Islam in Berlin

Background: Maschari Center with Omar-Ibn-Al-Khattar Mosque opposite Görlitzer Bahnhof

Video about Mosque

According to Euro-Islam.info around 200 000 Muslims are living in Berlin. An estimated 40 000 of them are naturalized German citizens. Altogether Berlin's Islamic population totals approximately 9% of Berlin's entire population.

Since fall 2002 the "Islamische Föderation" - due to their winning a long-lasting lawsuit against school authorities - has been teaching religious lessons in 20 public schools. Thenceforth school offices have been receiving an increasing number of petitions to excuse girls from any sorts of sporting activities.

About 82 mosques and Islamic centers are situated in Berlin. They are visited for prayer and religious ceremonies, and some of them additionally offer cultural, social or educational activities.

The majority of Berlin Muslim residents (72%) believe Muslims living in Germany to be loyal to the country. 94% of Muslims in Berlin reject violence as "an acceptable moral response for a noble cause".

Source: Euro-islam.info

Berlin Sketches: Rütli School Neukölln

Starting today, I will roam the city of Berlin in search of interesting topics like colorful surroundings, animated street life, striking little moments, and all sorts of facts or observations worthwhile to report on.

An intriguing kick-off might be the nationwide famous Rütli School about which legends abound. The photos below show the school as well as its rather idyllic surroundings.

An open letter from the school's faculty complaining about increasing violence among pupils and against faculty members caused an uproar amongst the German media  in 2006 (article in Spiegel international).

Over 80% of the pupils are from a non-German background. Most of them have Turkish or Arabic roots, and most of them are "good" kids, no matter what a fuss the media make of it.

By no means is Neukölln a dangerous neighborhood. To describe it as colorful would be a lot more accurate: This district of Berlin is inhabited by people from 160 different nations living quite peacefully together.

Hilarious video for those who understand German