German city of Ost near Dortmund cancelled a Ramadan festival which has been organized since 2012. The members of the organizing board called the city’s decision a blow on co-existence of religions in Germany. The move is considered worrisome after German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer’s remarks of Islam having no place in Germany.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims attend Festi Ramazan organization every year. As the start of the Ramadan is on May 16, the organization had already completed all the preparations months ago to make sure everything goes smoothly. However, the city of Ost cancelled the contract to rent the square where the festival is held citing a complaint letter signed by 90 people.
Festi Ramazan Organization board member Ergun Ozkara said the city’s decision was politically motivated and the organization applied to the Dortmund Greater Municipality to intervene the move. Ozkara also said thousands of petitions have been submitted to the municipality to reverse the decision and it was up to them now to chose between 90 people or hundreds of thousands.
Members of Turkish community and other Muslim NGOs said the recent developments in Germany has been heralding troubles for Muslims. German Interior Minister and the leader of the CSU, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister party, had said Islam has no place in Germany. Also, this week on Tuesday, Bavaria passed a law requiring crosses to be hung in all state buildings.
Diaspora Daily 