Salafism in Germany

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The Salafism in Germany is, according to estimates of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and some state authorities for protection of the constitution, which is currently most dynamic Islamist movement in Germany. It is a direction within political Islam that focuses on the violent aspects from the time the religion was founded. The constitutional protection authorities categorize Salafism as a dangerous and extremist ideology that tries to through intensive propaganda activities in the form of the Daʿwa(Call to Islam / proselytizing) to proselytize and Islamise German society according to its regulations .

Salafist organizations are under observation by constitutional protection authorities, according to which almost all known Islamist terrorist structures and people in Germany can be attributed to Salafist movements.

Salafist meeting 2011 in Koblenz , with the well-known converts Pierre Vogel and Bilal Philips as speakers.

Origins and definition

Neo-fundamentalist Salafism can be clearly distinguished from the historical beginnings of Salafism as a modernist school at the turn of the century and an anti-colonial movement. After the disappointment in the Arab world over the nationalist and socialist political results, especially the defeat in the 1967 Six-Day War against Israel, and after the rise of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, religious currents in the Muslim states experienced an enormous boost. A new Salafiyya movement also formed.

However, this current Salafiyya movement has strayed far from the modern school. For the setting of the new formation, Olivier Roy uses the more precisely defined term neo-fundamentalism , which includes very heterogeneous groups. It is divided into two parts: a conservative wing and a jihadist wing.

  • The first goes back to the premodern Salafiyya of Wahhabi character and accordingly has its spiritual center in Saudi Arabia today .
  • Jihadist Salafism is militant.

Today, Wahhabism and Salafiyya are sometimes used interchangeably. The Wahhabis are part of the premodern Salafiyya and also belong to the contemporary Salafiyya; they were initially very different from modernist Salafiyya. Those Wahhabis who would like to avoid referring to Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab in their self-designation also refer to themselves as Salafis and claim to practice the “original” Islam, since they also use the “Salaf” (the “ancestors “) Serve as authorities.

While the modernist Salafiyya wanted / wants to give the Muslims a pioneering role in civilization by returning to original values, Islamist neo-fundamentalism wants to turn back the religious clock and regards today's world as a whole as hostile. In this respect it is diametrically opposed to the Salafiyya at the turn of the century. It is considered to be the fastest growing radical current in Islam. It is a de-territorialized movement that wants to practice the “true” religion, detached from any cultural “pollution”.

Situation in Germany

According to the 2012 report on the Protection of the Constitution, the number of Salafists in Germany rose from 3800 (2011) to 4500 in 2012. Benno Köpfer, Islam expert at the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Baden-Württemberg , reported three to five thousand Salafists in Germany in 2010, while the Islamic scholar Guido Steinberg said there were four to five thousand supporters in 2011.

According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, there were around 6,300 Salafists in Germany in October 2014, 570 of them in Berlin. In May 2016 there should be 8,350 of them 710 in Berlin. In Hamburg, the number of Salafists rose from 460 (end of 2015) to 670 (end of 2016) according to the 2016 report on the protection of the constitution. Currently (June 2017) around 730 people are assigned to the scene.

In September 2017, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution stated a potential of 10,300 supporters of Salafism. 3000 of them were counted in North Rhine-Westphalia at this time, including 780 classified as ready to use violence, as the NRW constitution protection announced. In December 2017, the number of Salafists in Germany rose to 10,800, according to the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Georg Maaßen.

According to Der Tagesspiegel, “in 2019 the protection of the Constitution determined an increase of 850 people to 12,150 nationwide in the most radical, largest and partly violence-oriented Islamist milieu” - this corresponds to an increase of 7% over the previous year.

According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the majority of Salafist institutions in Germany can be assigned to political Salafism. This is based on intensive propaganda activity. In contrast, supporters of jihadist Salafism believed that they could achieve their goals through the use of force. Nationwide (as of 2012) there are around 100 to 150 people designated by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as " threats " who could actually become assassins. This includes, among other things, the Lohberger Brigade .

Salafist associations in Germany

The more well-known radical associations include, for example, the multicultural house , which was banned in 2005, and the Islamic Information Center (IIZ) in the greater Ulm / Neu-Ulm area , which was dissolved in September 2007 . The Association Invitation to Paradise (EZP), which is counted among the Salafists, was observed by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution because of its discriminatory attitude towards women and homosexuals . This association also includes the German convert Pierre Vogel , who missionises particularly through video sermons on the Internet. In 2011 the association disbanded.

Proselytizing and propaganda

In addition to internet propaganda, the missionary activity of radical Islamist Salafism preachers such as Ibrahim Abou-Nagie has increased significantly throughout Germany since 2012 , with the focus being on North Rhine-Westphalia, Frankfurt am Main, Ulm and Berlin. According to the authorities of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the aim of the intensified efforts is "to bring about conversions to Islam with Salafist influences and thus to spread this form of religiously motivated extremism in Germany."

Over the Easter holidays in 2012, Salafists distributed free copies of the Koran in 35 German cities. In the campaign led by Abou-Nagie, it is estimated that three hundred thousand copies have been distributed so far. Distribution bans in some cities were circumvented by Salafist helpers. According to a survey by Info GmbH, two thirds of young Turks in Germany approve of the distribution campaign, while an equally large proportion of those over 50 years of age reject the campaign. Among the 30 to 49 year olds, the rejection outweighs slightly.

Connection to terrorism

At the conference of interior ministers in June 2011, the German interior ministers warned of the dangers of contemporary, neo-fundamentalist Salafism. At the end of the meeting, the Hessian State Minister of the Interior and Chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers, Boris Rhein , said Salafism is the “breeding ground for Islamist terrorism.” According to the intelligence of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, “almost all of the terrorist network structures and individuals identified here ( in Germany ) so far are Salafist or have developed in Salafist milieus ”. All the terrorists on September 11, 2001, were Salafists, including the three suicide bombers in the Hamburg cell . The members of the Sauerland group and German jihadists like Eric Breininger can also be assigned to the fundamentalist Salafist environment. In March 2013, four alleged Salafists were arrested in Leverkusen, Bonn and Essen who had prepared an assassination attempt on the chairman of the pro Cologne citizen movement, Markus Beisicht . In June 2013, the President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg Maaßen , said that Salafism was the gateway to terrorism .

This position is increasingly being questioned critically in research. Scientists Klaus Hummel and Michael Logvinov, for example, consider the “dangerous proximity” between Salafism and terrorism to be largely constructed. The analysis of Salafism is determined by a securitized paradigm that is characterized by politicization and dramatization. The idea of ​​a Salafist collective actor is conveyed, which does not do justice to the complexity of Salafist currents. In view of the threat scenario, the distinction between Salafists who advocate violence and those who reject violence fades into the background. It is true that there is a closeness between violent jihadists and a Salafist environment from which they come or whose language they speak. Logvinov and Hummel consider it more likely, however, that Salafist milieus represent the target group of jihadist influence. In addition, the securitization of the phenomenon of Salafism suggests that politically motivated violence can only be explained on the basis of an ideology or a religious community, whereby the importance of social radicalization processes is neglected. However, conflict research has shown that violence and ideology correspond with one another in many ways, which is why radicalization processes can take different forms. Ultimately, there is little well-founded knowledge about when individuals are ready to act or approve of violence. An undifferentiated equation of Salafism and terrorism as two sides of the same coin is counterproductive, since Salafists are thus driven into the arms of radical "understanders" and "carers". In addition, this would weaken the moderate positions within the milieu.

Prohibitions

Prohibition debates

In June 2011, the chairman of the conference of interior ministers, Boris Rhein, rated Salafism as “an obstacle to integration of the very highest order. What Salafists preach thwarted all integration efforts. ”Rhein called for a change in the Residence Act to make it easier for hate preachers to be deported and for Muslim associations to be actively involved in combating radical Salafism.

Radical and Islamist manifestations of Islam such as contemporary Salafism are to be contained and prevented in Germany through “prevention summit meetings” with the participation of Islamic associations such as the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany and the Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (DİTİB). Not only security authorities, but also Muslim organizations in Germany perceive a generalized, negative attitude of the German majority society towards Muslims through the activities of neo-fundamentalist Salafists.

After violent riots on the sidelines of a Pro NRW demonstration in Bonn, in which two police officers were seriously injured by knife wounds, Federal Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich described the Salafists involved in May 2012 as "ideologues who endanger our free and democratic basic order " and terminated them Examination of bans on Salafist associations in Germany. The Central Council of Muslims in Germany condemned the violence of the Islamist demonstrators. The General Secretary of the Central Council Nurhan Soykan said: “We expressly distance ourselves from violent Muslims who incite vigilante justice and attack the police.” As part of the “Missing” campaign, Friedrich said that he and the Ministry of the Interior are fighting Salafism. The debate is viewed critically by some social scientists.

Millatu Ibrahim ban and preliminary investigation

By order of May 29, 2012, Interior Minister Friedrich issued a first ban against the Islamist network Millatu Ibrahim from Solingen . At the same time, large-scale raids took place in seven federal states, during which the police searched objects belonging to radical Salafists. Investigations under association law have been initiated against two other groups, Dawa FFM and The True Religion .

With a video message, Denis Cuspert , the head of the banned group Millatu Ibrahim in hiding , called on his fellow believers to a holy war: "Get involved in jihad, emigrate or carry it out here." In his message, the Salafist leader addressed the Federal Chancellor, the interior minister and foreign minister. "We will bring jihad into your countries," says the video that threatens attacks in Germany. “You are putting millions and billions into the war against Islam. And that's why this country here, the Federal Republic of Germany, is a war zone, ”said Cuspert. On May 5, 2012, Cuspert was involved in the riots at a demonstration in Bonn, in which some police officers were injured by knife stabs. After his group was banned, he is said to have stayed in Egypt with numerous violent supporters. In summer 2013, according to press reports, Cuspert was involved in the Syrian civil war together with other jihadists and was wounded in an air strike at the beginning of September.

Ban on DawaFFM and Islamic Audios as well as An-Nussrah (part of Millatu Ibrahim)

On March 13, 2013, the Federal Minister of the Interior banned and dissolved the Salafist associations DawaFFM and Islamic Audios as well as An-Nussrah as a sub-organization of Millatu Ibrahim. The associations "were directed against the constitutional order and against the idea of ​​international understanding". On March 26, 2015, he also banned the jihadist association Tauhid Germany as a substitute organization for Millatu Ibrahim .

Prohibition of the association The true religion alias Stiftung Lies!

Combined with more than 190 house searches and seizures in ten federal states, the ban of the association The True Religion alias Stiftung Lies! in force.

“DWR is directed against the constitutional order and against the idea of ​​international understanding. Today's ban is not aimed at promoting or disseminating the Islamic faith or distributing Korans or translations of the Koran. The abuse of a religion by people who, under the pretext of invoking Islam, propagate extremist ideologies and support terrorist organizations is prohibited. "

Ban on the culture and family association Masjidu-l-Furqan in Bremen

Bremen is considered the stronghold of Salafism in Germany. The Bremen Senator for the Interior spoke against the Kultur- und Familienverein e. V. (KuF), who also appeared under the name Masjidu-l-Furqan , issued an association ban on January 6, 2015. The association violates the free democratic basic order and the idea of international understanding , so the reasoning. In December 2014, around 200 police officers searched the association's building in the Gröpelingen district of Bremen and at least 15 private apartments. Furthermore, there are supposed to have been specific links to terrorism.

Evaluation by liberal Muslims

Representatives of liberal movements in Islam such as Islamic scholar Lamya Kaddor reject the positions and proselytizing attempts of Salafist activists. Kaddor feels that her work has been "thrown back by at least 20 steps" by Salafist proselytizing campaigns and the distribution of the Koran.

Well-known Salafists

Reports and documentaries

  • Eric Beres, Fritz Schmaldienst: In the network of Salafists - The story in the first . ARD, July 16, 2012, 45 minutes, production SWR ( online ).
  • Salafist proposal: beheading, stoning, cutting off hands . Spiegel TV report , September 20, 2010, approx. 10 minutes ( online ).
  • Salafist scene in Germany . Spiegel TV-Magazin , May 8, 2011, 18 minutes ( online ).
  • Peter Gerhardt, Ilyas Meç, Ahmet Senyurt: To die for Allah? The way of German warriors to Syria . Documentary, Hessischer Rundfunk, first published August 4, 2014, 30 minutes.

literature

  • Dirk Baehr: Salafist Propaganda on the Internet. From pure mission to global jihad - the essential theoretical differences among the Salafist currents in Germany . In: Magdeburger Journal für Sicherheitsforschung , 4th edition, 2nd volume, volume 2, 2012, pp. 236–269 ( PDF; 212 kB ).
  • Dirk Baehr: Characteristics of Salafist currents in Germany . In: Uwe Backes, Alexander Gallus, Eckhard Jesse (eds.): Yearbook Extremism & Democracy . Volume 22, Nomos Verlag, Baden-Baden 2010, ISBN 978-3-8329-6050-6 .
  • Rauf Ceylan , Benjamin Jokisch (Hrsg.): Salafism in Germany: emergence, radicalization and prevention (= series for Osnabrück Islam studies . Volume 17). Peter Lang Edition, Frankfurt am Main 2014, ISBN 978-3-631-64458-4 .
  • Nina Käsehage: The current Salafist scene in Germany: preachers and followers (= religious studies: research science . Volume 18). Lit, Berlin / Münster 2018, ISBN 978-3-643-14000-5 .
  • Ulrich Kraetzer: Salafists. Threat to Germany? Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2014, ISBN 978-3-579-07064-3 .
  • Olivier Roy: The Islamic Way to the West. Globalization, uprooting and radicalization. Pantheon, Munich 2006, ISBN 978-3-570-55000-7 ( bpb -chriftenreihe Vol. 590, Bonn 2006, ISBN 3-89331-731-7 ).
  • Wolf Schmidt: Young German Taliban. Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2012, ISBN 978-3-86153-663-5 .
  • Thorsten Gerald Schneiders (Ed.): Salafism in Germany. Origins and dangers of an Islamic fundamentalist movement. transcript, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-8376-2711-4 , therein: Itzchak Weismann : The Salafiyya in the 19th century as a forerunner of modern Salafism . ( Online partial view )
  • Nina Wiedl: The Making of a German Salafiyya. The Emergence, Development and Missionary Work of Salafi Movements in Germany . CIR, Aarhus 2011, ISBN 978-87-92540-17-1 .
  • Quintan Wiktorowicz: Anatomy of the Salafi Movement. In: Studies in Conflict & Terrorism , 29: 3, 2013, pp. 207–239.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Salafist efforts in Germany . Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and State Authorities for the Protection of the Constitution, Cologne, April 2012, p. 8
  2. ↑ a b Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution : Salafist aspirations , accessed on August 17, 2012
  3. ↑ Olivier Roy: The Islamic Way to the West. Globalization, uprooting and radicalization. Pantheon, Munich 2006, RM Book and Media , Gütersloh 2007, BpB , Bonn 2007. ISBN 3-89331-731-7 , p. 230
  4. ↑ Olivier Roy: The Islamic Way to the West. Globalization, uprooting and radicalization. Pantheon, Munich 2006, RM Book and Media , Gütersloh 2007, BpB , Bonn 2007. ISBN 3-89331-731-7 , p. 232
  5. ↑ Keyword: Background Salafism Tagesschau.de. June 22, 2011, Retrieved June 25, 2011
  6. ↑ Olivier Roy: The Islamic Way to the West. Globalization, uprooting and radicalization. Pantheon, Munich 2006, RM Book and Media , Gütersloh 2007, BpB , Bonn 2007. ISBN 3-89331-731-7 , pp. 254f.
  7. ↑ http://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/verfassungsschutzbericht-2012-friedrich-sicht-grosse-gefahr-durch-salafismus/8331838.html
  8. ↑ Islam expert from BW writes about radicalization in SWR Info, August 25, 2016 - accessed on January 4, 2017
  9. ^ Tübingen Terrorism Conference: Islamists see themselves as strangers and persecuted, Schwäbisches Tagblatt, September 11, 2010
  10. ↑ Terror in Germany: An interview with Guido Steinberg by Raff Pantucci, approx. 2011
  11. ↑ https://www.fr.de/politik/salafistenszene-deutschland-waechst-11170915.html
  12. ^ AFP: Significant growth in Berlin's Salafist scene. In: FAZ.net . June 15, 2016, accessed October 13, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Gladiator: Securing Freedom - Protecting Hamburgers from Salafists and left-wing extremists. Press release CDU Hamburg, June 1, 2017, accessed on July 23, 2019 .
  14. ↑ - ( Memento from June 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  15. ↑ Kölner Stadtanzeiger of December 11, 2017. Online: https://www.ksta.de/nrw/verfassungsschutz-zahl-der-gewaltmachen-salafisten-nnahm-zu-29278000
  16. ^ "Die Welt" of December 10, 2017. Online: https://www.welt.de/politik/deutschland/article171447586/Zahl-der-Salafisten-in-Deutschland-so-hoch-wie-nie.html
  17. ↑ The scene grows to more than 12,000 people. In: tagesspiegel.de. January 14, 2020, accessed January 16, 2020 .
  18. ^ Salafist endeavors
  19. ↑ Parvin Sadigh: Outbreaks of violence: "Salafism is a maximum protest attitude" . In: Zeit Online , May 8, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  20. ↑ a b Salafist efforts in Germany ( Memento from March 11, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and State Authorities for the Protection of the Constitution, Cologne, April 2012, p. 9
  21. ↑ How Salafists Oppress Women. Rheinische Post, August 7, 2010 ( Memento from August 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  22. ^ Salafists: A Koran in every household. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . April 3, 2012, Retrieved April 3, 2012 .
  23. ^ A b Süddeutsche Zeitung : Radical Islamic proselytizing. On behalf of the Lord , April 9, 2012, accessed April 10, 2012
  24. ↑ Die Welt : How Salafists Circumvent Bans on Koran Stalls , April 9, 2012, accessed April 10, 2012
  25. ↑ Der Spiegel : Young German Turks like Koran-Aktion , August 16, 2012, accessed on August 17, 2012.
  26. ↑ Interior ministers warn against Salafism . Tagesschau.de, June 22, 2011 ( Memento from February 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  27. ↑ Investigators prevent Islamist assassination attempt. In: Süddeutsche.de. March 13, 2013, accessed March 13, 2013 .
  28. ↑ Lisa Caspari: "German Islamists radicalize themselves in Syria", Zeit, June 11, 2013, viewed on June 28, 2013
  29. ↑ Klaus Hummel, Michail Logvinov (ed.): Dangerous proximity. Salafism and Jihadism in Germany. ibidem, Stuttgart 2014. ISBN 978-3-8382-0569-4 , pp. 8-16.
  30. ↑ Die Welt : Interior Ministers' Conference: Minister warns of Islamist hate preachers , June 21, 2011, accessed on August 20, 2012
  31. ↑ A recipe against radicalization urgently needed . Tagesschau.de, June 24, 2011 ( Memento from February 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  32. ^ Friedrich on Salafists. Interior minister wants to examine ban on Islamist associations. Focus, May 9, 2012.
  33. ^ Riots between the police and Salafists Focus.de, May 8, 2012. Accessed June 19, 2012
  34. ↑ "Highly Insensitive". WDR , September 26, 2012, archived from the original on September 28, 2012 ; Retrieved September 26, 2012 .
  35. ↑ "Is Salafism a Threat?" Rosa Luxemburg Foundation , November 1, 2012, accessed on February 13, 2013 .
  36. ^ Jörg Diehl: Ban on Salafist Association: Strike against violent Germany haters. In: Spiegel Online . June 14, 2012, accessed June 9, 2018 .
  37. ^ Reimann, Anna: Islamism in Germany: Interior Minister Friedrich forbids Salafist Association at Spiegel Online , June 14, 2012 (accessed on June 14, 2012).
  38. ↑ Islamism: Police start large-scale raid against Salafists at Spiegel Online , June 14, 2012 (accessed June 14, 2012).
  39. ↑ Salafist leader threatens attacks in Germany ( memento of November 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), September 3, 2012
  40. ^ Salafist Denis C. wounded in Syria . In: BZ , September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
  41. ↑ https://www.bmi.bund.de/DE/themen/sicherheit/extremismus-und-terrorismusbekaempfung/vereinsverbote/vereinsverbote-node.html
  42. ↑ Press release on the ban on associations by the association "The True Religion (DWR)" alias "Stiftung LIES" by the Federal Minister of the Interior from November 15, 2016. Online: https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/pressemitteilungen/DE/2016 /11/vereinsverbot-dwr.html;jsessionid=C9DBD5BF704B5DD29202AE54EC562A7D.2_cid295
  43. ↑ The beautiful appearance. Cultural associations as Salafist meeting places ( Memento from April 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  44. ^ Muslim life in Bremen . State Office for the Protection of the Constitution Bremen (PDF).
  45. ↑ Salafism: They're dragging my religion into the mud online, June 15, 2012. Accessed August 17, 2012
  46. ^ Güner Y. Balci: Integration in Berlin. In the shadow of the Al-Nur Mosque . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 24, 2009.
  47. ↑ a b c d e f g h Nina Käsehage: The current Salafist scene in Germany. Preachers and followers (=  religious studies: research and science . Volume 18 ). Lit, Berlin / Münster 2018, ISBN 978-3-643-14000-5 .
  48. ↑ Hanning Voigts: On the trail of the Salafists . In: Frankfurter Rundschau , August 6, 2014 (interview with Peter Gerhardt and Ilyas Meç).