Integration

Islamic Affairs Consultant as Part of the Partnership with Muslims in Baden-Württemberg

The Islamic Consultant assists communities and Islamic organizations in order to strengthen their Islam-related skills and help Islamic figures become more involved.

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About the project

The project „Islamic Affairs Consultant as Part of the Partnership with Muslims in Baden-Württemberg” aims to strengthen knowledge of Islamic affairs in the communities of Baden-Württemberg and help Islamic figures become more involved in local communication and decision-making processes.

Around 5.5 million Muslims live in Germany. Many of them were born and grew up here. They shape our society and the way we live together. Islamic associations are increasingly emerging as civil society actors, making valuable contributions to community life with their diverse offerings. Nevertheless, there are often uncertainties and unanswered questions in the relationship between local authorities and Islamic organisations: How can an Islamic cemetery be established? What needs to be considered when building a mosque? How can local and Muslim actors improve their cooperation in helping refugees?

Municipalities and Islamic communities in two German states can turn to a neutral Islamic counselling service for questions like these. This has been available in Baden-Württemberg since 2015 and in Bavaria since 2019. The advice is deliberately aimed at both municipal employees and Muslim organisations, as questions arise on both sides. The counselling is neutral, i.e. independent of political or theological currents.

The aim is to strengthen Islam-related expertise in local authorities in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria and to support Islamic actors in their integration into local communication and decision-making processes. In this way, we want to contribute to more civil society engagement in our diverse society. Following the successful launch of the model in Baden-Württemberg, it has now been transferred to Bavaria. However, there is also a need in other federal states, and we are in ongoing discussions.

Islamic counselling in Bavaria

Are there any Muslims in your community who volunteer for the fire brigade? With this introductory question, the staff of the Eugen Biser Foundation gained an insight into the cooperation with Muslims in Bavarian municipalities and cities. This led to the creation of the needs assessment "Brückenbauer in Bayern". It is the basis for the model of municipal Islamic counselling services in Bavaria, which will start its work in 2019. And as for the question of the fire brigade: there should be quite a few, because about 650,000 Muslims live in the state of Bavaria - this means that Bavaria has the third largest Muslim population of all the German states.
The Bavarian Islam Advisory Service is based at the Eugen Biser Foundation in Munich. It is managed by a team of four independent experts: Simone Trägner has overall responsibility, supported by Stefan Zinsmeister, Kübra Kısa and Anna Petrova. Together they respond to enquiries from local authorities and Muslim organisations in Bavaria. Other institutions can also contact the Islamic Counselling Centre, as there are many questions: Is there an Islamic chaplain in the hospital? Is an imam always the right person to talk to in a mosque? Where can young Muslims apply for funding for their youth work? Advice is free of charge and can be given on the spot, by telephone or by e-mail, depending on the case.
The Eugen Biser Foundation is supported by its partners, the Erlangen Centre for Islam and Law in Europe (EZIRE) and the Robert Bosch Foundation. EZIRE is contributing its expertise to the project, providing a scientific basis for the advice. The Robert Bosch Foundation, as the third partner, is not only involved in the financing of the project, but also contributes to the content with its experience in providing advice on Islam in Baden-Württemberg.

to the website of Islamic counselling in Bavaria