.png)
People walk past a billboard urging Berliners to vote yes in referendum on whether to introduce a compulsory choice between religion and ethics classes in Berlin schools. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
BERLIN—A referendum on religion lessons in schools has triggered a fierce debate about how to boost religious tolerance and improve the integration of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who live in the German capital. Sunday's vote may lead to a change in the law in the city state of Berlin that would allow pupils to choose between faith-based religion lessons and a compulsory ethics course which aims to equip young people with a broader set of values.
The "Pro Reli" campaign wants to change rules, introduced in 2006 out of worry about a lack of Muslim integration, which made Berlin one of Germany's only states to have compulsory ethics lessons and optional religious courses.
The referendum has aroused strong feelings in Berlin, where vandalised placards line the streets and charges of misleading posters have given the campaign a sour tone. It has also provoked a basic debate about fostering tolerance and respect.
The Pro Reli campaign, backed by Christian groups as well as some Muslim groups—who have long pushed for Islamic lessons—says a deep knowledge of their own faith gives pupils a strong moral compass which fosters tolerance.
"The tradition of religion lessons in schools in Germany … has among other things led to religious people being less fundamentalist than in some other countries," Pro Reli head Christoph Lehmann told Reuters.
Since World War Two, when the authorities tried to use churches to strengthen values in a people shaken by the horrors of war and the Holocaust, most western German states have had religious education on the school curriculum.
While Germany has roughly equal numbers of Catholics and Protestants, Berlin has a long secular tradition. It is also home to Germany's biggest Muslim, mainly Turkish, community of about 220,000 people.
Hoping to get Islamic lessons taught, several Muslim groups argue a change in the law could help against radicalisation.
"It's important that schools have enlightened Islamic lessons—and that we avoid unofficial Koran lessons in backyards," said Ender Cetin of the Ditib Turkish-Islamic Union.
Ethics campaigners, however, argue that having faith-based religion lessons risks opening up social divisions and setting a predominantly Christian agenda.
"This is a referendum, not a new crusade," said Petra Pau, a Left party lawmaker, who has accused Catholics in the Pro Reli camp of going on a war path.
If a quarter of eligible voters in Berlin back the motion, the law can be changed. Polls show opinion is evenly divided, but turnout will be a crucial factor.
