Federal Minister of the Interior proposed celebrating Muslim holidays in Germany
"I am ready to discuss the issue of recognizing Muslim holidays in the Federal Republic of Germany," said the head of the Ministry of the Interior. At the same time, he recalled that, for example, All Saints' Day (Allerheiligen) is a holiday only where many Catholics live, in particular, in the states of Baden-Württemberg or Bavaria. "Why shouldn't we think about making Muslim holidays days off in those parts of our country where many Muslims live?" the politician asked.
As "Russkaya Germaniya" notes, these statements by Mr. de Maizière caused an extremely mixed reaction from many public and political figures in Germany. Thus, the leadership of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, supporting this proposal, noted that it would contribute to "further integration of Muslims" in the country. At the same time, it was emphasized that such an innovation could indeed only apply to individual regions of the Federal Republic.
Certain experience here, as emphasized by the Central Council of Muslims, already exists. It is pointed out, for example, that on the day of the feast of breaking the fast, Eid al-Fitr, which is held in honor of the end of Ramadan, many Muslims do not go to work, as they are voluntarily replaced by German colleagues. In response, Muslims work for their Christian colleagues at Christmas.
On the other hand, even many of Mr. de Maizière's party colleagues did not understand his proposal. Thus, the head of the CDU in Lower Saxony, Bernd Althusmann, sharply criticized the minister for his words. "Holidays in Germany have a long tradition, and I do not see a need to change them," said the CDU representative. "In my opinion, this discussion about religious holidays is currently completely inappropriate."
He was supported by one of the leaders of the Bavarian CSU, Alexander Dobrindt. "Our Christian heritage is not a subject of negotiation. The introduction of Muslim holidays in Germany is absolutely unacceptable for us," noted the 47-year-old politician. A similar opinion is held by one of the veterans of the CDU, 65-year-old Bundestag deputy Wolfgang Bosbach. The Christian Democrat recalled that in Germany there are "Christian-Jewish traditions, but by no means Islamic ones."
"I simply do not understand why we need to have these debates at all now," Mr. Bosbach was indignant. At the same time, he proposed to better discuss the following question: "When, finally, will Christians in all Islamic states have the same religious freedom as Muslims?"
Currently, several federal states, in particular Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen, have adopted legislative provisions according to which schoolchildren are excused from lessons during the main Muslim holidays. The same applies to workers and employees from among Muslims, who are allowed not to go to work on these days. In Berlin, these are the days of Ramadan and Eid al-Adha, in Hamburg – also the holiday of Ashura.
For all of Germany, only nine holidays are provided, which are prescribed in the legislation of all federal states. Only the Day of German Unity is established as a holiday by federal legislation.