Overview
- Turkey’s Education Ministry told all schools and preschools to hold “voluntary” Ramadan activities, prompting a boycott call and legal steps from the Eğitim-İş union and criticism from the CHP over constitutional secularism.
- President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defends a greater religious presence in education—after years of expanding İmam‑Hatip schools, hiring imams as counselors and adding religious content—despite surveys showing declining practice among younger Turks.
- In Germany, Edeka’s February 18 Facebook greeting (“Ramadan Mubarak”) drew sharply split comments, and the retailer replied that it stands for diversity and welcomes everyone.
- German retailers are stocking more Ramadan-themed decorations and calendars, a trend many see as recognition of Muslim consumers but others criticize as commercialization of a month of restraint.
- Austrian schools, particularly in Vienna, report more pupils fasting despite exemptions for those under 14, citing tiredness, concentration issues and a reported collapse during a gym class last year.