Muslims living in the Western world have been placed under increasing pressure to prove their peaceable nature and adaptability ever since the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This is also the case in Germany, where one of the main Islamic umbrella organizations, the "Central Council of Muslims in Germany" has taken a formal stance on this issue by publishing an "Islamic Charter" in February 2002. The document explores the fine line between constitutional and religious commitment.
The declaration of principle not only represents an avowal of commitment to the German constitution, the document also intents to clarify the relationship that Muslims in Germany have to democracy, pluralism and religious freedom and make these issues transparent. The Islamic Council for the Federal Republic of Germany also supports this Charter.
Advocates of the Charter consider the declaration to be a milestone on the road to integration. The Islamic Charter is supposedly the first document within Europe that strives for a societal and interreligious dialogue, according to the Chairman of the Central Council, Nadeem Elyas.
The Charter has met positive responses to date, especially from representatives of political parties and the Christian Church. However, several Islam experts have criticized it. Even though the document contains a Muslim declaration of intent in the form of a personal obligation towards German law, it is not concise in many points and the formulation isn't watertight, according to Ursula Spuler-Stegemann, an Islam academic in Marburg. Central issues and sensitive matters, such as the significance of the Sharia, have been deliberately ignored in it.
Critical reports have often referred to it as a "Charter of Indeterminacy and Back Doors". Doubts as to whether the Central Council was earnest about proposing a dialogue have arisen. Skeptics of the Charter also fear that the document is "all talk" and will not serve the social reality of many Muslims in Germany in the future. This criticism has prompted the Central
By Arian Fariborz, Qantara.de
