DEUTSCHE WELLE: For the first time in Germany, a Muslim community has been granted 'corporation under public law' status. Abdullah Uwe Wagishauser, its chairman, tells DW that this includes rights as well as responsibilities.
The Culture Ministry in the state of Hesse has granted Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (AMJ) in Frankfurt, a Muslim religious community, the status of 'corporation under public law' - a first in Germany.
Legally, the new status puts it on par with the major Christian churches and the Jewish community in Germany. Public corporation status gives the communities certain rights, including the right to pass laws for their organization and raise taxes from members.
Abdullah Uwe Wagishauser has served as AMJ chairman since 1984. Active in Germany since the 1950s, the AMJ, with its 39 mosques and more than 35,000 members in about 225 communities, is regarded as a moderate Muslim reformist movement. » | DW.DE | Interview: Klaus Krämer / db | Editor: Michael Lawton | Tuesday, June 18, 2013
