Viewpoints

Religious freedom and a change of perspective -
what the small cut teaches me

A small cut for God. A major controversy. Nothing less than the existence of the Jewish faith in Germany is at stake, at least that was the essence of many commentaries. The peaceful coexistence of various religions and cultures - in danger! The fundamental right to the free practice of religion - threatened! In order to put a stop to the controversy as quickly as possible, last week the Bundestag sent a signal to Jews and Muslims, circumcision can continue to be practiced, but in the future it will be legally regulated. Legal certainty should be established, so that parents and doctors do not find themselves in a legal grey area, when they subject the small son to the painful operation.

Oh yes, grey zones, they also had their good points. Then, the unambiguousness of the verdict from Cologne, to make circumcision a criminal offence, has triggered off reactions and reproaches, the rigidity of which worries me. In summary, it says "the religious frightens society". Or: "The fiercest attack on Jewish life since the Holocaust".

Viewpoints

Religious freedom and a change of perspective -
what the small cut teaches me

No mere trifle, in other words, there are 140,000 Jews and 4 million Muslims in Germany. It comes as no surprise that, for the sake of social peace, many members of the Bundestag rushed the matter through in a summary proceeding last week. But even if it sounded different on paper: the right of the child to physical integrity was subordinated to religious freedom, to parental rights. Child welfare: weighed up, and found to be too light. It would probably be naive to believe that medical knowledge would cancel  out the power of the ritual. That long-term studies of psychologists and trauma researchers would be taken note of, the small cut is very probably therefore more serious than vaccination. That campaigners for the protection of children could stand up against parental rights.

Sad that I must affirm: yes, I would like the various cultures and religions to respectfully coexist with each other. What else. But now the question: who actually has the power of interpretation during discussions concerning religion?

Viewpoints

Religious freedom and a change of perspective -
what the small cut teaches me

May only believers define matters of faith? Why does the parliament of a secular republic accept the interpretation of individual groups? How do secular Muslims and Jews see the matter? Why is later circumcision possible in Great Britain and the USA without arousing fundamental debates? In Israel there is a movement against circumcision. How do they see the condition of cultural identity? What is real discrimination? All of them questions which would have been worth a discussion before the Bundestag – on the quiet – reached its decision.

Allow me to change my perspective.

I have a heartfelt relationship with freedom, it is just as precious to me, as the heartfelt relationship to God, Jehovah, Allah is for others. My right to self-determination is an essential factor for me, I do not accept that some people have a greater right to decide about values than others. Religious traditions and symbolism are not in themselves an actual property. I take friendly note of them and retain the right for myself to question their benefits and damage.

Viewpoints

Religious freedom and a change of perspective -
what the small cut teaches me

Everything which cannot be called into question, cannot be changed, acts as a muzzle on me. Reminds me of ideology. It is written? Using the same logic, fundamentalists could also provide reasons for the stoning of women in cases of adultery. And what about animal sacrifices? Faith proves itself in mature persons and I wish them a balanced judgement  of a ritual from the grey recesses of history. I hope for empathy, for good people and good deeds. That gives life a meaning.

How do I define religious freedom?

As the possibility of deciding in favour of a specific faith – or rather not. Cultivating rituals - or rather not. Following values – or rather not. Babies or small boys cannot be aware of this freedom of decision-making. Nor parents or representative in their name. It is that simple. The Bundestag set other priorities.

Viewpoints

Religious freedom and a change of perspective -
what the small cut teaches me

In autumn it will be decided about how the balance between the fundamental right to religious freedom and the fundamental right on a physical integrity and parental rights should look. If the law leaves the Bundestag as diffusely as currently agreed, the controversy will end before the Federal Constitutional Court. After all, a collateral benefit has already arisen: we are now a little better informed about devout Jews and Muslims.

The contributions of the named authors presented in "Viewpoints" do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CIVIS Media Foundation.

Viewpoints

Who is We? Germany and its Muslims

"Is it liberal to permit female Muslim teachers to wear a head scarf? Does secularity imply that the state treat all religions equally? Does diversity also imply the appearance of a minaret across a city's skyline? Can a Muslim country join the European Union? A Europe, of which Islam is, potentially at least, a member, is predicated on a very different concept than a Europe defined by its Christian or Judeo-Christian roots. And consequently, by its differentiation from Islam. Disputes, which once only exercised the minds of historians, have now become issues of heated public debate. Is the Arab philosophy of the Muslims and the Jews an integral constituent of the European tradition of the Enlightenment? Is, therefore, European philosophy, scholasticism and literature, not also founded upon the Islamic scholars, who paved the way for Modernity? Do Islamic Spain and the Ottoman Empire form part of European history or has their representation been delegated to Middle Eastern academics? Given the demographic composition of our society, the answer to this question - even in philosophical-historical discourse - carries serious implications for the future.

Viewpoints

One can with equal ease gather sufficient reports to confirm the negative stereotypical images

Clearly, the intellectual battle lines are being drawn in some sections of society. The coverage of Islam in some parts of the media has long since assumed the character of a campaign, and been subject to much analysis by academics, not least, by virtue of its conspicuous imagery: masked men wielding machine guns, throngs of fully-veiled womenfolk, rear views of headscarves in German schoolyards, contorted angry faces, prayer-goers captured as they lower their foreheads to the ground so that their backsides are grinning at the camera. And to illustrate the inherent violent nature of Islam, the typical articles, programmes and books quote the same verses of the Koran on the use of violence - devoid of their crucial historical or textual context. Selectively they cherry pick from history the massacres, the discrimination and the wars of conquest, which, quite naturally, have occurred since the foundation of Islam. And already the history of Islam resembles a veritable cabinet of horrors. Reversing the situation exposes just how bankrupt such mechanisms are: Colonialism, crusades, genocide against America's Indians, the Inquisition and Jesus' Great Commission, Chechen, Iraq, Sabra and Shatila, Palestine, Srebrenica and the Christian propaganda of the Serbs, the biblical legitimisation for Apartheid, the Holocaust, two World Wars, and, ...

Viewpoints

It is easy to gather reports to confirm negative stereotypical images

... as a more recent variation on a theme, the Ivory Coast or the protests against mosques in Europe. Spiced up with a few choice quotes on the Holy Wars from the Bible, Bush and Berlusconi, and entrusted to interpretation by earlier America-haters, and already one has gathered sufficient proof to convince those idiots in the Islamic world of Christianity's intrinsic aggressivity. The same sentiments are fuelling the diverse Internet sites which compile daily lists of where Muslims have once again committed acts of violence, proven their stupidity or humiliated themselves. And, as Islamic websites also clearly demonstrate, one can with equal ease gather sufficient reports from across the world to confirm the negative stereotypical images of Western individuals, groups or states - ranging from US corporations in the Middle East, child pornography to arson attacks on asylum hostels or mosques. These reports may, in themselves, all be true, yet in their totality become a fabrication.

Viewpoints

There is hardly a country in the world where minorities are granted full equal rights

Even the standard best-sellers on Islam tend to highlight incidents of Muslim families beset by acute social problems, whilst failing to cite empirical data presenting such cases in actual relation to the total number of Muslims. Consequently, the reader gains the impression that honour killings, forced marriages and violence are the rule in Muslim families, with civilised secular Muslims forming the exception. This is as bizarre as a study on right-wing extremism in east Germany conveying the impression that all east Germans are right-wing extremists; or an optician concluding that everyone suffers from eye complaints. Similar fallacies can be generated by compiling lists of where Muslims are disadvantaged - either throughout the world or specifically in Germany. Certainly such cases do exist: Families, who, by virtue of their Arabic names, are refused accommodation or women wearing headscarves being spat at on the street. Closer scrutiny would probably reveal similar incidents taking place on a daily basis. But to conclude from these observations that Muslims are being persecuted, or even to draw analogies to the persecution of the Jews in the Third Reich, as occasionally happens, is utterly grotesque. There is hardly a country in the world where cultural or religious minorities are granted full equal rights. But in comparison to most other countries, ...

Viewpoints

Minorities in Europe enjoy a high degree of freedom

... and particularly to Islamic states, minorities in Europe - including Muslims - enjoy a high degree of freedom and emancipation. This does not mean that one should resign oneself to discrimination. Merely that - even as a Muslim - one should maintain a sense of perspective and occasionally acknowledge the advantages of our Western societies. Yes, Islam is subject to negative stereotyping. But Muslims should feel disconcerted by the fact that there is an Islam, which appears all too ready to confirm these stereotypes."

Viewpoints

Navid Kermani

By courtesy of
Navid Kermani
Wer ist wir? Deutschland und seine Muslime.
Verlag C.H. Beck oHG, München, 2009, Seite 36-40

Dr. Navid Kermani, Orientalist and author. Studied Islamic Studies, Philosophy, and Theater in Cologne, Cairo, and Bonn. 1998 Doctorate in Bonn. 2000-2002 Long-Term Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Institute for Advanced Study. In 2005 post-doctoral degree. 2005-2007 director and curator for extraordinary events at the Schauspiel Köln (city theatre of Cologne). Since 2006 Member of the German Islam Conference, since 2007 member of the Deutschen Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung (German Academy for Language and Poetry). 2008 fellowship of the Villa Massimo in Rome. Since 2008 Permanent Fellow at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of the Cultures of the World) in Berlin. Numerous publications and awards.

The contributions of the named authors presented in "Viewpoints" do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CIVIS Media Foundation.

Viewpoints

Our interest in peace between the world religion Islam and the West is of fundamental importance.

"It may take a while before the full repercussions of the population explosion in Asia, Africa and Latin America and the simultaneous declining birth-rates within the nations of Europe are felt. Over the course of the last century, the number of people inhabiting the Earth has quadrupled and is set to increase six-fold by mid-2050 compared to 1900. Today we are already experiencing the effects of mass migration to Europe and North America. Yet no country in the EU - including Germany - appears to have satisfactorily resolved the urgent problem of cultural and political integration or, at the very least, formulated viable solutions for tackling it. Continuing failure to address this issue, could fuel ethno-nationalistic tensions and precipitate political conflicts of global dimensions."

Viewpoints

One fifth of humanity is of the Islamic faith.

"Our interest in peace between the world religion Islam and the West is of fundamental importance. One fifth of humanity is of the Islamic faith. Today, over three million Muslims live amongst us in Germany and their number is projected to rise: boosted both by migratory pressure from the Middle East and Africa and the high birth rates of migrant Muslims now settled here. Today, some 15 million Muslims reside within the EU, a further 20 million in Russia. Neither here nor there could the integration of our Muslim communities claim to have been a success. A decade has elapsed since Samuel Huntington coined his buzz phrase clash of civilisations. Some deemed his prognoses to be overly pessimistic, whilst for others they even served as the basis for a new geostrategic concept. Today a global conflict between Islam and the West has become a plausible spectre. Such a conflict could extend from Indonesia or Pakistan and Afghanistan to Algeria and Nigeria, and engulf Russia, the Balkans and major European cities.

Viewpoints

The historical settlement of Muslims across Europe is an irrevocable fact

Religious motives, social revolutionary fervour and power-political objectives could coalesce to form an explosive cocktail - which could easily be detonated by some minor, accidental event on the Islamic side. Yet equally, the explosion could also be triggered by the West, the USA or Israel.

The historical settlement of Muslims across Russia and on the Balkan peninsular is an irrevocable fact as are the waves of Muslim migration to Denmark, England, France, Holland and Germany. Consequently, we must carefully weigh, on a case-by-case basis, whether it really furthers our interests to participate in military interventions in Muslim states and regions: Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, the coast of Lebanon and the Horn of Africa - the list is already very long!

Viewpoints

Public recognition of the Islamic world religion is definitely in our interests.

On the domestic front, sustained and robust policies are required to foster active participation of our Muslim citizens in our schools, on the labour market and in the political system. Our state, the churches and the media should embrace the Islamic religion with same respect hitherto accorded the Catholic, Evangelical and the Jewish faiths, and we should also campaign for their equal representation within the EU and on all international bodies. Furthermore, we should urge the European Council, the EU Heads of Government and the European Parliament to adopt a more open stance towards Islam. It is not the role of Germany to support the religious leader of an ethnically-based sect of Tibetan Buddhists in achieving public recognition. Yet public recognition of the Islamic world religion is definitely in our interests.

Viewpoints

Not even in the 21st century, can the West simply eliminate terrorism

At the same time, we must ensure that the phenomenon of Islamic terrorism, which is flaring up in many places across a number of states, is not misconstrued as a typical or an inherent element of Islam. The long history of Christianity is littered with examples of war crimes and terrorism, yet no one, for example, would regard the atrocities of the Inquisition or burnings at the stake as typical hallmarks of Christianity. Cowardly assassinations, murders and abductions have been a feature of the entire history of humanity, irrespective of religion. Since the Age of the Enlightenment, nation states have used the rule of law, the police and the criminal courts to prosecute and convict the perpetrators. Deploying military forces to engage in an armed conflict against Islamic terrorists without just cause can provoke anger, resentment and foment more terrorism - as President Bush Junior has experienced in Iraq. Not even in the 21st century, can the West simply eliminate terrorism - of whatever persuasion. Terrorism must be contained by implementing a whole raft of political measures, which, at the same time, do not trigger a global conflict with Islam. This would merely escalate the spiral of violence - on both sides - and serve as a recruiting sergeant for terrorist organisations.

Viewpoints

America must avoid the charge of hypocrisy when addressing the Muslim world

Although in recent years the prospect of such a conflict has grown ever closer, it is by no means unavoidable. Currently the political and religious leaders of Islam perceive the USA as the pre-eminent, omnipotent Western power. Admittedly, the USA does not appear to have a discernible basic stance or even a political concept vis á vis the world's over 50 Islamic states. Understanding of the Islamic Middle Eastern countries is poor among US politicians - a problem compounded by the fact that the Islamic world seems to be both geographically and historically very remote for Americans in general. Yet first and foremost, America must avoid the charge of hypocrisy when addressing the Muslim world: specifically, it should refrain from accusing a number of Middle Eastern states of being undemocratic and abusing human rights whilst, at the same time, forging pacts with Muslim dictatorships; or brushing aside criticism of its close ties to Saudi Arabia, where the same conditions prevail, by pointing to the necessity of securing oil supplies - a crucial argument within the US Congress.

Viewpoints

The European Union is bereft of a long term concept.

Despite being directly impacted by it, the European Union is also bereft of a long term concept for dealing with the Islamic world - a situation, which remains potentially dangerous. The elaboration of a positive, civil, future-oriented, overall strategy for accommodating Islam - incorporating both cultural, political and economic elements - is one of the key tasks facing both Europe and Russia in the 21st century. Yet unless this is based on the principle of religious tolerance, this challenge remains insurmountable."

By courtesy of
Helmut Schmidt
"Ausser Dienst. Eine Bilanz"
Siedler Verlag, München
in der Verlagsgruppe Random House GmbH, Erste Auflage, 2008, Seite 177 u. 183 ff., ISBN 978-3-88680-863-2

The contributions of the named authors presented in "Viewpoints" do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the CIVIS Media Foundation.