German Islam summit struggles to make progress

Berlin, May 3: The German government and representatives of the country's 3.2 million Muslims failed to make any concrete progress at a high-profile summit today aimed at boosting integration.

Eight months after the government set up the Islam Conference, delegates met for a second time to discuss sensitive issues including religion lessons, girls' participation in sports and the legal status of a new Islamic body.

But after what Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said was an ''intense'' discussion, delegates from federal and local government, Islamic groups and lay Muslims had little to show.

''We agreed that the dialogue must continue,'' Ezhar Cezairli, a lay Muslim dentist from Frankfurt, told a news conference.

''It is a forum for discussion, we all want to continue and want results,'' she said.

The government, worried about the potential radicalisation of disillusioned young Muslims, set up the conference to try to help western Europe's second biggest Muslim population after France integrate into mainstream German society.

The conference is to last three years and the government says it expects conclusions only later on in the process.

But some delegates were critical. Ayyub Koehler, head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, wants concrete goals.

''This cannot be aimless, it can't be just a debate. We need a roadmap to work on,'' he said.

After a first meeting last September, working groups were set up to report back on several issues, but today's debate was dominated by a row over the status of a new umbrella group.

Four leading groups set up a Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM) last month in the hope it would be given legal status equal to churches. The move was partly in response to government complaints that it did not know who to engage with.

But the government says it will not put the KRM on the same legal footing as churches or the Central Council of Jews as it represents only a fraction of Muslims.

''Of course those who represent 10 percent, perhaps 15 percent of Germany's Muslims cannot say, 'Whoever is not represented by me cannot speak for Islam','' said Schaeuble.

The KRM argues it represents about 2,000 of Germany's 2,500 mosque communities.

But Germany's Muslim population is diverse, and includes many lay Muslims and others who do not want to be represented by the KRM.

''There are a lot of people who are not in the KRM groups and so it can't speak for all Muslims,'' said Cezairli.

Over half of Germany's Muslims are of Turkish origin -- mostly unskilled labourers who came over to help drive the country's post-war economic boom and their descendents -- who are not members of religious communities.

Reuters>