Islam and the state: how this is practiced in France and Germany

Franck Frégosi, Jan Bergmann: Islam and the state: how this is practiced in France and Germany

Since 1905, the relationship between state and religion in France has been governed by the political principle of secularism. This ensures not only a neutral handling of the various religions, freedom of conscience and equality; but also a strict separation of state and religion. For example, religious communities are not subsidized by the state and religious symbols are banned from public spaces. But this is not the case in Germany, where an open-minded approach and a neutral secularism have been adopted that allow the state to cooperate with religious communities in various ways, thus affording them a more public arena. These two approaches have in common that they were developed as a response to Christianity. But how are these principles put into practice in Germany and France in response to Islam? Franck Frégosi researches how religious leaders are trained and the status of Islam in France. His research focuses on the connections between Islam and secularism. Jan Bergmann is a legal scientist at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Economics and Law. His work often involves situations that are influenced by religion.

Project management and moderation: Judith Yacar, Institute of Linguistics/Romance studies.
Translated discussion in German and French

A cooperation between the University of Stuttgart’s IZKT and the Institut français Stuttgart.
In collaboration with Hospitalhof Stuttgart.

This project is sponsored by the Robert Bosch Foundation, with funds from the DVA Foundation.

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