Western Resistance

« MI5 - UK Homeland Intelligence And The Islamist Threat | | Netherlands: Politician Calls For Closure of Islamic Schools »

May 1, 2007

Germany: United Muslims Demand More Privileges

On April 11 this year, Der Spiegel and DPA/Expatica reported that four of the largest Muslim bodies in Germany had amalgamated to form an umbrella group. This new coalition is called the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM).

It comprises the Turkish-Islamic Union for Relgious Affairs (DITIB), the Islamic Council (IR), the Central Council of Muslims (ZMD) and the Association of Islamic Culture Centers (VIKZ). By amalgamating, the member groups hope that they can have more influence on policies in Germany. The four groups will still exist outside of the KRM, stated Rafet Ozturk of DITIB. Ayyub Axel Koehler, president of the IR said: "As far as I am concerned, this is a dream come true."

The spokesman for DITIB, one of the component groups, announced then in Cologne that KRM will open offices in every German state. He invited individual mosques and Muslim associations to join KRM.

This pressure group was not supported by secular Muslims. One politician, Lale Akgun, a member of parliament and the Social Democratic Party's liaison person with Islam, said: "I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if these four organizations were granted the power to define what Islam is in Germany. They jointly represent a very conservative Islam. There is no room among them for liberal views."

The Turkish Islamist group Milli Gorus is regarded by German authorities as "subversive". It has been behind individual mosques such as Mevlana Mosque in Kreuzberg, a suburb of Berlin. The imam of this mosque, Yakub Tasci (Yakup Tasci) was ordered to be deported last year, after he had made pro-Iraq insurgent speeches and praised Jerusalem suicide bombers. He also said in a sermon: "Those Germans, those atheists, they don't shave their armpits. Their sweat spreads evil smells, they stink. They are atheists, what good do they do to us? And since they are unbelievers, in the afterlife they can only burn in hell."

Despite the fact that Milli Gorus is regarded by German Intelligence agency Verfassungsschutz as a "foreign extremist organization", it belongs to the group in an indirect way. It is a participant member in the Islamic Council (IR), one of the four component groups of KRM.

According to Germany's Interior Ministry, only 15% of the country's 3.2 million Muslims (most of whom are migrants from Turkey) belong to any Islamic groups. This further highlights the fake claim of KRM's supporters that it can in any way represent the views of all German Muslims.

Tomorrow, on May 2, there will be the second full meeting of the German Islam Conference, hosted by German's Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. This conference, whose aims are to facilitate integration, is a three year project, with meetings held every six months.

Today, Reuters reports via Gulf Times that on Monday (yesterday) a row has broken out between the KRM and the government. Wolfgang Schaeuble has been criticized by Aiman Mazyek, who is general secretary of the Central Council of Muslims (ZMD), one of KRM's four component groups.

Mayzek told Westdeutsche Zeitung that Schaeuble "has relativised the Co-ordination Council of Muslims and talked it down. I notice a lack of seriousness in this debate, I see a lack of good will."

The Integration Commissioner, Maria Boehmer has told Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung: "The KRM represents some 10% of Muslims. It can’t claim to represent the interests of all Muslims." She condemned the KRM's first demand - to have boys and girls separated at sports lessons in schools. She said: "This is anything but an auspicious start".

In Germany, churches are partly funded by taxes. The goal of having Islam treated on the same footing as Christianity - including state subsidy - is one of the main goals of many Muslims, including the leadership of KRM. Christians, however, represent a far higher proportion of Germany's demographic than Muslims. In East Germany, there are few Muslims, even though Germany claims to have the second-highest proportion of Muslims than any other EU country. France has the highest percentage, estimated at between 6-10%. Because France's constitution forbids taking ethnic surveys, the exact figure is unknown.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at May 1, 2007 7:47 PM

Comments

Posted by: Berserker at May 2, 2007 12:18 PM

Post a comment