Stuttgart, Germany - A German state, Baden-Wuerttemberg, said Friday it will tighten its rules on Muslims seeking German citizenship because it doubts whether some are sincere in their oath to democracy.
Government officials are to question Muslims more closely than other applicants from January 1 under the new policy.
The state interior ministry in Stuttgart said it could not be assumed that a Muslim's declaration of support for democracy always reflected their private attitude, so a departmental handbook would require a more thorough check on the applicant's allegiance.
Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only one of Germany's 16 states to institute a special test for Muslims seeking naturalization.
The new handbook contains 30 questions asking an applicant's views on equality between men and women, the September 11, 2001 plane-hijack attacks on New York and Washington, religious freedom and whether violent revenge is acceptable behaviour.
The questions will be posed to applicants from the 57 nations in the Islamic Conference Organization (ICO).
Interior Minister Heribert Rech said the questions were not discriminatory. He said Germany had the right to check whether people's declarations that they accept democracy are sincere.