| I won't debate the wisdom of this three-year (!) series of talks (a very very bad idea), but I will note that the Paleo playbook is already in use...set up three factions, two of which appear to agree while the third pouts, seethes, and has a tantrum. |
Islamic leaders also welcomed the fact that both sides are talking. But a senior religious leader, German-born Ayyub Axel Koehler of the Council of Muslims, said the talks so far had been "disoriented."
Berlin summoned the conference amid fears that the integration of Muslims into German society has stopped and that disaffected, unemployed young Muslims may turn to Islamism or even terrorism. A recent domestic intelligence report said an Islamist counter-culture could establish itself in strongly Muslim parts of cities.
The meeting with Schaeuble was a review of the first seven months of negotiations in working parties on plans for Islam classes for Muslims in German public schools and mosque demands for legal rights similar to churches. No agreements have been reached yet. Groups representing an estimated 3.4 million German residents of Islamic heritage out of a population of 82 million have set out complaints about Germany including discrimination.
Divisions have emerged between religious Muslims and secularists who reject traditional rules on women's dress. Schaeuble chose 15 persons of Islamic heritage to speak on behalf of Muslims: five representing the mosques and the other 10 mostly from secular backgrounds. Schaeuble said the mosques could not be sole voice of Islam in Germany.
The government and secularists have rejected complaints by conservative Muslim families about girls wearing swimsuits in the presence of boys while being taught swimming at German schools. Schaeuble said it was the "rule" in Germany that girls and boys were educated in school together. He said he had heard the objections to mixed sports, adding, "We will continue to be talking about this."
While few details of the talks were disclosed, Ezhar Cezairli, a dentist representing a secularist Turkish group, told reporters there had been very sharp differences among the delegates on the Islamic side. "The majority of us are well-integrated," she said. Koehler, the German-born spokesman for the Muslim Coordination Committee representing four main mosque groups and the head of the Central Council of Muslims, was silent about the school-swimming issue. But he said the religious groups felt Schauble had belittled them in saying they only represented 10 to 15 per cent of Muslims.
He said of the conference: "We can't continue debating without an objective. We need a roadmap."
Ali Toprak, general secretary of the Alawite Community, praised the talks with Berlin as a success so far. But he said Germany still had to acquire a political culture of "mutual respect" with Muslims.
A further review meeting is to take place later this year.