Berlin: Muslim students can pray in school

An administrative court in Berlin ruled that Muslim students can pray in school, citing religious freedom, news reports said Wednesday.

The court ordered the school of an unidentified 14-year-old Muslim student to enable him to pray.

It also argued that prayer of the Muslim student would also promote peaceful co-existence and tolerance among students of other religions.

The school had initially barred the pupil from praying, pointing to the neutrality rule of the school.

The Muslim student will now be able to hold his noon prayer in a separate room.

There are around 3.5 million Muslims in Germany of which 2.5 million are Turks.

Source: IRNA (English) h/t Turkish Digest

Update:

The court decision has caused much commotion in Berlin, where the schools have to deal with enourmous lack of space. In an interview in Die Welt Wolfgang Harnischfeger, chairman of the Association of Berlin School Principals asks what they should do if 400 Muslims would want to pray during recess in a school in Neukölln. Vacate the gymnastics hall? Harnischfeger also fears aggressive reactions from non-Muslim students.

According to Zcan Mutlu, spokesperson for the Greens, the decision is "poison for integration."

The role of Islam in schools in currently under discussion in Germany, also since minister of Internal Affairs Wolfgang Schäuble agreed with the Islamkonferenz, an umbrella group of Muslim organizations, that those German states who offer religious lessons must also offer Muslim students religious lessons in German. It is unclear who will organize these religious classes and what they will include.

Source: HLN (Dutch)

See also: Germany: Schools should teach about Islam