Germany set to take charge of imam education locally In a bid to reduce foreign influence on Islamic religious leaders, Germany will support a new pilot project that educates imams locally. Experts say it is a positive step, but a more comprehensive approach is needed.

(Deutsche Welle) The government has long struggled with foreign involvement when it comes to the education of imams who lead Muslim communities across Germany. Now, a new educational association, with start-up funding from Germany’s interior ministry, is set to launch on November 21.

Even though some Muslim organizations have been training imams for their own communities in Germany, the majority of imams working in the country are affiliated with the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB).

Among Germany’s nearly 4.5 million Muslims, around 3 million are of Turkish origin.

It was precisely this influence that moved the German government to take such a bold step, Green party parliamentarian Filiz Polat told DW. It was a measure her party “had long been asking for,” she added.

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