Conference on Islam: Horst Seehofer in search of peace

Horst Seehofer was aware of the elephant that would be in the room: his spring phrase, "Islam does not belong to Germany", had surprised many Muslims.

From the beginning of his keynote address on the resumption of the conference on Islam on Wednesday, for the first time under the leadership of Seehofer, the Federal Minister for the Interior has proposed a topic for discussion. He did not repeat the sentence, instead telling an anecdote of an open day in his ministry. As a Muslim family approached him and said, "Mr. Seehofer, you do not think we belong here."

He had tried to explain to them that he really wanted to explain what had shaped Germany historically and culturally. But in the meantime, he realized how difficult it was to express that differently. That's why he told the family: "Muslims belong to Germany.Muslims of course have the same rights and responsibilities as all citizens of this country, and there can be no doubt reasonable about it ".

Horst Seehofer, this is the message, tries to make peace with about five million Muslims in Germany. He does not repeat his sentence on Islam, he does not go that far. But today's message is different from Horst Seehofer's in the spring and summer, when the CSU leader made Islam a campaign subject in a Bavarian beer tent.

"Respect, Tolerance and Dialogue"

For the resumption of the German conference on Islam, his officials had written him all sorts of warm words. Seehofer spoke of "respect", "tolerance" and "dialogue". And that the government wants to promote an Islam "located in our society". An Islam that should be independent of influence and funding from abroad. "An Islam in, for and for Germany, an Islam of German Muslims."

As conciliatory as the words of Seehofer say, the reality is so complicated. Of course, there is not a single German Islam, but many unmanageable ideas of Islam in Germany. There is the Central Council of conservative Muslims and the Ditib Association, Turkish influence. There are Sunnis, Shiites and Ahmadiyya. There are liberal and secular badociations.

Seehofer invited all these groups to the conference on Islam, the number of guests has never been so wide. But the distance that separates them from each other clearly appeared at the beginning. After Seehofer's speech, liberal and conservative Muslims began to confront each other. Some used the trick to pay for old bills.

He was also totally unsure of exactly how to make German mosque communities independent of foreign countries. One of the central themes of the conference is the training and financing of imams. The model of the Ditib badociation, which imports its leaders from Turkey, has no future for the government, it is certain.

However, Seehofer also could not imagine an alternative model. Among the spectators, an imam from Bavaria has advanced. He said he had asked the Chancellor, in a letter, for financial support for the imam 's education. Angela Merkel had referred to Seehofer. He should also give him the letter he wanted to know if there was an order from the Chancellor, joked Seehofer.

But that the German state pays imams, is considered excluded. The role of the government in the conference on Islam is different, said Seehofer. He sees himself as a "bridge builder". And then he rushed to the meeting of the interior ministers in Magdeburg.