Friction on school swimming at Berlin-Islam talks

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Friction on school swimming at Berlin-Islam talks


May 2, 2007, 14:07 GMT


Berlin - Smouldering complaints by conservative Muslim families about girls and boys being taught swimming in mixed groups at German schools came to a head Wednesday at talks between Islamic leaders and the German government.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble told reporters the seven months of talks in working parties had made progress, with both sides in agreement that the process of negotiation at the 'Islam Conference' in Berlin was desirable.

There had been a 'very intense debate' Wednesday when ministers met 15 Muslim leaders for a first summing up of progress so far.

He 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.'

Ayyub Axel Koehler, the German-born spokesman for the Muslim Coordination Committee representing four main mosque groups, made no reference in his remarks to the school-swimming issue, but said the Islam Conference so far had been disoriented in its debates.

'We can't continue debating without an objective,' he said. 'We need a roadmap.'

While few details of the talks were disclosed, Ezhar Cezairli, representing a secularist Turkish group, told reporters there had been very sharp differences among the delegates on the Islamic side.

In that past, secularists have criticized Muslim conservatives on the school-swimming issue and said Muslims must adapt to German ways.

Since September, working parties have discussed calls for Islam classes for Muslims in German public schools and mosque demands to gain similar legal rights to churches.

Saying the talks so far had been 'fruitful,' Schaeuble said the conference was set to continue for three years.

In a bid to head off the risk of disaffection in the Islamic community, the government has picked five figures representing mosques and 10 secular Muslims to voice the concerns of an estimated 3.4 million German residents of Islamic heritage.
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