Calls for compulsory school Islam classes after axe attack

Local authorities are calling for classes on Islam to be brought in at schools across the country after a radicalized Muslim youth attacked passengers on a train with an axe on Monday.

“It is appropriate to bring in classes on Islam in state schools or schools overseen by the state,” Gerd Landsberg, head of the association of local councils, told the Rheinische Post on Wednesday.

In this way the state can gain more control over the upbringing of Muslim youths, Landsberg said.

On Monday evening, an attacker whom investigators believe was a 17-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, seriously wounded four people with an axe and is reported to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) several times.

Terror group Isis later released a video in which the youth made threats in Pashto while holding a knife.

Senior figures in the church had already called at the end of May for Islam classes to become compulsory at schools.

The head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, said that religious education was the best way to immunize Muslim youths against the dangers of Islamist fundamentalism.

He also said he was in favour of Muslim religious associations taking over responsibility for providing this education, just as churches are responsible for religious education about Christianity.

Six of Germany’s 16 states currently offer classes in Islam at school

Germany rape law: Will 'No' mean 'No'?

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Germany's lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, is expected to pass a new law expanding the legal definition of what constitutes rape - widely referred to as the "No" means "No" statute.

Critics believe Germany has long lagged behind other developed nations when it comes to its rape laws, but will this fix the problem?

What is the problem, anyway?

Under existing law, defined in Section 177 of the criminal code (in German), victims should have defended themselves for an act to constitute rape. Simply saying "no" is not sufficient to find the defendant guilty, and there is no attempt to define what constitutes consent.

The inadequacy of the law means many perpetrators are getting away with rape,according to a 2014 study of 107 cases by the German association of women's counselling centres and rape crisis centres (BFF).

The authors said that in every case, sexual assaults had been committed against the victim's unambiguous will, which had been communicated verbally to the perpetrator. However, they said, either charges were not filed or there was no court conviction.

The study went on to note that the law placed too much focus on whether the victim resisted and did not reflect real-life scenarios in which people are raped.

Only one in 10 rapes is reported in Germany currently, according to Germany's n-tv news website. And of those, the conviction rate is only 10%.

What would the new regulations do?

They would take into account both physical and verbal cues from the victim when assessing whether rape took place, meaning - in theory - that saying "no" could prove a lack of consent and, therefore, rape.

What's prompted this change?

Germany has long been backward when it comes to its rape laws, say campaigners - pointing out that marital rape became a criminal offence only in 1997.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionHundreds of women allege they were assaulted during New Year celebrations in Cologne - but few perpetrators have been convicted

A number of prominent cases have pushed the issue into the spotlight.

The wave of attacks on New Year's Eve in Cologne shocked Germans - though prosecutions have been minimal and many were aghast to learn that, once again, assault could only be proven under German law if the victim resisted.

The attacks prompted a campaign for reform under the hashtag "NeinHeisstNein" (No means No).

Cologne sex attacks: MPs debate tougher laws

And, in a case that has sparked an outcry in Germany, two men were exonerated of drugging and raping German model Gina-Lisa Lohfink - despite having uploaded a video of what took place, in which she was reportedly heard saying, "Stop it, stop it" and "no".

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Image captionGina-Lisa Lohfink has appealed after receiving a fine for false testimony

Not only were the men cleared of wrongdoing, but Ms Lohfink was fined €24,000 (£21,000; $27,000) for falsely testifying.

She has appealed against the the charges. The case has been compared to theStanford University sexual assault furore in the United States.

Will the new law solve the problem?

Campaigners say the new law is a good start, but does not go far enough.

They have expressed concern that the law will not give adequate protection to victims who cannot clearly convey their lack of consent - such as those who have been drugged.

There are also plans to tighten the law governing sexual harassment and group assaults.

Activist Kristina Lunz said it was unacceptable that the vast majority of rapes were still going unpunished in Germany.

The next ambition?

"Of course it should be 'yes means yes'," says Ms Lunz, referring to a 2015 law passed in California making the legal standard for sex affirmative verbal consent.

Germany to enforce ban on polygamy

Concern is rising over polygamy and child marriages among recent migrants to Germany

Germany will not recognise polygamy or marriages involving minors, Justice Minister Heiko Maas has said

"No-one who comes here has the right to put his cultural values or religious beliefs above our law," he told Bild.

In some Islamic countries, men are allowed to take up to four wives, but in Germany polygamy is banned by law.

Concern about polygamy and underage marriage has risen recently, as Germany has been taking in record numbers of migrants, many from Muslim countries.

The law in Germany is clear: no-one is allowed to be married to more than one person at a time, and that includes recent arrivals in the country.

But in practice polygamous relationships are often quietly tolerated, the paper reports. For example, if a man dies, his inheritance may be distributed between his two wives.

But Mr Maas wants to stop authorities turning a blind eye.

"Everybody must abide by the law, no matter whether he has grown up here or has only just arrived," he told the tabloid.

This also applies to forced and underage marriages.

"We cannot tolerate forced marriages, above all, if they affect under-age girls," Mr Maas said.

Heiko Maas wants to stop the ambiguity that allows local authorities to tolerate polygamous and underage marriages

Bild reports that the federal state of Bavaria alone has registered 550 cases of brides aged under 18, and 161 under 16, among the asylum seekers that have arrived in the recent migrant wave.

In most of these cases, the young girls were already married before their arrival in Germany.

Syrian "child brides" and international law

• "Alarming increase" in number of child marriages within Syrian refugee communities in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, says Save the Children

• It is argued that marriage protects the girls from sexual assault and other hardship

• It is also seen as safeguarding family honour

• It reduces economic burden on refugee families

• But child marriage threatens a girl's physical and mental health

• It is outlawed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

• The right to free and full consent from both parties is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 16)

There is no clear law in Germany regarding what to do with underage marriages conducted in Muslim countries, and courts make judgements on a case-by-case basis.

A court in the city of Bamberg recently decided that the marriage of a 15-year-old girl to a 21-year-old man, conducted under Syrian jurisdiction, could be regarded as legal in Germany.

In Germany the minimum age for marriage is 18, but it is possible for a young person aged 16 or 17 to marry, if a family court gives consent, and the other party to the marriage is at least 18.

Germany to enforce ban on polygamy

Concern is rising over polygamy and child marriages among recent migrants to Germany

Germany will not recognise polygamy or marriages involving minors, Justice Minister Heiko Maas has said

"No-one who comes here has the right to put his cultural values or religious beliefs above our law," he told Bild.

In some Islamic countries, men are allowed to take up to four wives, but in Germany polygamy is banned by law.

Concern about polygamy and underage marriage has risen recently, as Germany has been taking in record numbers of migrants, many from Muslim countries.

The law in Germany is clear: no-one is allowed to be married to more than one person at a time, and that includes recent arrivals in the country.

But in practice polygamous relationships are often quietly tolerated, the paper reports. For example, if a man dies, his inheritance may be distributed between his two wives.

But Mr Maas wants to stop authorities turning a blind eye.

"Everybody must abide by the law, no matter whether he has grown up here or has only just arrived," he told the tabloid.

This also applies to forced and underage marriages.

"We cannot tolerate forced marriages, above all, if they affect under-age girls," Mr Maas said.

Heiko Maas wants to stop the ambiguity that allows local authorities to tolerate polygamous and underage marriages

Bild reports that the federal state of Bavaria alone has registered 550 cases of brides aged under 18, and 161 under 16, among the asylum seekers that have arrived in the recent migrant wave.

In most of these cases, the young girls were already married before their arrival in Germany.

Syrian "child brides" and international law

• "Alarming increase" in number of child marriages within Syrian refugee communities in Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon, says Save the Children

• It is argued that marriage protects the girls from sexual assault and other hardship

• It is also seen as safeguarding family honour

• It reduces economic burden on refugee families

• But child marriage threatens a girl's physical and mental health

• It is outlawed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

• The right to free and full consent from both parties is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (article 16)

There is no clear law in Germany regarding what to do with underage marriages conducted in Muslim countries, and courts make judgements on a case-by-case basis.

A court in the city of Bamberg recently decided that the marriage of a 15-year-old girl to a 21-year-old man, conducted under Syrian jurisdiction, could be regarded as legal in Germany.

In Germany the minimum age for marriage is 18, but it is possible for a young person aged 16 or 17 to marry, if a family court gives consent, and the other party to the marriage is at least 18.