German Muslim organizations are uniting under one “umbrella group” to “combat racist practices” (who knew Islam was a race?) and make sure that German schools teach Islam without governmental supervision: German Muslims to Unite Under Umbrella Group. (Hat tip: NC.)

BERLIN, March 3, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) — Six major Muslim organizations in Germany have agreed to unite under one umbrella in an effort to combat racist practices against the Muslim minority in the country and ensure the teaching of Islam in schools.

During a meeting last weekend in Hamburg, the groups endorsed a document—the Hamburg Declaration—on the establishment of an Islamic body representing all German Muslims.

It stipulate the formation of working groups to outline recommendations on the establishment of the umbrella body within a year. The declaration also calls for reviewing the best means to enhance Muslim integration into German society.

There are some 3.4 million Muslims in Germany, including 220,000 in Berlin alone. Islam comes third after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.

Participants also pressed for teaching Islamic subjects in the German schools, reported Agence France Presse (AFP).

“It is vital to resolve this problem and ensure that Islam can be taught in German in schools,” said Nadeem Elyas, president of the central council of Muslims.

“If we don’t, the next generation of Muslims will grow up without values, and if they don’t get their religious education in schools they risk being influenced by bad interpretations of the Koran,” he warned.

Last week, Islamic groups won a legal verdict from the Leipzig court to supervise classes of religious education in the German schools. Such a court ruling would allow the Islamic institutions in the country to have a complete supervision on classes of Islamic subjects in schools without any government intervention.

There are 700,000 Muslim students in state schools, according to recent official estimates. Muslim institutions, however, put the number at 1,000,000.

I’d love to know what else is in that “Hamburg Declaration.” The only mention I could find is in the above story from Wahhabist propaganda organ Islam Online.