A debate on Islamophobia and antisemitism in Germany

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had a simple message at the German Islam Conference (DIK): Muslim communities and associations in Germany must "speak out loudly and clearly against antisemitism."  This included condemning "the terrible terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel," she demanded.

Faeser spoke for around 25 minutes at the start of the meeting. She listed her expectations of the Muslim community in Germany, as hardly any of her predecessors have done since the founding of Germany's Islam Conference in 2006.

'Hostility towards Muslims too'

More than a quarter of an hour passed before Faeser pointed out that "we also have a problem with hostility towards Muslims in Germany." She warned that accusations of antisemitism should not be instrumentalized to promote hostility towards Muslims.

The entire two-day conference was meant to discuss the topic of "Social peace and democratic cohesion: combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility in times of social division."

The mood in German and European society has changed since the events of October 7 in Israel, the worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. Jews in Germany have reported that they are subject to verbal abuse. There have been attacks on synagogues and Jewish community centers, and antisemitic slogans have been chanted at certain demonstrations.

German politicians are trying to counter antisemitism today. They want to ensure that "never again" will antisemitism resurface in Germany ­– almost eight decades after Nazi Germany perpetrated the murder of six million Jews. Political leaders have called on Muslims in Germany to also take action against antisemitism.

There were notable absences at the conference: The Interior Ministry did not invite the Central Council of Muslims, which has not distanced itself from certain Shiite radicals as Cabinet ministers would like, nor the mosque association Ditib. The latter is loyal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has described Hamas as a "liberation organization" and Israel as a "terrorist state," and is dependent on the Turkish religious authority Diyanet, which is accused of antisemitism.

Faeser did not mention the Central Council of Muslims and its non-involvement in the conference in her speech. She was, however, extremely critical of Ditib on two occasions, explicitly mentioning the association, which she said had made "alarming" statements. At the same time, however, she mentioned that her ministry had "initiated" an agreement with Diyanet and Ditib on the training of imams in Germany. Despite the criticism, there is clearly a need for dialogue with one another.

Criticism of Faeser

On the second day of the conference, when the political speakers had long gone and the rows of participants were no longer full, there was plenty of talk behind closed doors. In the workshops, in which media representatives were not allowed to participate, there was reportedly some criticism of Faeser's speech. Participants said that they had felt "like schoolchildren" and pointed out that there was a lack of acknowledgement of their many years of work. Faeser's speech was perceived as being "teacher-like." And before there was any opportunity to make a critical comment, i.e. before the first question from the audience, the minister had already disappeared.

One person who openly expressed his criticism was Burhan Kesici, the chairman of the Islamic Council for the Federal Republic of Germany. He told DW that he thought "the idea of treating antisemitism along with the topic of Islamophobia was good. But we saw that antisemitism took up more space." Many Muslims in Germany have complained about Islamophobia for a long time, he said. "It would have been better if this had at least been given equal weight."

Kesici explained that Muslims in this country feel insecure. He recounted a recent trip to the city of Hanover, where "very well-educated people, all of them university graduates, are asking themselves whether they should stay in Germany any longer or whether they should emigrate." They were worried and frightened by threats and attacks on mosques, Kesici continued. "And these were people who were third or fourth generation in Germany."

A table laden with documents at the front of the conference hall was supposed to illustrate this point: One of them — 400 pages long — was the report on Islamophobia presented by the German government at the end of June 2023.

Hatred and anger on the internet

On the second day, the Islam Conference took on a new dynamic of its own. Omar Kuntich, the chairman of the "Alliance of Maliki Communities in Germany," which encompasses around 120 mosque communities in Germany, took to the stage. 

He said that imams faced new challenges but also enjoyed a new reach thanks to social media. "The new generation — they have a virtual community," he said, and explained that on social media platforms images had an immediate effect, and could quickly generate hatred and anger. "A preacher in the mosque reaches 300, maybe 400 believers. A preacher online reaches tens of thousands," said Kuntich. "There is no counternarrative. That is endangering social peace in Germany."

Other speakers and actors involved in educational work picked up on this. The problems on social media were just beginning, said Deborah Schnabel, the director of the Anne Frank Educational Center in Frankfurt. "We don't have the answers," she warned. "Too little is being invested in this area. This dynamic is rapid. We need to launch an offensive quickly."

Psychologist and extremism expert Ahmed Mansour intensified this warning, mentioning Germany's Federal Agency for Civic Education specifically. "If we don't launch an offensive in the social media now, if we don't show our face there, then the radicals will win. We have to act, otherwise we all lose," he said, emphasizing that the challenge applied to the whole of Europe. Mansour also suggested concrete steps. Media literacy should be a compulsory subject in every school, he said, and there should be digital youth work. "We need counternarratives. And people who stand up to fake news."

In the fight against antisemitism and Islamophobia,  this warning applies to all challenges.

For her part,  Faeser has announced that she wants to "address antisemitism among Muslims even more strongly" in the coming year.

This article was originally written in German.

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