13 November 2012

Hamburg reaches out to its Muslim communities

.... The agreements recognizes Muslim and Alevi religious holidays and include provisions for the construction of mosques, upkeep of cultural facilties, rites of burial without coffins and the counseling of patients and prison inmates by Muslem clerics.

Hamburg's Muslims and Alevis will be granted unpaid leave by their employers for three religious holidays per year, just as their Christian counterparts can. On such holidays, school students can also be exempted from lessons.

Hamburg's Muslims will help further develop Hamburg's model of religious tuition in schools which already includes Buddhist and Jewish viewpoints. Hamburg's protestant church has traditionally overseen religious studies lessons in the city-state. [Deutsche Welle] Read more