In the German city of Düsseldorf, 7,000 mostly Muslim demonstrators marched through the streets. They protested against Israel’s self-defense in the face of Hamas terror. A Muslim speaker called on Düsseldorf’s mayor to abandon his pro-Israel stance. Reason: The children of the demonstrators, i.e. Muslims, already make up “30 percent of the students” in the state capital. The speaker quickly hijacked all local Muslims and turned the demographic development into a threat.
The typical reaction from politicians is usually: Fortunately, there is an overwhelming majority of peace-loving Muslims in this country. Really? The current debate, which increasingly revolves around banning Hamas and its front organizations, is completely misleading. If Hamas activists were the only problem, it would be solved quickly. Because only 450 people belong to Hamas in Germany. But in Düsseldorf alone there were around 7,000 who agitated against Israel with sometimes inflammatory slogans. So how widespread are anti-Semitic enemy images? Studies suggest this. According to a survey by the Technical University Berlin, 45 percent of local Muslims believe that Jews have too much power in politics in 2023 (non-Muslims: 18 percent). According to a study by the American Jewish Committee, 49 percent of German Muslims said in 2022 that Jews also had too much influence in business and finance (23 percent of the total population). And according to a July survey by the Adenauer Foundation, 26 percent of German Muslims are even convinced that rich Jews are “the real rulers of the world” (population average including Muslims: six percent). By the way: In 2016, according to TNS Emnid, 47 percent of people of Turkish origin thought that following Islamic commandments was more important than following German laws.
Organized drivers of such views are Islamist or Turkish radical nationalist groups. Their worldviews more or less directly influence the Islamic associations Islamrat, Zentralrat, Milli Görüs and Ditib. According to the associations, they include 600,000 Muslims nationwide.
The bitter truth also includes: Scholars who identify the anti-Semitic potential in the holy scriptures of Islam and want to systematically defuse it have been and are being fought by the major associations, and massively bullied.
In principle, one could defuse anti-Jewish statements in the prophetic tradition through historical and critical means. But this would require a consistent, not gradual, departure from the uncritical, literal understanding of the Quran and the Sunnah. Muslim theologians who attempt this are rejected by the associations; some of them lead a life under constant threat, including police protection.
With their reactionary course, the large associations keep the theological womb from which the anti-Semitic and Islamist spirits arise fertile. Another finding is all the more frightening: the circle of Muslims reached by these associations is even larger than their membership: According to a 2020 study by the German Ministry of the Interior, 50.1 percent of all Muslims in this country felt “fully or partially” represented by them . Should such facts be concealed in order to avoid anti-Muslim sentiment? No, because of course not all Muslims are anti-Semitic Islamists full of hatred in their hearts. In addition, although not an overwhelming majority, a very slim majority is not anti-Semitic according to the surveys mentioned. Blanket hostility towards Muslims would therefore be grossly unfair.
But the extent of the problems cannot be ignored, suppressed or trivialized. On the contrary. It should be emphasized so often and loudly until knowledge of it finally becomes politically effective. It must be incorporated into the way we deal (better: not deal) with the large Islamic associations and into the future distribution (better: redistribution) of state subsidies in the “fight against hatred and incitement”.
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