Excerpt:
A critical stance against Islam and Germany's Muslim population, it would seem, is an easy way to score political points in the country these days. Indeed, just this weekend, Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer demanded a halt to Muslim immigration to Germany. While opposition politicians have blasted Seehofer, the demand likely won't do him any political harm. According to a recent survey conducted for the mass-circulation tabloid Bild, fully 66 percent of Germans believe that Islam does not belong in Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has likewise sought to cash in on her country's skepticism when it comes to Islam, albeit much less controversially. In a recent speech to a gathering of Christian Democrats in Wiesbaden, Merkel made a plea for more moderation in the country's ongoing debate over integration. But she also insisted that in Germany "it is the constitution that applies, not Shariah law!"
But as it turns out, she is not completely right. Some elements of Islamic law have been applied in Germany for years.