Germany

Government & Politics

German police raid pro-Palestinian group in Duisburg The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has banned the group Palestine Solidarity Duisburg over alleged antisemitism and support for Hamas.

May 16, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) German police in the western city of Duisburg carried out raids on [Thursday] on four properties linked to a pro-Palestinian group over its alleged support for Hamas. The interior ministry of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany’s most populated state where the city is […]

Health & Medicine

Germany: Man jailed for life for train knife attack A 34-year-old man has been given the toughest penalty in German law after attacking people with a knife on a train in 2023, killing two and wounding four others. The defense argued he should be put in psychiatric care.

May 15, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) A court in Itzehoe on Wednesday sentenced a 34-year-old man to life in prison for killing two people and stabbing several others on a local train in northern Germany last January. A 17-year-old and her 19-year-old boyfriend were killed in the […]

Demonstrations

Caliphate protests in Hamburg: What is Muslim Interactive? The relatively new organization Muslim Interactive has shocked the public with calls for a caliphate. Experts believe the movement is identitarian.

May 11, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) It’s estimated that some 1,000 people gathered at Hamburg’s popular street Steindamm late April, following a call to protests by an organization called Muslim Interactive (MI). Some demonstrators chanted “God is great,” and held up signs that read “caliphate is […]

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.

May 1, 2024   

(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, […]

Government & Politics

Germany’s Krefeld allows adhan broadcast on speakers every Friday In a landmark decision, Krefeld, Germany, allows the call to prayer to be broadcast through speakers every Friday, signifying an important step in recognizing the rights of Muslim communities

April 30, 2024   

(Türkiye Newspaper) In Krefeld, Germany, the Islamic call to prayer, known as the adhan, will be broadcast through speakers every Friday following a signing ceremony at the office of Mayor Frank Meyer. The first call to prayer is set to be broadcast […]

Demonstrations

Germany’s Scholz calls for ‘consequences’ following Islamist rally Demonstrators in Hamburg called for the creation of a 'caliphate,' sparking condemnation.

April 29, 2024   

(Politico) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Monday there must be “consequences” following an Islamist rally in Hamburg that sparked condemnation from politicians across the country. More than 1,000 people participated in a demonstration in the northern German city on Saturday, holding up […]

Demonstrations

Islamist group slams democratic values, rallies thousands in Germany In a video posted on X, the crowd can be seen responding to shouts of ‘Takbir’ with 'Allahu [Akbar].' The video also shows the mob shouting part of the Shahada, 'Lā ʾIlāha ʾIllā Allah.'

April 28, 2024   

(Jerusalem Post) Some 1,000 protestors gathered in Hamburg’s Steindamm Street on Saturday, calling for an end to “dictatorship values,” according to the German daily Die Welt. In a video posted on X, the crowd can be seen responding to shouts of “Takbir” […]

Government & Politics

Europe turning blind eye to Hamas and Hezbollah networks in its territory, experts say Analysts say terror groups operate largely unchecked, running charities, lobbying public opinion and recruiting supporters — and the legal means to stop them are scant

April 12, 2024   

(Times of Israel) A stash of weapons was found hidden under a pine tree in southern Bulgaria last week. The arms were linked to four suspected Hamas members arrested in Germany and the Netherlands in December on suspicion of preparing an attack […]

Government & Politics

Hamburg college student and his ‘pop-Islamist’ followers want to establish a caliphate in Germany German intelligence is monitoring an extreme organization led by Raheem Boateng, 26, who opposes Israel and advocates for the establishment of a Muslim caliphate; he has attracted tens of thousands of Western followers online

April 9, 2024   

(Ynet) At just 26 years old, Raheem Boateng is already the intellectual leader of a radical Muslim group in Hamburg that greatly concerns the German security authorities. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Boateng and his group’s influence have been steadily […]

Clerics & Preachers

Muslims in the German military to get their own chaplaincy Bundeswehr soldiers of Islamic faith have long lacked the pastoral care available to their Christian and, as of recent years, Jewish counterparts. What was once seen as politically impossible is about to change.

April 1, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) As the parliamentary commissioner for the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, Eva Högl is responsible for ensuring that the issues and needs of German soldiers get heard. In mid-March, Högl presented her third annual report in her role as commissioner […]

Government & Politics

England fans warned of new terror threat for Euro 2024 with ‘dangers raised to new level’ ahead of tournament The Three Lions will be hoping to win the competition in Germany this summer

March 31, 2024   

(GB News) England fans have been warned of a new terror threat as the European Championships this summer creep closer. After the recent attack in Moscow, Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has claimed dangers have risen “to a new level” just 75 […]

Academics & Education

Frankfurt teachers impose Ramadan rules on 5th graders Students were forbidden from drinking water in class because three of the 27 children were fasting.

March 20, 2024   

(European Conservative) In the name of tolerance, diversity, and inclusion, some public school teachers in the Frankfurt metropolitan area in Germany are unilaterally imposing Islam — arguably the world’s most intolerant religion — on their pre-teen students. For the Islamic holy month […]

Demonstrations

Germany detains two IS suspects over Swedish attack plan German police have arrested two suspected Islamists for allegedly planning a firearms attack near the Swedish parliament.

March 19, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday said two suspected supporters of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS) jihadist militia had been arrested in the central German state of Thuringia. Prosecutors allege that the two Afghan nationals had hatched a plot to carry out an attack […]

Immigration

A new terror threat is emerging in Europe linked to Iran, Gaza war Security services are on edge as the Israel-Hamas conflict galvanizes new actors

March 12, 2024 and   

(Wall Street Journal) Authorities in Europe say they have foiled several terror plots, some involving suspects posing as refugees, raising alarm about a growing array of threats from extremists. In one previously unreported investigation last December, police in Austria and Bosnia arrested […]

Discrimination & “Islamophobia”

Berlin coalition to discuss constitutional protections against Islamophobia The SPD's parliamentary leader Raed Saleh is pushing for laws against Islamophobia to be entered into the state constitution.

February 23, 2024   

(Exberliner) Berlin’s SPD parliamentary leader Raed Saleh is advocating for laws against Islamophobia to be entered into the state constitution, according to a report by Tagesspiegel. Saleh emphasises that this would be in addition to constitutional clauses which advocate against antisemitism. The topic […]

Government & Politics

Germany: ‘DAVA’ party woos voters with Turkish roots Fighting Islamophobia and strengthening 'traditional values' are core issues in the election program with which DAVA reaches out to Muslim migrants in Germany. Is Turkish President Recep Erdogan behind the movement?

February 7, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) Germany’s newly founded “Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Awakening” (DAVA) is currently a voters’ association, but it intends to run as a party in the European elections on June 9. This announcement in January triggered a heated debate in Germany, […]

Legal

European prosecutors adopt harsher sentences towards female ISIS returnees New book shows how different countries are adapting to an increase in female extremists behind bars

January 31, 2024   

(National-UAE) European prosecutors are adopting harsher sentences towards female ISIS returnees as their numbers increase due to government repatriation programmes from prison camps in north-east Syria, a new book published by Dutch counter-terrorism think tank ICCT has found. “Women can be both […]

Academics & Education

Germany trains new generation of Muslim leaders In a groundbreaking move, Germany trains its own Muslim religious leaders, fostering a deeper connection with local communities. Muslim associations across the country are seeing a generational change and reorientation.

January 21, 2024   

(Deutsche Welle) Osman Soyer is a religious affairs officer who was sworn into office this month in the Sehitlik Mosque in Berlin’s Neukölln district. He is one of 28 young men and women who have been trained as “religious representatives” by DITIB, […]

Government & Politics

Israel says it uncovered Hamas terror network planning attacks in Europe Mossad and Shin Bet release details on group’s attempts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets, say slain Hamas leaders in Lebanon helmed the efforts

January 13, 2024   

(Times of Israel) Hamas runs a network of operatives in Europe commanded by terror leaders in Lebanon, Israel said Saturday as its intelligence agencies released new details on the Gaza-based organization’s attempts to attack Israeli and Jewish targets abroad. Most of the […]