Social cohesion embraces everyone, and Muslims want to be included

Anyone who has experienced Ramadan knows it is not only a time of spirituality, but also one characterized by hospitality and social gatherings. During this period, with its abundance of private and public activities, work and family responsibilities, Muslims seem to have 48-hour days. Yet, many people in Germany are simply unaware of these rich traditions happening around them, and Islam and Muslims still do not seem to have arrived in our midst. In fact, they experience a great deal of rejection. That can’t be in the interest of those who are committed to greater social cohesion and are against polarization.

The Robert Bosch Foundation's Diversity Barometer 2025, which measures the population's acceptance of seven dimensions of diversity, shows that the German population as a whole largely rejects religion. Religion has an acceptance rating of 34 on a scale of 0 to 100. This makes religion the least accepted dimension of diversity of all those surveyed. By comparison, the acceptance of disability (82) or gender (74) is very high, while “socioeconomic weakness” (52) is at the lower end of the scale. Nevertheless, poverty is still far more accepted than religion – and this is closely linked to Islam. The majority of people reject devout Muslims as neighbors, let alone as family members. Devout Christians and practicing Jews, on the other hand, are largely accepted in their neighborhoods and families.

A special analysis of the Diversity Barometer adds a positive facet to this negative image, and also a solution: 70% of the Muslims surveyed believe that faith-based communities make important contributions to our society.
 

This motivation has encouraged people, for example, to take part in the blood drive and neighborhood clean-up sponsored by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on New Year's Day, to help out with caregiving and environmental projects organized by the Muslim Women's Social Service, contribute to political education initiatives in schools offered the Muslim youth organization JUMA, or attend a discussion series on feminism in a packed lecture hall organized by Muslim university groups. Muslims contribute to our society not despite their faith, but precisely because of it.

This presents an opportunity. Are we serious about wanting greater cohesion so that we can grow and prevail in the face of social, political, and economic challenges? If so, we must fight the exclusion of members of our society that reinforces divisions. We must see ourselves as a communal society with the strength to include everyone. For many years, Muslims have shown through their commitment that this is exactly what they want.

The best place to promote Muslim engagement in our democratic community is at the local level. Nowhere else can local leaders and Muslim organizations meet so directly to address common issues such as youth employment, mosque construction, or the establishment of burial grounds, and build trust in the process. 

Because this can also be complicated and requires time and knowledge, we at the Robert Bosch Stiftung have developed a neutral Islamic advisory service, which has now been expanded to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The model shows that people who know and trust each other not only work well together but can also tackle critical issues. And there are plenty of those on all sides when it comes to Islam, such as anti-Muslim racism or the debate on gender relations and role models. This works better on a personal level than at a podium or on social media – and what better occasion to take the first steps toward getting to know each other personally and building trust than Ramadan? Let’s make a start – Ramadan Kareem!