GERMANY WAKES UP TO IT OWN PROBLEMS WITH FUNDEMENTALIST ISLAM. There is an excellent and lengthy article in Der Speigel charting the growth of a seperate society of fundemental islamists in Germany's midst.

Surveys in the country have charted a significant a significant increase in fundamentalist attitudes, particularly among younger Muslims. The experiences of Ekin Deligöz, a member of the German parliament representing the Green Party, underscore the potential dangers. Having called on Muslim women to remove their headscarves, Deligöz faced death threats and now receives police protection.

Disturbing as this trend may be, it cannot be pinned exclusively on Muslim groups. Under the guise of religious tolerance, German society stood blithely by as some parts of its Muslim communities began turning into parallel societies. For years, the country's courts have been excusing Muslim girls from coed swimming lessons and class outings - citing the most absurd reasons for their rulings.

Read the whole article.