Deutschland
'Pro Deutschland' Protests Against Muslim Salafists in Berlin: Sunni Islam, Sharia Law Incite
The latest in a series of anti-Muslim protests staged by the nationalist party Pro Deutschland have taken place outside several mosques in the German capital of Berlin. Shouting and brandishing placards with the slogan “Hasta la vista Salafista”, around 50 members of the far-right group gathered in areas thought to be the main meeting points of the radical Salafist movement, Millatu Ibrahim Salafist, which has been banned in Germany since June of this year. Pro NRW members also brandished a caricature of the prophet Mohammed whose original appearance in Denmark sparked violent reactions across the Arab World. In Islam it is considered blasphemy to try to depict the prophet, but a Danish court ruled that suppressing the images constituted a violation of artistic freedom. Manfred Rouhs, head of Pro Deutschland “We are not trying to ridicule, we will bring forward arguments. But we are facing a situation, where we have to start the debate, which wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t come up with a series of demonstrations in west Germany in April and May. The political institutions only react when there is some attention.” The radical Islamic organisation has been accused of plotting against the state, with German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich calling them a threat to constitutional order as they allegedly reject national legislation in favour of Sharia law. There are around 4000 Salafists in Germany who espouse an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam. Police were …
Holocaust Memorial - GNYB - Week 22
The official name of the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin is "Denkmal für die Ermordeten Juden Europas" (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe). It was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold and officially inaugurated on May 10, 2005 - sixty years after the end of World War 2. There are as many concrete slabs on the field as there are pages in the Talmud. In the underground museum there is a list of all known Jewish Holocaust victims. When talking to my German friends about the memorial, I realized there really isn't a German word for Holocaust besides the word itself, which I've never heard anyone say here. But that doesn't mean people aren't aware of the murder of the Jews, Romani, homosexuals and dissidents. The shame and guilt are still felt in the generations born long after the war and have a lasting effect on the national identity of Germans. I won't deny that I've seen signs of Neo-Nazis and racism in Germany today - but then I don't know which country doesn't have those kinds of people.The memorial is supposedly controversial but I personally have found every visit to be a very moving and fitting experience. Admittedly it was a little more intense to experience this with my Brooklyn friend Erica, whose mother (and therefor her) is Jewish. *There are so many associations as you see the large field of grey stones. Then you walk in and you get lost, dioriented - the sky and the outside world seem to move further away - you don't know what is around the next corner, who may run into you - you hear voices, children laughing, their innocence today and back then, when the parents were terrified - the though of all the voices lost.When putting together the video, I tried to capture some of the atmosphere through mixing music with other sounds. It was a little disappointing not to use footage I filmed last year of the memorial when there was a light rain making it look like tears were running down the gray concrete. But the footage was of such different quality and in the end I can't include everything anyway - I don't have any impressive aerial footage or shots at night when the memorial is lit up.