As Christians begin the traditional season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, Frankfurt once again has chosen to prioritize the installation of massive Ramadan decorations in the city center.
This controversial practice first began in 2024, when Frankfurt became the first German city to install such lighting. For the third time, crescents, stars, and Fanoos lanterns alongside “Happy Ramadan” signs hang in the center, thanks to a resolution from the Greens, SPD, FDP, and Volt.
The project carries a significant price tag for taxpayers, with €75,000 spent on bulbs and a total budget reaching €100,000. Green Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg defended the move, stating the lighting makes Muslim life a “self-evident part” of Frankfurt.
However, this state-sponsored promotion of Islam has moved beyond public squares and into the classrooms, with alarming incidents also surfacing in 2024. In the Frankfurt metropolitan area, reports emerged of primary school teachers unilaterally imposing Islamic practices on pre-teen students. During the holy month of Ramadan that year, a pair of teachers reportedly prohibited fifth-grade students from drinking water in class out of consideration for a few fasting Muslim pupils.
