Officials in the city of Mainz withdrew the license of the only Muslim kindergarten amid allegations that the facility in the state Rhineland-Palatinate was promoting Salafism.
The president of the state’s youth office, Detlef Placzek, said the promotion of Salafist materials meant that the nursery no longer adhered to the German constitution.
Officials had a duty to intervene, Placzek said, when an operator was unwilling or unable “to create the conditions that ensure the well-being of children.”
Arab Nil-Rhein chairman Samy El Hagrasy rejected the accusations of extremism and said he would be appealing. “We accept and respect the constitution”, said El Hagrasy, adding that the decision was “incomprehensible and a mystery”.