Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière Calls for Improving Muslim Participation in German Society (May 17, 2010)

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The Islam Conference is a platform for dialogue:

– It is a forum in which the state and Muslims converse with each other.

– As such, it is not able to make universally binding decisions.

– It can, however, support the integration process through the exchange of experiences, conceptual clarifications, and recommendations.

But the implementation of findings and recommendations by the Islam Conference itself is possible only in the most limited instances.

Responsibility for the success of the Islam Conference lies in the hands of the constituent members of the Islam Conference: federal ministries, conferences of special state ministers, municipalities, Muslim associations, and individuals, but also in the hands of other actors, especially civil society as a whole.

It is my goal that the results of our deliberations find broad reception and provide the impetus for numerous projects, measures, and initiatives.

Only then will the Islam Conference have a significant practical impact. We are (at least according to the calendar) in the middle of spring. Therefore, I see the Islam Conference, to speak somewhat metaphorically, as a tree split into many branches upon each of which numerous buds are sprouting.

Before I open the discussion, allow me a few general remarks as well as some suggestions on how to proceed concretely.

The working program was drawn up jointly in the preparatory committee. The result is a balanced working program, in which broad consideration is given to various suggestions – but also to concerns on the side of Muslims and the state alike. Drafting a working program as part of a joint process was a new experience. If I look at the result today, I believe that the work was worth it:

In the working program, we explore central questions concerning the coexistence of the majority society and Muslims in Germany. The program outlines the fundamental goal, together with the first thematic focal points from which concrete working projects can be derived. I would like to use today’s discussion to examine those projects that can be concretely derived from these themes and those with which we can begin our work.