Overview
- Under the agreement, Muslim civil servants, public employees and pupils may be excused on the first day of Ramadan and the first day of Eid al-Adha.
- The state says the deal does not create public holidays or bonus vacation and simply gives legal certainty to a practice already in place.
- The contract was signed with the regional Landesverband der Islamischen Kulturzentren Norddeutschland, also known as VIKZ.
- The agreement affirms the association’s right to operate educational and cultural institutions and to train imams under existing state frameworks.
- FDP state leader Christopher Vogt criticized school absences and questioned the imam-training provision, while scholar Susanne Schröter noted Muslims already have time off on Christian public holidays.