Sex on TV

The Kaiser Family Foundation Report

By Altaf Husain

How much does the sexual content on TV really affect our lives? This question is the focus of a recently released report from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation entitled, "Sex on TV."

Citing a social environment in which there are "nearly four million cases of sexually transmitted diseases among American teenagers every year, and more than three-quarters of a million teen pregnancies," the authors contend, "the messages young people receive about sex are vitally important, including those they receive from the media" (Executive Summary).

The study was conducted as a part of the Foundation's Program on the Entertainment Media & Public Health (EMPH), established to examine the impact of entertainment media on society. In addition, the program also works with entertainment industry leaders to help them convey important health messages to the public.

Commissioned by the Foundation, the study was conducted by Professor Dale Kunkel of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Victoria Rideout at the Kaiser Foundation, and several other professionals. The researchers chose a total of 1,114 shows aired over the period from October 1999 to March 2000 and including all kinds of shows except newscasts, sports events, and children's shows. A composite week of programming was constructed using 938 shows randomly selected from ten channels. The remaining 176 shows basically reflect primetime broadcast network shows from a two-week sample.

There were no channels spared in this study. The selection included broadcast networks, syndicated programming, public television stations, and basic and premium cable channels. The ten channels in the study represent all segments of the television industry: ABC, CBS, Fox, HBO, Lifetime, NBC, TNT, PBS, USA and KTLA, a Warner Brothers affiliate out of Los Angeles.

What Is Sexual Content?

The study has, in effect, done what all parents should be doing on a regular basis: monitoring the content of the television shows that their children are watching.

Quite often, parents who do not have cable television access in their homes wrongly assume that local affiliates of broadcasting networks will not air programming that is questionable in nature. Yet, right alongside the comic situations is explicit references to sexual behavior.

The study cites scenes such as one in which "a couple kiss passionately and undress each other by the bed, the scene fades to black and cuts to the next morning with the couple naked under the sheets" as very clear instances where sexual intercourse is implied.

The researchers kept a clear focus on two aspects of television programming: talk about sex and depictions of sexual behavior. Thousands of scenes were reviewed for either of these two broad categories of sexual content, and there special attention was paid to determine whether the producers of a specific show had used sexual content as the basis of the entire show.

The Executive Summary of the study, p. 11 mentioned that "Talk about sex includes characters discussing their own or others' sexual actions or interests. All scenes containing sexual content were analyzed for any mention of any issues concerning the possible risks or responsibilities of sexual activity, including any reference to contraception, condoms, safer sex, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, abortion, abstinence, or the possibility of waiting to have sex. All such references were counted for this study, even if they were minor or inconsequential.

Sexual behavior includes depictions of sexual intercourse, scenes in which sexual intercourse is strongly implied, intimate touching, passionate kissing, and physical flirting. Only those scenes in which the sexual behavior was a substantial or primary emphasis of the scene were included in the study; any scenes in which there was sexual behavior but the emphasis on sex was minor or inconsequential were not included in the counts of sexual content."

Key Findings

Among the study’s major findings, the researchers report that:

- Sixty-eight percent of all shows include sexual content, up from 56% in 1997 and 1998.

- About one out of every four shows (27%) on television includes sexual behaviors; the remainder feature characters talking about sex.

- Three out of four prime-time shows include sexual content, up from two out of three during the 97/98 season.

- There was a substantial increase in the percentage of situation comedies that included sexual content.

- Sexual intercourse is depicted or strongly implied in one of every ten shows on TV.

- Two-thirds (68%) of the characters involved in intercourse-related scenes were adults appearing to be 25 or older; about a quarter (23%) appeared to be young adults ages 18-24; and 9% appeared to be under 18.

- Of all shows with sexual content, one in ten includes a reference to safer sex or the possible risks or responsibilities of sex.

- Programs that depict teen characters in sexual situations are much more likely than other shows to include references to the risks or responsibilities of sex.

- Programs that either depict or strongly imply sexual intercourse are much more likely than other shows to include references to the risks or responsibilities of sex.

Who Are the Most Vulnerable?

Overall, the Kaiser Foundation has made a much-needed contribution to the on-going discussion about sex on television. The authors admit at the outset that teenagers are especially vulnerable to the messages that are broadcast on television. Acknowledging that "there are many other more dominant influences on adolescent sexual development," the authors contend that "TV's sexual messages clearly play a part as well - helping not only to inform young people, but also to shape their ideas of what other people their age are doing, saying and thinking."

Perhaps the television industry will heed the power it wields in influencing adolescent sexual development and behavior. Realistically, however, it is the duty of every parent to monitor what his or her child is watching.

Altaf Husainis a social worker in the United States and has been a contributing writer to IslamOnline since its inception.

| Daily News | We Are On... |

Is Worship in Ramadan Only?

By Dr. Muhammad Mahmud Mansur

The rapid shift from obeying Allah Almighty in Ramadan to disobeying Him and moving away from His way after Ramadan has its reasons, the most important of which are the following:

1- Absence or lack of sincerity during the acts of worship that used to be performed: This insincerity is exemplified in the person who performs prayer or pays charity so that people will see him. In doing so he may achieve a certain rank, some material benefit from them, or the like. Such a person does not perform acts of worship with the intention of pleasing Allah Almighty, and achieving a great reward in the Hereafter.

2- Absence of concentration during the performance of the acts of worship despite the presence of sincerity: This leads to the person not benefiting from performing such acts, not filling the heart with faith and not drawing his heart closer to his Lord, a thing which would have prompted him to persist in doing good and abandoning evil.

3- Lack of moderation in acts of worship, being over enthusiastic and exerting much effort than that which each person can bear: This makes the soul change afterwards because it does not possess the quality of persistence. This happens although the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to do those deeds which are within our capabilities.

4- Weakness of the soul and its yielding to the insinuations of the devil: This occurs because of the absence of good company, or the companionship of bad people who one is unable to affect, so one is affected by it instead. Another reason is abandoning acts of worship suddenly, therefore, one's soul becomes empty and likely to be filled with devilish insinuations and love of committing acts of disobedience.

5- The soul’s need for recreation after periods of patience in Ramadan: This makes it seek the utmost enjoyment, as compensation for what it has missed. So it indulges in pleasure until it surpasses the wide range of the lawful and enters into the unlawful.

In order to cure this shift, which may afflict some people in different degrees that vary from one person to another in degree and form, one has to apply the following means, the most of which are in fact the opposite of the above reasons:

1- Gradual training to be sincere when performing every act: Each act should only be performed with the intention to please Allah Almighty, to gain His reward, and to benefit from it by enjoying happiness in this world and reward in the Hereafter. This can be achieved through hiding the act as much as possible, not mentioning it afterwards, and bearing good intentions while doing it. Then one is to ask Allah for His help and support and supplicate to Him to help you resist devilish insinuations of ostentation while performing the act. After that, one should ask for Allah’s forgiveness for any ostentation that may have been felt during or after the act and the person should have the firm will to not repeat feelings of ostentation in following acts.

2- Gradual training on concentration during the different acts of worship through not performing too many acts and being moderate: What is important, for example, is not reading too many chapters of the Qur’an but rather it is enough to read some verses with contemplation followed by practicing what is understood. Furthermore, repeating one or two of the supplications of remembering Allah with due contemplation that moves the heart, is much better than repeating many supplications without gaining any benefit, and so on.

3- Looking for good company like that which was available in Ramadan, merging with it, and clinging to it, for it serves as a shield against devilish insinuations. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says, “Indeed, the wolf eats of sheep only the faraway one.” (Reported by Abu Dawud with a good chain of transmission). Keeping good company supports you to continue in obedience; it was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A person follows the religion of his friend; so each one of you should consider whom he makes his friend.”

4- Avoidance of sudden slackness after Ramadan or abandoning the acts of obedience: One should continue to perform acts of worship after Ramadan even in a lesser form. Perhaps this is one of the wisdoms inferred from the hadith in which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says, “He who observed the fast of Ramadan and then followed it with six (fasts) of Shawwal; it would be as if he fasted perpetually.” (Muslim) Maybe observing fast for some days in Shawwal, and by analogy, performing some rak`ahs of optional night prayer, some prayers in the Mosque, reciting some verses of the Qur’an, paying some charity, and doing other acts of obedience that used to be observed during the honorable month would prevent sudden emptiness in the soul. This is intended to remind the soul of the sweetness and good effects of worship and to keep the inner joy that was attained during Ramadan. This makes one try not to lose such pleasure, so that at least one would persevere in doing the minimum level that achieves this pleasure.

5- Preparation of lawful recreation: The soul leaves Ramadan while it needs some rest and recreation. This can be attained through trips, journeys, contests, games, visits, and other permissible worldly pleasures. If the soul does not find this recreation by permissible means, it might get depressed and weakened, discontinue obedience, or even look for enjoyment in prohibited matters!

6- Supplication to Allah for whoever has changed after Ramadan: People should supplicate such a person, as their supplication will eventually be answered. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) says, “Whenever a Muslim servant supplicates for his brother in his absence, the Angel says: Amen, and the same be for you too.” (Muslim) This person should supplicate for himself as well.

Finally, it has to be taken into consideration that curing and educating souls need gradual advancement, patience and a long time, just as the Qur’an and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did with the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), for souls are not like paintings that can be drawn or painted in a day or two.

Translated and edited from: http://www.islamonline.net/Daawa/Arabic/display.asp?hquestionID=4104

| Daily News | We Are On... |

G20: New Solutions, Problems Remain

By Aldo Caliari

Director of Rethinking Bretton Woods Project

Obama was so jubilant over the G2O summit after achieving a common-ground agreement with France and Germany, among others, (Reuters photos)

On Apr. 2, 2009, the Group of 20 countries (G20) met in London where the summit continued the process announced in Washington in Nov. 2008 when George Bush, the former US president, summoned the same group of leaders to a meeting to discuss coordinated response to the global financial crisis.

"This is the day the world came together to fight recession," said Mr. Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister in his closing speech.

In stark contrast to his words, the declaration emerged from the summit — "G20 Declaration" — rather stands as evidence that the world is increasingly finding it harder to achieve common ground on the most critical matters that need international cooperation during these difficult times.

In spite of assertions by participating officials — previous to the summit — that this was not a pledging conference, it sort of looked like one.

Funding IMF and Other Institutions

The most outstanding agreement was the summit declaration's commitment of $ 1,100 billion, with $ 750 billion of which for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and $ 100 billion for all multilateral development banks.

It has become a habit of summits that old funding promises are lumped together with new ones to boost the numbers of the "deliverable", and so feed the perception of success of the meeting.

But, it took analysts just a few hours to conclude that most the G20's promises were old.

There were reasons to even doubt a good portion of the new ones could not be traced back to specific pledges by any certain government.

Out of the "additional" $750 billion that leaders agreed to pump into the IMF, one third is still to come from sources that may include the issuance of bonds by the IMF, but that remains fairly unspecified in the G2O's statement.

How are these billions going to come from IMF-issued bonds? And, how would that affect international capital markets at a time when industrialized countries with a triple-A rating are finding it hard to find buyers for their own?

How can both this and the pledge to raise more money via bonds for multilateral development banks be honored together?

Another third of the IMF pledged funding would be generated by issuing Special Drawing Rights — a basket currency that the IMF can issue and members can use as foreign exchange reserves.

Finally, one third represents actual committed funding bilaterally pledged by G20 for the IMF.

Even, some of these $ 250 billion — that can be considered "cash-in-hand" funding, are not new — as the committed funding includes $ 100 billion pledged by Japan and $ 75 billion pledged by European countries earlier this year.

The rest is new, but its sources are hard to account for — with yet to be confirmed rumors that China and Saudi Arabia would pay for it.

An increase in $ 250 billion would still be of historic proportions by the standards of the existing arrangements to borrow.

Cosmetic Changes?

Both the New (NAB) and General Arrangements to Borrow (GAB) represent a commitment by several member countries to lend, altogether, up to a total amount of around $ 50 billion to the IMF.

Yet, the G20 seems to have been faster to award this increase in resources than to ask hard questions about the suitability of such funding to a largely discredited IMF.

Less than two years ago, the IMF had so little trust from its developing members that it was on the brink of bankruptcy, because of the conditions attached to IMF funds.

In addition, paradigmatic of this are the conditions that — in the eyes of all analysts — worsened the contraction of East Asian economies, and had devastating consequences for social and development prospects during the East Asian crisis.

Little faith would be warranted, then, on the IMF’s ability to help crisis countries with the newly received funding.

The current shape of IMF would not be such a huge problem if it had built-in mechanisms to reform and innovate, adapting to changing conditions and demands.

The distrust on the capacity of the institution to reform itself reached new depths in April 2008.

After nearly seven years, IMF still keeps its anachronistic governance system under review. And, with overrepresented rich country members dragging their feet, only a meager 2 point increase in the percentage of IMF's voting switched from developed to developing countries.

Part of the deal at that time was that every periodic review of members' quotas — one review every five years — would automatically realign quotas, and hence voting power, of members.

The G20 declaration moves to the next review in 2011.

But, since the April 2008 decision fails to substantially reconsider elements of the quota formula that systematically under-represents developing countries, reviews are not expected to make substantial difference to the longstanding IMF's "democratic deficit".

Marginalizing Developing Countries

In addition, the G20 declaration agreed that "heads and senior leadership" of the international financial institutions will be appointed through open, transparent, and merit-based selection processes.

This is supposed to end the traditional practice whereby the IMF and World Bank have been respectively commanded by European countries, as well as the United States.

The realities of the European and US overwhelming voting power, and the early support they gave to a specific candidate discouraged other candidacies.

Developing countries' choice was narrowed to support the candidate that was set to win the vote. Either, they become sure enemies of the would-be leadership.

The G20 declaration has more groundbreaking global governance language, as it calls for the expansion of the membership of the Financial Stability Forum (FSF).

Now, it will be called Financial Stability Board, and will include all G20 members plus Spain and the European Union.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision is now to include seven more members out of the G20 membership.

Developing countries should certainly take advantage of this opportunity to have a voice in such bodies.

Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that a granting of a seat does not automatically translate into a granting of influence.

Moreover, there is a risk that the unrepresentative, self-selected group of countries which will make up these bodies could simply win new energy and legitimacy from the newcomers, without really ceding any power.

The agreement to change the name of the FSF, in turn, means no change in its nature, nor a progression in the level of cooperation undertaken via such a body.

It continues to be a merely advisory body that will have some responsibility — alongside the IMF — for providing "early warning of macroeconomic and financial risks and the actions needed to address them."

The G20 leaders agreed to extend regulation and oversight to include all systemically important financial institutions.

This language is as problematic as it is to draw a line between institutions that are "systemically important" and those that are not.

Large differences continue to exist among G20 countries on the strength of needed regulations.

Rather than bridging them, this commitment is up to each country to implement.

In this regard, the mere qualification of an institution as systemically important could equate to a "too big to fail" official seal carrying moral hazard implications.

On the other hand, those not characterized as systemically important might immediately become the new unregulated instrument of choice for excessive risk-taking.

In interconnected financial markets, institutions that do not represent a collective or an individual thread, may lead to an unpleasant surprise.

The Same Basel II

There is no surprise with regards to banking supervision, as the Basel II Accord was largely endorsed as the main tool for carrying it.

This means that the basic approach embedded in Basel, based on banks' internal risk measurement systems, continues to prevail.

While several analysts have blamed excessive trust on the "rationality" of banks' incentives to pursue the best management of their assets as the cause of the crisis, the G20 approach leaves that piece at the center of the system.

The G20 offered continued support to the ongoing establishment of "colleges of supervisors" to monitor some cross-border financial institutions.

This seems to be as far as they were willing to go in strengthening cooperation on banking supervision.

There was nothing new, because these colleges were already invited by the G20 Washington Summit in Nov. 2008.

Furthermore, little is added to Washington’s declaration in the area of credit-rating agencies.

The International Organization of Securities Commissions, author of the code of conduct for credit-rating agencies, is asked to "coordinate" compliance with such a code by national jurisdictions.

Yet, the organization is not really handed any particular power to press compliance, which remains squarely in the hands of national authorities.

The G20 London's declaration included statements of goodwill towards the preservation of open trade.

Yet, in the light of the repeated reports of protectionist measures being taken by most of G20 members since Nov. 2008 — when a similar declaration was issued — little credence can be given to G20 London's declaration.

The same can be stated about the reference to the need to conclude the Doha Development Round.

However, trade has plummeted at a breathtaking pace since the beginning of 2009.

What is most striking, then, is the focus on the maintenance of open markets.

The crisis clearly shows that without addressing the financial problems, the promise of an open-trade system, even if fulfilled, is empty and even counterproductive.

Along this vein, the summit skirted the most pressing questions about the international monetary system: can international trade continue to prosper depending on the domestic currency of one country?

Or, will the attempt to restart demand within the same monetary framework lead to perpetuating global imbalances?

The silence of the G20 on these subjects might lead one to think that their consensus is "yes".

But, a few days earlier the People's Bank of China's governor let G20's thoughts to the contrary be publicly known.

There may be other high-level officials within and outside the G20 that have a different answer.

It is clear that the world economy, and especially the growing ranks of those unemployed as the crisis takes its toll, will continue to anxiously demand an answer.

Aldo Caliari is the director of Rethinking Bretton Woods Project, the Center of Concern. He works as consultant to international organizations, foundations, media and civil society groups and networks.

| Daily News | We Are On... |

Islam Day in Hawaii

CAIRO – Hundreds of people in the U.S. state of Hawaii have celebrated the island’s first Islam Day in recognition of the rich religious, scientific and cultural contribution of the Muslim world.

"It's a historic day. It’s long overdue,” Hakim Ouansafi, president of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, told the Honolulu Advertiser on Friday, September 25.

“It's a day of celebrating our commonality, a day of people of faith and no faith to get together and talk story."

Hundreds of people packed the McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach Park on Thursday to celebrate Hawaii's Islam Day.

"We expected 200 to 300, so we're very pleased with the turnout," said Ouansafi.

The Day featured entertainment activities, games for children, free food and a panel discussion on coexistence in a pluralistic society.

The Hawaii state legislature has passed a resolution to mark Islam Day in recognition of the rich religious, scientific and cultural contributions of the Muslim world.

Though adopted overwhelmingly, the resolution sparked debate across the island.

"A lot of people reacted out of fear and ignorance,” said Ouansafi.

“They’ve had a chance to reflect a little bit more and people are coming around."

Hawaii is home to a Muslim community of 3,000.

There are between six to seven million Muslims in the US.

Major step

Celebrating the day, Suha Khan was proud of being a Muslim.

"It's a very big step and a huge step in this society," said the 19-year-old graduate of Pearl City High School and student at Leeward Community College.

"It means that people recognize us as a religion and respect us.”

Khan, of Pakistani origin, said that celebrating the Islam Day in Hawaii makes her and her fellow Muslims feel they are part and parcel of American society.

“For me, it makes me very happy because as an American citizen, I love this country,” said the hijab-clad Muslim girl.

“It has given my parents and me opportunities we would not have in our home country. I respect this country very much."

Among celebrants of the Islam Day were Michael and Tami Ulanski.

Michael, who served two military tours in Iraq, reverted to Islam last April after reading the Qur’an for the first time to understand the nature of the conflict in Iraq.

"I started reading it and Chapter One, it just hit me,” he said.

“It grabbed me and everything about it made sense.

"It struck me as the right thing so I just kept at it and I kept studying it and reading it and decided after a month or two that that was the right thing for me."

Michael’s wife, Tami who is Catholic, says she attended the Islam Day to better understand Muslims as her husband did.

"I came to see what it's all about, what he feels so strongly about," she said.

"I don't know enough or am educated enough about it. It's an adjustment."

Source: IslamOnline

| Daily News | We Are On... |

German Muslims Basic Info

By Euro-Muslims Editorial Desk

2.6 million guest workers had been able to establish their homes in Germany.

According to the German Federal Statistical Office, the number of people with immigrant backgrounds in Germany came to 15.4 million (2007 micro-census). This corresponds to 18.7 per cent of the population, with the tendency rising. Germany’s total net immigration between 2006 and 2050 will amount to 4.4 million people if the balance of migration is 100 000, or 8.6 million people if it is 200 000.

At 19.4 per cent, people with Turkish backgrounds head the list of immigrants by an overwhelming margin, followed by those from Poland (6.8 per cent), the Russian Federation (6.6 per cent) and Italy (5.5 per cent).

The number of immigrants naturalized in Germany has declined in recent years.

Migrants came to Germany mainly for a few reasons: they came as workers, ethnic repatriates, refugees, or dependents immigrating to join their families.

In 1955, Germany and Italy signed the agreement of the recruitment of foreign workers. This was the first of its kind that made the federal Republic of Germany to be an immigration country. And so the first "guest workers" started to flow into Germany.

But during the oil crisis in 1973, the German government stopped foreign workers' recruitment, but 2.6 million guest workers had been able to establish their homes in Germany.

But since January 1, 2005, laws were issued which brought the immigration act into force. The statements of the laws regulate the statutes of the migrants coming to Germany and the integration of foreigners living in Germany.

Religious Divisions

* Christians 62.6%

* Catholics 31.5%

* Protestants 31.1%

* Muslims 3.9%

* Jews 0.1%

German Muslims

* 8 million are Turks

* 200,000 are Bosnians,

* 100,000 are Iranians,

* 80,000 are Moroccans,

* 70,000 are Afghans,

* 800,000 are German converts (most of them come from Turkey)

Muslim Sects

* 2.4 million (80%) Sunni

* 500,000 (17%) Alawite

* 130,000 (3%) Shiite

Islamic Organizations

* Central Council for Muslims in Germany (ZMD)

* Islamic Council (Islamrat)

* Association of Islamic Cultural Centers (VIKZ)

* Turkish Islamic Union (DITIB).

* Labor Market

* Public Perception of Islam

* Bias and Discrimination

* Religious Rights

* Education

* Recent Legislation on Immigration

* Muslims in German Politics

Labor Market

The percentage of unemployment among German Muslim youth is around 30%. Muslim women and youth hold low skilled jobs.

Due to the lack of German citizenship, Muslims face several forms of discrimination in their workplace. Also, their unsecured residency is a main reason of countering discrimination.

To join any job, individuals should hold German citizenship or be a member of an EU country.

But Muslims and asylum seekers have to wait long periods before holding any position. Before 2004, five or six years of official residence were a must before joining the labor market.

Public Perception of Islam

German bad perception towards Islam is the highest amongst the Western European countries.

Up to 46% of the respondents to a survey held in 2003 agreed that "Islam is a backward religion", 34% agreed that "I'm distrustful of people of Islamic religion", while 27% stated that "immigration to Germany should be forbidden for Muslims."

Another survey was conducted on 2004, declared that 93% of Germans link "Islam" with "oppression of women," and 83% with "terrorism."

In 2006, only 30% of Germans reported a "favorable opinion of Islam."

One of the most famous German conditions, titled "Deutsche Zust?nde", states in 2006 that 39% have a feeling of strangeness in their own country with the existence of Muslims as co-citizens. One in three Germans call for a ban on Muslim immigration and 70% think that the relations among Muslims and western countries are generally bad.

Since 9/11, Muslims are increasingly suspected of being terrorists by the German public and the state's institutions.

Bias and Discrimination

A survey was conducted in 2003, in which 65% claimed that Islam does not fit with the West. The majority of people surveyed were against any new immigration, and feel uncomfortable living together with Muslim neighborhoods. All that led to a rise in the numbers of Muslims who feel they are being discriminated against.

The murder of Theo van Gogh in the Netherlands in November 2004 sparked violence in Germany. Since then, foreigners, including Muslims, faced threats of physical violence, especially in the eastern parts of Germany.

In 2006, the EU Monitoring Center for Racism and Xenophobia reported that 70% of non-Muslim Germans believe that there was a conflict between living in a modern society and being a devoted Muslim. German respondents showed more negative views on Muslims than other respondents in France, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The representation of Islam in schoolbooks is highly criticized. This representation transmits discrimination and generalization, and it also encourages negative prejudice.

A conference on the cooperation with the state to confront stereotypes in schoolbooks was held by the Islamic Council in Germany. As a result, the German George-Eckert Institute developed new materials on the Islamic world for schoolbooks.

Muslims face direct and indirect forms of discrimination in various fields, such as employment, education, and even by the police and in courts. Sometimes, they are denied access to restaurants or clubs.

There is a great segmentation among migrant and non-migrant groups. This conclusion was stated in a survey held by the EMUC (the European Monitoring Center). Differences between native Germans and migrants could be easily noticed generally in regard of earnings, participation, and employment. The ILO (International Labor Organization) also admitted that there are some kinds of discriminations against Muslim and foreigner employees in general.

The German Center for Studies on Turkey (Zentrum für Türkeistudien) has declared that 15% of the discriminatory cases were reported in the housing market.

Lots of discrimination cases by the police were also reported. Young policemen in Berlin are being trained to treat immigrants the same as Germans and to see past their immigrant backgrounds.

Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations have reported on the violation of human rights against foreigners in the German state's associations.

Several initiatives were taken to help foreigners, Turks in particular, and offer antidiscrimination services to address discrimination against Muslims in Germany.

In 1999, a German NGO supporting the integration of foreigners in Germany, called "Aktion Courage", launched a campaign for integrating Muslims and Muslim organizations in Germany.

Religious Rights

Freedom of religion is provided in Germany. The state officially recognizes some faiths, and once recognized, they became public organizations. They get full independence in matters of employment, freedom of organizing councils and chains of command, and the right to receive a percentage of the national revenue based on tax payers' declarations of membership. But Islam has not yet been recognized as a public corporation.

But the Muslim community has realized the importance of "speaking with one voice" towards the German state. This should enable Muslims to gain more rights.

The issue of halal slaughter has also been confronted for many years. In respect for the Muslim belief and obligations, the Federal Constitutional court allowed Muslims to be exempt from animal protection legislation, but the conflicts over slaughtering continue.

Education

In Germany, elementary and high schools offer - generally Catholic or Protestant - religion courses. Alternatively, students can choose to take ethics. Recognized courses in Islam were approved by the German government in 2009, but have not yet been implemented in schools. "My Book About Islam" is the first schoolbook about this religion to be approved for young children in Germany.

Uwe Schuenemann (both interior minister of Lower Saxony and state's integration minister have announced a new education initiative for imams. The first batch of German-educated imams is set to graduate in Osnabrueck in three years, according to Deutsche Welle.

Recent Legislation on Immigration

According to the new citizenship law issued in January 2000, children of foreign parents born in Germany, under certain circumstances, get German citizenship.

A New Immigration Act went into effect on January 1, 2005. The act supports a legislative framework controlling and restricting migrants. In addition, it promotes the integration of legal immigrants in Germany.

According to the Act, there will only be two types of residence permits instead of five: the temporary residence permit and the permanent settlement permits. The right of residence has become oriented on the purpose of residence, such as education, employment, training, and subsequent immigration of a family member.

Recruiting foreign labor is still banned even for unskilled, semi-skilled, and skilled workers as well. But sometimes, foreign students remain in Germany for one year after their graduation, searching for jobs with their academic degrees.

Conservative parties in Germany have always attacked this law. They define it as an overly liberal legislation. They combine it with calls for tightening security measures, counting on terrorism in strengthening their point of views.

In 2006, these parties introduced a questionnaire for naturalization about "one's convictions". This questionnaire was aiming to find out whether the applicants had been saturated with the values of the German nation.

But the questionnaire included some controversial questions such as: "What do you think about the fact that homosexual people hold official offices in Germany?", "What do you think about the statement that the wife has to obey her husband and that he may beat her if she does not obey him?", "Your adult daughter/wife wants to dress just like other girls and women as well. Would you try to prevent it? If yes, with what means?"

These questions provoked some human rights advocates and civil society groups, who said that the applicant might lose German citizenship years later, if it becomes known that he or she hid his or her real opinions.

In the Migration Report, the Federal Government's Commissioner on Immigration, Refugees and Integration declared that some legal steps have been taken to improve the employment situation of migrants.

Concerning the headscarf (hijab), eight German states banned schoolteachers from wearing hijab in schools. These states are: Bavaria, Bremen, Baden-Wurtemburg, Hessen, Lower-Saxony, Berlin, and North Rhine-Westphalia.

According to the Counter-terrorism Act of January 9, 2002, state authorities could order a foreigner to be deported from the country without having to issue an official order to leave. New provisions were made to monitor the activities of foreigners who had been ordered to leave the country. Before issuing a settlement permit or agreeing on an application for naturalization, authorities will make a request for information on the anti-constitutional activists by the person in question.

Muslims in German Politics

"Second and third generation Muslim immigrants have a different approach to Western society than the previous one. They perceive themselves as an integral part of it", according to Dr. Dietrich Reetz - from the Zentrum Moderner Orient ZMO in Berlin.

Germany’s 15 million people (18% of the population) who come from an immigration background are reflected in the German Parliament (2009) by 11 politicians (less than 2 percent of the Bundestag).

As for the pending national ballot, the situation is similar. The candidates with immigration backgrounds where selected in areas with low probability of winning. Immigrants are utterly under-represented in the German federal politics, according to Roland Detsch.

In Germany, Muslims’ interest in politics is surprisingly low (only 37 percent of all Muslims find politics quite or very important, but this value increases with age). Political attitudes appear to be relatively unaffected by religiosity; only 16 percent of respondents report that their faith has a significant effect on their political views, and 65 percent reject the idea of an Islamic party, according to the Religion Monitor 2008 Muslim Religiousness in Germany.

German citizenship is prerequisite for the active and passive right to vote.

In March this year, "Data 4 U" interviewed Turks as to their voting plans. While the SPD obtained more than 55 percent of their support, the CDU benefited of just 10 percent.

Network of Elected Officials of Turkish Origin

The Körber Foundation launched in 2004 the Network of Elected Officials of Turkish Origin. Network’s foremost task to convince immigrants to acquire German citizenship. They have called for immigrants to learn the German language as the key to successful political engagement, to identify themselves with Germany and to commit themselves to the principles of the German Basic Law. The Network’s information and education programs are designed to help immigrants “emerge from their political speechlessness, say goodbye to their role as victims (which has been in part self-imposed) and show a stronger interest in political events and the democratic process.”… “All in all, stronger political participation by immigrants is a major contribution to promoting democracy and integration.”

“Immigrants aren’t given an equal chance” says the Stuttgart SPD councilman Ergun Can, Federal Chairman of the ‘Network of Elected Officials of Turkish Origin’, disillusioned. Above all, when it comes to a mandate at a higher level than that of city councils, we get nowhere. In several places there have already been deliberations whether immigrants should start their own party.” At the municipal level, he says, this would be definitely practicable. “But that’, says Can, “would be the end of integration, absolutely the worst case scenario”.

According to the Körber Foundation in Hamburg, there are only 85 political representatives of Turkish origin in German city councils, state parliaments and the federal parliament.

“Alliance for Peace and Fairness”

The Muslim Council in Bonn initiated the first Muslim voters association in Germany (launched in June 2009). After 2 months, 32 Muslim candidates were on the ballot for Bonn from the “Alliance for Peace and Fairness” and the party obtained 2 seats in the Bonn Council which will be occupied by Haluk Yildiz and Hülya Dogan.

The chairman of the “Alliance for Peace and Fairness”, Haluk Yildiz, stresses that, unlike some other Muslim groups, the Alliance for Peace and Fairness is not out to promote a Muslim agenda.

Sources:

* Political Participation of Immigrants: The Network of Elected Officials of Turkish Origin

* Ethnic Minorities Still Overlooked in German Politics

* Federal Statistical Office (Germany)

* German state to introduce college training for Muslim imams

* German Primary Schoolers Get Textbook on Islam

* Muslims Have a Right to Be Different

* Muslim group fields candidates in local elections

* Haluk Yildiz: „Wir waren doppelt so gut wie erwartet

* www.euro-islam.info

* Die Bundesregierung

* Most of the information of this article is extracted from (www.euro-islam.info)

| Daily News | We Are On... |