Germany's biggest newspaper slams Islam; Muslims and Liberals offended

(Berlin) Germany's biggest-selling newspaper has faced calls to apologise for an editorial comment piece criticising Islam which has sparked debate and controversy in the country.

Nicolaus Fest, the vice editor in chief of the newspaper Bild am Sonntag was criticised after accusing Islam of a 'murderous contempt for women and homosexuals' in a comment piece yesterday.

Fest described the religion as 'a barrier to integration', saying:

'I don't believe in God, but at the same time Christianity, Judaism or Buddhism don't bother me. Only Islam bothers me more and more.'

"I'm bothered by the considerably disproportionate criminality of youths from Muslim backgrounds," I'm bothered by Islam's murderous contempt for women and homosexuals. I'm bothered by forced marriages, 'justices of the peace,' 'honour killings. I don't need any imported racism and I don't need anything else Islam stands for,"

All this, wrote Fest, was making Islam "a barrier to integration" - something which should be weighed up when assessing claims for asylum and visa applications to Germany.