Penzberg Becomes First German Municipality to Include Mosque Times on Official Signs

The town of Penzberg in southern Germany has become the first municipality in the country to include Islamic prayer times on official town entrance signage. The new signs display the schedules for the local mosque alongside those of the Catholic and Protestant Lutheran parishes. The decision followed a collaborative meeting between the mayor and local religious leaders, who agreed to update the town's aging religious information markers.

Imam Benjamin Idriz of the local Islamic community welcomed the initiative as a gesture of equal treatment and religious freedom, noting its importance in countering social polarization. However, the move has faced opposition; the mosque sign was vandalized with black spray paint shortly after installation. Following subsequent incidents of hostility, approximately 450 residents formed a human chain around the mosque to demonstrate against anti-Muslim sentiment. Local officials, including Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann, have publicly condemned the vandalism and called for continued religious tolerance within the community.