New law to FORCE migrants to respect local culture passed in Bavaria to take on Sharia law
ANGELA Merkel’s opposing party has passed a law which requires all migrants to respect the “dominant” local culture.
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The socially conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) party in Germany's Bavaria said an integration law was necessary for the town to cope with the influx of asylum-seekers under the Chancellor’s “open-door” refugee policy.
Emilia Müller, the Bavarian social security minister, told MPs voting on whether to pass the law, insisted it is necessary to protect the Bavarian culture.
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There is no uniform culture, there cannot be in a free society
She said: “It prevents the emergence of parallel societies governed by Sharia, religious codes or tribal customs, instead of our laws and values."
Although opposition MPs largely agreed with clauses within the law which set out plans to supply schools with extra funding and grant German language classes for immigrants, attempts were made to block it.
Ministers from the Social Democratic Party argued the law made no attempt to define the Bavarian “dominant culture” beyond a statement which read,“all of Bavaria is shaped by homegrown customs, traditions and practices”.
They went on to say the bill made no attempt to make it clear if immigrants were required to treat beer festivals with the same respect as the equality of men and women.
Emilia Müller, the Bavarian social security minister welcomed the law
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Markus Rinderspacher, leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party said: “We do not need a guiding culture in this integration law because all this is already covered in the Bavarian constitution.”
Lisa Schnell, a correspondent for the German newspaper added: “It is not surprising the CSU has been unable to define the ‘dominant culture’ convincingly.
"For there is no uniform culture, there cannot be in a free society.
“A punk lives in a different culture from a refugee, someone on unemployment benefit in a different culture from a university professor.”
Despite criticism, the new law was passed by 95 votes to 47 after a 16-hour debate, but will only apply in Bavaria and not the country's 15 other states.