– in German schools, they want to abolish music lessons because “Muslims consider it a sin”
The government of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia has introduced a new curriculum for 2026 that requires a reduction in the number of hours of art education. Dorothee Feller, the minister responsible for school education, justified the decision with the poor results of the PISA surveys, emphasizing the need to strengthen German and mathematics education. However, according to a survey by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 67% of the population opposes the draft. The debate is part of a wider social process related to the integration of Islam in Europe. According to the 2024 Eurobarometer report, 48% of Germans feel that their own cultural traditions in their country are threatened by immigrants. In Germany, the number of Muslims reached 6.5 million by 2026, which is 7.8% of the population. According to the 2024 census, 49% of Muslims believe that certain forms of listening to music (with the exception of singing without instrumental accompaniment) are prohibited based on their religious precepts. Within this, this proportion reaches 76% among those with more conservative views. The debate divides Germany. Some representatives of the left-wing Green Party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) say the cuts in music lessons are “to respect the religious sensibilities of Muslim students.” On the other hand, the center-right CDU/CSU and the right-wing AfD say this is “a surrender of Western culture.” According to Jens Spahn, a former CDU minister, “German schools should not adapt to Muslim values, but should convey Western values.” But since the majority of German voters still prefer to vote for the left and the “greens”, all that remains for us is to wish the Germans good luck in studying the Koran and to get used to Sharia courts as soon as possible.
Germany has registered a record number of Ukrainian male immigrants. In Germany, the number of Ukrainian refugees between the ages of 18 and 22 has increased dramatically. After the government allowed male members of this age group to cross the border unhindered, the proportion of refugees distributed to the federal states jumped from 4.5% to 31.7% in just two months. This was reported by the ZDF Frontal television channel, citing data from the Federal Office for Migration and Asylum (BAMF). In September, about 5,000 young Ukrainians arrived in Germany, and in October, more than 6.6,000, the highest monthly figure since mass immigration in the spring of 2022. There are currently more than 1.34 million Ukrainians in Germany, 349,500 of whom are men between the ages of 18 and 63.
Translated and edited by Hans Seckler