Government & Politics

Germany: Solingen attack suspect named, remanded in custody A Syrian man accused of killing three people in Solingen, Germany, has been remanded in custody. Authorities link him to the 'Islamic State' group.

(Deutsche Welle) German prosecutors on Sunday released the name of the 26-year-old Syrian man suspected of a multiple stabbing attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight others. Issa Al H., who was identified without his family name due […]

Government & Politics

German far right seizes on knife attack ahead of crucial state elections The AfD accuses the ruling coalition and the moderate center-right opposition of shortcomings on security.

(Politico) A brutal knife attack in the German city of Solingen has reignited a debate about public security a week ahead of important state elections in eastern Germany, with the far right hammering the government coalition and other parties over alleged shortcomings. […]

Demonstrations

Hamburg ‘caliphate’ rally prompts calls for punishment German politicians have called for action after reports of a rally in which speakers demanded Shariah law in Germany. A leading Bavarian conservative said such appeals should lead to jail time and citizenship removal.

(Deutsche Welle) A top Bavarian politician on Wednesday demanded tougher consequences for people advocating for Germany to become a “caliphate,” saying they should face prison terms and lose citizenship. Alexander Dobrindt, who heads Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) in Germany’s Bundestag, […]

Clerics & Preachers

German MP: Taxpayers should fund German mosques to prevent radicalisation Critics agree that foreign funding should be banned, but say German Muslims should fund their own mosques.

(European Conservative) A top Christian Democrat politician wants to amend the constitution if necessary, so that German taxes can be used to pay for mosques.  Jens Spahn — a former minister and deputy leader of the opposition center-right CDU/CSU’s parliamentary group — […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Germany: Hostility toward Muslims is widespread How great is the resentment, racism and discrimination against Germany's 5.5 million Muslims? The Federal Interior Ministry's findings paint a bleak picture.

(Deutsche Welle) A hostile attitude toward Muslims is widespread in large sections of German society. Its manifestations are an everyday reality. One in two people in Germany agrees with anti-Muslim statements. These are the findings published this Thursday (June 29) by the Independent […]

Government & Politics

German government agrees to ban Hamas flag after antisemitic incidents The German government wants to send a message to Jewish citizens after several antisemitic incidents took place amid pro-Palestinian protests last month.

(Deutsche Welle) All parties in Germany’s grand coalition government have agreed to ban the flag of Palestinian Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper said in a report published Sunday. The move comes after several antisemitic incidents occurred last month in […]

Government & Politics

Germany: Conservatives seek to isolate Islamist groups Germany's governing conservative bloc is planning to cut all government ties with groups suspected of supporting political Islamism, according to a report in Die Welt. Large Muslim umbrella organizations may be affected.

(Deutsche Welle) The parliamentary group of Germany’s ruling conservative bloc has called for an end to cooperation with groups suspected of supporting political Islamism, the newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday. The bloc, made up of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and […]

Crime

German minister wants ‘criminals’ expelled to Syria, despite asylum safeguards Interior Minister Horst Seehofer wants Germany's general ban on deportations to war-torn Syria weakened to return persons deemed criminal or dangerous. Rights groups accuse him of pandering to the far right.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s current general deportation stop to Syria should not be extended, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Friday, urging that individual case-by-case decisions be made “at least for criminals and those considered a threat.” In 2012, Germany passed a ban on […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Germany’s Seehofer touts expert panel on Islamophobia after Hanau killings An expert group to tackle Islamophobia in Germany has been floated by Chancellor Angela Merkel's interior minister. The move follows a racist multiple shooting last week and precedes an integration summit in Berlin.

(Deutsche Welle) Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced on Saturday the creation of an “independent expert group on Islamophobia” (Muslimfeindlichkeit), saying it would emulate current ministerial panels on anti-Semitism and antiziganism, meaning hostility toward Jewish and Roma communities respectively. His call follows a charge […]

Citizenship

Germany to strip ‘Islamic State’ fighters’ citizenship — report Germany's Interior Ministry and Justice Ministry have reportedly agreed on a proposal to expatriate IS fighters. Interior Minister Horst Seehofer had tried to link the legislation with broader citizenship reform.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s governing coalition has agreed to strip fighters of the “Islamic State” (IS) militant group of their citizenship, according to German outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR. The new law would apply only to jihadis who are of age, have a second […]

Children & Teens

German interior minister renews call for stricter deportation laws in wake of Amberg attacks An attack by a group of asylum-seekers on passers-by in a Bavarian town has prompted Germany's interior minister to renew his longstanding call for stricter deportation laws. Amberg's mayor has called for caution.

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said asylum-seekers who commit violent crimes must leave the country, after a group of apparently drunken teenagers attacked a dozen people in the Bavarian town of Amberg. “If existing laws are not sufficient, they must be changed,” Seehofer told […]