By ERIK KIRSHBAUM - REUTERS
Added: Sun, 26 Apr 2009 23:00:00 UTC

Thanks to Lutz for the link.
A post on this was made on April 24 prior to the vote here

Reposted from
http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE53P2D620090426

BERLIN (Reuters) - A proposal to give religion lessons the same status as ethics classes in Berlin schools was defeated in a referendum on Sunday, having sparked a debate across Germany on tolerance and the integration of Muslims.

Secular ethics has been a compulsory topic in Berlin since 2006 after the "honor killing" of a Turkish woman who was murdered by her brother because of her western lifestyle. Religion, compulsory in most other German states, is only optional in the capital.

Advocates wanted to change the rules so that pupils could choose between ethics and religion -- with Muslims, Catholics and Protestants taught separately.

But only about 14.1 percent of total eligible voters in Berlin cast their ballots in favor of the 'Pro Reli' proposal, election officials said.

That fell far short of the 25 percent "yes" votes needed -- or a total of 611,422 -- among 2.45 million eligible voters. Official data showed 51.5 percent opposed the proposal and 48.4 percent backed it. Voter turnout was 29 percent.
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TAGGED: EDUCATION, LAW, RELIGION