Right-wing German Party Adopts Anti-islam Policy

STUTTGART, Germany — The right-wing Alternative for Germany party declared that “Islam does not belong in Germany” as it passed its new party manifesto Sunday. “An orthodox Islam that does not respect our constitution or even contradicts it is incompatible with our legal system and culture,” the manifesto read. About 2,000 AfD members gathered in the southwestern city of Stuttgart to adopt the manifesto, which was discussed during the two-day party congress that opened Saturday during protests from leftist demonstrators who clashed with police. The party manifesto included a ban on financing the construction and operation of mosques from abroad, the rejection of minarets and muezzin calls as Islamic symbols of power, and a ban on head scarves for girls and women in schools. AfD members omitted a proposal from Saturday that categorically rejected immigration, “in particular from foreign cultures.” The updated version of the program says: “We welcome immigrants who are qualified for the labor market and who are willing to integrate into society.” Several controversial resolutions remain in the text, including a call to facilitate the deportation of foreigners with a criminal record. The AfD also added a passage to its draft manifesto calling to ban the slaughtering of animals according to Muslim and Jewish dietary laws. The AfD, founded in February 2013, is known for its anti-immigration stance and has attracted strong support from those who criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door policy for migrants fleeing Syria. About 1.1 million refugees and migrants entered Germany in 2015, most of which came from Syria.