At Zuckmayer School in the Neukölln district, Easter and other Christian holidays are not celebrated, but for some reason, they decided to celebrate Ramadan. The school administration made this event mandatory, even for non-Muslims, despite the requirement for religious neutrality that public schools must adhere to.
The Neukölln district of Berlin is predominantly populated by Turks and Arabs.
Children and parents of seventh graders received an invitation to the celebration on the evening of March 28. At the end of the invitation, it said: “This meeting is mandatory because classes have been canceled for it.” BILD’s attention was drawn to this case by an outraged parent:
“Christmas is not celebrated at school, nor is Easter. There are no mandatory events dedicated to Christian holidays in Germany. But our children are required to attend Ramadan, where do we live?”
The father of the student did not want to reveal his name or nationality out of concern for his son.
After BILD reached out to the city authorities, the school canceled the mandatory Ramadan celebration. A representative of the education department told BILD:
“The requirement for neutrality applies to public schools in Berlin. Participation in religious events is not mandatory for students. After consulting with the regional school inspectorate and the school, we clarified that participation in the event is entirely voluntary and that no lessons will be canceled.”
The school itself did not respond to BILD’s questions, including inquiries about which Christian holidays are celebrated there and whether similar ritual obligations for children existed in the past.
