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CAU draws conclusions: Islam Week causes excitement in Kiel!
The CAU Kiel is drawing conclusions after controversial events during Islam Week and is revising its guidelines for student groups.
CAU draws conclusions: Islam Week causes excitement in Kiel!
The Christian Albrechts University of Kiel (CAU) took a clear position in a carefully prepared statement on September 24, 2025, after controversial events surrounding the Islamic Week in May 2025 caused a stir. The university emphasizes its commitment to values such as science, open dialogue and respectful cooperation. In its document, the Presidium states that a safe space for free discussion must be guaranteed in order to reflect the fundamental values of the institution. To ensure this, some necessary consequences have been drawn.
Among the measures taken is the withdrawal of the recognition of the Islamic university group, which was announced during a meeting of the education committee in the state parliament. This decision was a direct response to incidents uncovered during Islamic Week 2025. A speaker with a Salafist background spoke at the event, and there were instructions for separate seating for men and women, along with the display of ultra-conservative Islamic literature. The student representatives of the CAU saw their values strongly affected by this, which ultimately led to the decision to revise the guidelines for student associations and the allocation of rooms in order to avoid abuse in the future and to ensure that the values of the university are preserved.
Transparency and responsibility
The CAU has also contacted the relevant authorities and reiterates its commitment to an open and democratic culture. The university management sees it as its responsibility to draw lessons from these experiences and to improve the university structures in dialogue with students and employees. The aim is for the CAU to remain a place where scientific curiosity, diversity and free debate are promoted.
The state parliament's education committee discussed the issue intensively on Thursday. The FDP parliamentary group's request to review the incidents was essential driving information for the current measures. The Islamic University Group's status as a university group had already been revoked in July 2025, and the CAU sees the need to create clearer procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
University as a space for discourse
In a broader context, academic freedom is considered a valuable asset in Germany, but it is not the same as freedom of expression. The Ruperto Carola Lecture Series at Heidelberg University addresses the challenges associated with maintaining democratic values at universities. The university is seen as a discursive space that should promote rigorous academic debates, which contradicts the events at the CAU, which by their nature question the principles of diversity and open dialogue.
The diversity of opinions and critical debate are essential for a functioning educational institution. While participants in academic debate often have to leave their “comfort zone” and accept new perspectives, the question remains as to how university discourse can be maintained even in turbulent times. In particular, it is important to maintain multiple perspectives while respecting the ethical principles of equality and diversity.
Overall, the situation at the CAU represents an urgent wake-up call for all universities to take seriously the role of science as a space for critical and controversial debates while defending the values that are considered the basis of a strong democracy. Universities should be places where socially relevant topics are discussed in order to ensure academic freedom and promote access to knowledge and participation in a dynamic civil society.