The German city of Nuremberg has been forced to cancel their annual children’s carnival parade set for Shrove Monday, the Monday before Ash Wednesday which is the start of the Christian Lenten season. The reason for the cancelation is that “suspected terrorists have named potential targets online,” and those targets include Nuremberg, Bild reported.
Nuremberg has not canceled Ramadan celebrations. In that city, “the ‘Brücke-Köprü’ cultural exchange project will be hosting a special interfaith dinner at the Christuskirche on Siemensplatz. People of all religions and backgrounds are welcome to enjoy a delicious meal together in celebration of both Ramadan and Lent,” The Local reported. Muslims make up about 6.5 percent of the German population. There do not appear to have been any threats against Ramadan celebrations.
German EU parliamentarian Christine Anderson said that “In Nuremberg, the children’s carnival has been canceled due to attack threats from #Islamists online. Illegal #migration not only costs countless lives but is also destroying the culture in #Germany and the #EU.”
The Muslim season of Ramadan falls at the same time as Lent this year and big public celebrations to celebrate Islam have not been canceled across Germany. In March, the central Mosque in Cologne will host “a series of ‘Ramadan Rendevouz’ talks on spiritual and social topics.” A Muslim dating app “is hosting a series of iftar gatherings at Berlin Zionskirche, where both Muslims and non-Muslims can get together to enjoy a hearty end-of-day meal as well as oriental music and light-hearted quizzes.” And in the Moabi neighborhood in Berlin, a three-day street festival for families has not been canceled.
Germany has seen multiple attacks recently carried out by Islamic extremists and asylum seekers. An Afghan asylum seeker rammed his car into a crowd in Munich just a few weeks ago and injured 28 people, including children. A mother and her toddler died from their injuries. Knife attacks by Islamists have also become a common occurrence.
“We are showing that Muslim life is a natural part of our city,” said Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg of Frankfurt. “Frankfurt stands for diversity and openness.” Frankfurt, “aiming to send a message of peace and togetherness,” is decorating their high street with half-moons, stars and lights to celebrate the Muslim season. This is the first time the city has engaged in this kind of celebration for Islam.
Participation in the Christian celebration had already been scaled back over safety concerns, with “Several institutions that normally take part in the parade had already cancelled their participation due to safety concerns. Helpers and parents had also expressed their fears – regardless of the police assessment.”
Instead of a parade, a “parade team from the youth welfare office delivers carnival packages to the registered facilities. Among other things, they contain doughnuts and children’s punch.” While there are “no indications of concrete dangers or new findings. It is assumed that the threats are aimed at creating uncertainty among the population. As before, there is currently an ‘increased abstract danger’ for large events.”
This Story originally came from humanevents.com