Excerpt:
When event salon owner Mehmet Dogan held an Islamic circumcision celebration at his Cologne venue in 2015, he never imagined music and dancing may send him to Germany’s top court and spark further debate about religion in Germany.
It was Good Friday, a somber and reflective Christian holy day remembering Jesus’ crucifixion, when municipal authorities fined him some €280 ($345) for holding festivities celebrating what, according to Turkish and Islamic traditions, is a boy’s first step into manhood.
Good Friday is a so-called “silent holiday” protected under Germany’s Basic Law. It means that a “Tanzverbot” (dancing ban) has to be observed, but regulations differ across Germany’s 16 states according to regional laws.
In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), from 6 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Saturday “all nonpublic, entertaining events outside of apartments” are prohibited.