Germany’s third largest party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) is taking aim at Muslim practices, several of which are shared with Jews.
The party is calling for a ban on circumcision and halal slaughter, similar in many ways to kosher slaughter.
The move comes as citizens go to the polls for regional elections on Sunday, ahead of a vote on a proposed national AfD manifesto April 30 at a party congress in Stuttgart.
The nationalist “Alternataive fur Deutschland” party, known as an anti-immigration, anti-Muslim and anti-migrant party, is already on course to overtake the Social Democrats in second place in the elections in Rhineland-Palatinate. The party also made a strong showing in Baden-Württemberg and Saxony-Anhalt last week as well.
AfD already holds seats in five of 16 German regional assemblies, though it is not part of any regional government, Politico reported on Friday.
The party seeks a ban on minarets and the muezzin Islamic call to prayer five times a day, along with legislation against halal slaughter and male circumcision.
The party claims the minaret is a “symbol of Islamic rule,” according to a report in Bild. Islamic policies “contradict a tolerant coexistence of religions” according to the party, which claims that only Christian churches that value at present.
The party states halal practices are contrary to the German Animal Protection Act and would be considered cruel if halal were not considered a faith-based ritual.
AfD states that circumcision is contrary to human dignity and disregards the fundamental rights to physical integrity and self-determination of the affected male children, according to the report.
Never mind all the research studies that prove the health benefits of circumcision – why would those be relevant?
