Merkel’s coalition divided as German region looks to ban ‘perverse’ headscarves for girls
ANGELA Merkel’s already strained coalition government is facing a fresh dilemma with the proposed headscarf ban for young girls. German Chancellor Angela Merkel - already embattled by warring factions in her coalition government, formed in February this year - will not welcome a call from her own political party.
Angela Merkel's coalition faces a proposed headscarf ban for young girls
The proposal is gaining momentum in the North-Rhine Westphalia region, Germany's most populous area, as local government calls for a complete ban on all religious headwear.
The integration of Germany’s 4 million Muslims has been an issue of contention for the EU powerhouse.
Serap Guler, Integration Minister in the regional North Rhine government said: “More and more primary school teachers are reporting that girls as young as seven are coming to class with headscarves.
“Putting a headscarf on a child is perverse. It’s sexualising the child.”
Serap Guler, Integration Minister for the North-Rhine Westphalia government
Putting a headscarf on a child is perverse. It’s sexualising the child
Mrs Guler, whose Turkish-born mother wears a headscarf, said she was free to cover her head as she “made that choice as an adult woman”.
And Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, a member of the Bavarian CSU conservative party, and Farm Minister Julia Kloeckne from Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), said they now backed a headscarf ban for schoolgirls.
Meanwhile, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) - which forms the junior part of Ms Merkel’s recent coalition government - opposes a general ban on headscarves.
And SPD Integration Minster Annette Widmann-Mauz warned a ban could be counter-productive to integration in the country.
She said: “I completely understand where she is coming from.
“But a ban does not solve the underlying problem behind it. We have to reach out to parents and make sure girls are empowered to make their own choices.
“At the same time, women who voluntarily choose to wear a headscarf should not be disadvantaged."
The latest racial debate in the country comes after neighbouring Austria announced it would implement a widespread ban of headscarves in primary schools and kindergartens.
Earlier this month, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the country was considering a headscarf ban in primary schools and kindergartens on April 4.
He said the proposed bill would “confront parallel societies” and combat what the Freedom Party (FPO) sees as a threat to Austrian mainstream culture.
Muslim Women's Network: Children shouldn't wear hijabs
Angela Merkel welcomed more than one million refugees into Germany as part of her widely-criticised open door refugee policy.
In 2015, the EU saw a spike in the number of people applying for asylum as hundreds of thousands of people arrived after fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa.
The policy saw Mrs Merkel’s popularity fall, leading to a disastrous election result in September last year.
In response, Mrs Merkel vowed to get tougher on migrants and encourage integration.