that there are no exceptions," she told NDR, emphasizing that Muslim children must take part in swimming lessons and sex education.
The goal of education, Fritzsche emphasized, is to teach children about other cultures so they will be able to interact and tolerate them.
Islamophobia has been on the rise in Germany, which took in around 800,000 mostly Muslim refugees in 2015.
Berlin's mosques
There are more than 80 mosques in the German capital. Ranging in style from classical to modern, these Islamic places of worship have become an integral part of Berlin's history and cultural fabric.
Image: Max Zander
Indian inspiration
The Berlin Mosque, surrounded by residential homes in Berlin's Wilmersdorf district, is the oldest surviving mosque in Germany. The building was designed by German architect Karl August Herrmann and was officially opened in 1928. It is modeled on the Taj Mahal in India.
Image: Max Zander
A missionary mosque
All sermons have been held in German since the mosque was opened, although the calligraphy on the prayer room walls is in Arabic. The complex was originally built for the purpose of proselytizing - the first German couple who converted to Islam was married here in 1934. Today the mosque is mainly used for Friday prayers and as an information center.
Image: Max Zander
Surviving war
The scars of time are visible on the Ahmadiyya Mosque's inner walls. The structure was badly damaged by Soviet army bombardments during World War II. It was later restored during the postwar period, thanks to help from the Allies and donations from Lahore. The mosque has been listed as a historical monument since 1993.
Image: Max Zander
Bauhaus meets Islam
Another house of worship belonging to the Ahmadiyya community is located in Berlin's Heinersdorf district. The Khadija mosque was the first to be built in what used to be communist East Germany, and is a fusion of Western and Islamic architecture. Here, the modernist Bauhaus style is coupled with the characteristic dome and a 12.5-meter (41-foot) minaret.
Image: Max Zander
Controversial beginnings
There were violent protests leading up to the mosque's opening in 2008. The fact that it was finally accepted by the community is to the credit of the "Open up Heinersdorf" initiative and its first Imam Abdul Basit Tariq, who advocated for openness, sharing and "love for all, hatred for none."
Image: Max Zander
Simple elegance
Functionality is a key feature of the building's interior, and local architect Mubashra Ilyas shied away from using too many decorative elements. The building has enough space for a total of 500 worshippers. The lower rooms can accommodate around 250 people, and there's a separate area above the main hall reserved for women.
Image: Max Zander
Berlin's biggest
The Sehitlik Mosque in Neukölln serves as a cultural center as well as a place of worship. It can hold up to 1,500 people, and is the largest Islamic mosque in Berlin. It was one of the selected locations visited by German President Joachim Gauck during his official inauguration in 2012.
Image: Max Zander
Islamic cemetery
The mosque was built next to the Islamic Sehitlik cemetery in the 1980s and was later extended. Prussian King Wilhelm I transfered the land to the Turkish community back in 1866. Today, only funeral ceremonies are performed on the property. The dead are then usually taken to other cemeteries or to their home countries.
Image: Max Zander
Cultural exchange
The mosque isn't just for Muslims. The Sehitlik community also seeks to foster a relationship with Berlin's non-Muslim population. The mosque hosts a variety of events and offers tours several times a day. Guides point out the mosque's features and aim to give visitors a better understanding of the principles of Islam.
Image: Max Zander
Islamic center in Kreuzberg
At first glance, the Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque doesn't look like a place of worship. It blends in rather harmoniously with this street block in the heart of Kreuzberg. It's part of the Islamic Mashari Center, where shops, cafes and a travel agency are housed next to prayer rooms. A madrasa was also opened here in 2008.
Image: Max Zander
Opulent washrooms
Magnificently decorated walls and ceilings form the backdrop for the washrooms in the Mashari center's basement. This is where the faithful carry out their ritual ablutions. Islam requires devout Muslims to pray five times a day, but before they can do this they need to ensure physical and mental purity.
Image: Max Zander
A truly international community
There's enough space for about 1,000 people in the prayer room beneath the opulent chandeliers. Most of those who come to the mosque have Turkish roots, but Bosnians, Arabs and Africans also attend prayer here. The Friday prayer is usually held in Arabic, while screens on the walls give translations in German and Turkish.
Image: Max Zander
One mosque, two domes
This dome stands out like a molehill in the mosque's backyard. Even Islamic places of worship are subject to Berlin's building regulations - this green roof is obligatory under the city's codes. At the front of the property there's another dome made of glass, where the site's caretaker lives.
