German President says “Islam belongs to Germany”
1 min read
President Steinmeier said at a Cologne event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Association of Islamic Cultural Centres (VIKZ): “Islam, the Muslim religion, Muslim life, Muslim culture have taken root in our country.” “Today the diversity of Islam, the diversity of over 5 million Muslims, is also a part of our country,” he remarked.
Germany is an ideologically neutral state,” President Steinmeier said, emphasising the importance of religious freedom. However, this does not imply that there is no religion in America, as this is not the case. No, it means allowing religious expression and safeguarding the rights of believers of all stripes.
These comments were made in response to a recent investigation that found racism and Islamophobia on the upswing in Germany. The Berlin-based non-profit Alliance Against Islamophobia and Muslim Hostility produced a study detailing 898 incidences of anti-Muslim hostility in the year 2022. However, there is still a significant number of unreported incidents.
The survey found that prejudice towards Muslims in Germany has become increasingly common, especially against women. There were over five hundred documented incidences of verbal assault, spanning from inciting comments and insults to outright threats and coercion. Eleven letters, some of which used Nazi emblems or references to the Nazi era, were delivered to mosques, all of which contained excessive violence and death threats.
Also noted in the report were 190 incidents of prejudice and 167 acts of harm, including 71 incidents of physical harm, 44 incidents of property damage, 3 arson attacks, and 49 other acts of violence. There has been a disturbing uptick in racially motivated attacks on children and teenagers, with some women even being physically assaulted while they are pregnant.
The report acknowledged the potential of a large number of unreported occurrences due to limited media coverage and a lack of faith in authorities, and it urged for the development of reporting procedures and enhanced awareness among authorities, schools, and the healthcare sector.
With a population of over 84 million, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe, with over 5 million Muslims.
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