Decked out in campaign posters, Berlin is a city in the midst of poll fever. Full-page advertisements have been bought in the city’s newspapers, street protests are being held, and sport and TV personalities are being drawn into emotional public debates.
But this is no election campaign: At stake is the soul of this devoutly secular city.
Only 36 percent of people profess to having a religious allegiance in Berlin, often described as the “atheist capital of Europe.” So a referendum yesterday on whether religious education should have the same status in the classroom as ethics teaching has provoked a bitter stand-off.
The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the churches have railed against the left, believers against atheists, west Berliners against east Berliners, and the middle classes against the proletariat.
Unlike in other German states, secular ethics has been a compulsory topic in the city-state of Berlin since 2006, after the “honor killing” of a Turkish woman murdered by her brother because of her Western lifestyle.
But religion remains only an optional course. That has been the case since the end of World War II, when it was decided that religious teaching should be available in all schools as an answer to the “godless” Nazi crimes. But participation was voluntary, lest authorities were accused of thrusting ideologies on pupils.
The “Pro Reli” campaign, led by figures from the CDU of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and church leaders, want to change the regulations so that pupils can choose between ethics and a religion class, with Muslims, Catholics and Protestants being taught separately.
“Pupils now have the choice between religion and free time — basically between religion and the ice-cream salon,” said Berlin’s leading Protestant bishop, Wolfgang Huber. “It is not really fair to say that pupils have a choice ... Religion needs a proper place in the school timetable.”
The “Pro Ethik” campaign is being spearheaded by the Social Democrats and the Left party, who make up Berlin’s city government. They argue that ethics teaching is central to ensuring integration in Berlin, which is now home to Germany’s biggest Muslim community.
“What’s so awful about an ethics lesson in which everyone takes part?” asked Michael Muller, regional head of the Social Democrats. “Isn’t it a good thing that I learn something about my neighbor’s religion, his family and cultural background?”
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