German conference on Islam: conservative associations fear German Islam

As of: 27.11.2018 | Reading time: 4 minutes

reThe fear of the theologian Ditib before the projects of the Federal Minister of the Interior seems great: Horst Seehofer (CSU) wants to create a German Islam, believes the representative of the Ahmet Inam badociation. And warns in a contribution to the Muslim magazine "IslamiQ" against an impending "Konstantinierung" of his religion by Seehofer.

Inam refers to Constantine the Great. The Roman emperor led Christianity to a dogmatic aberration in 325, distorting the faith of one God and elevating God's equality to the doctrine of the church, say some Muslim theologians . Similar threat again: with Seehofer, a politician sends himself to lead a world religion on the wrong track. And this at the beginning of Wednesday German Conference on Islam (DIK).

The conservative Muslim badociations are expecting great things from the conference, but nothing good. After all, one of the first acts of the Minister of the Interior was to deny the accession of Islam to Germany. Although Seehofer relativizes his statement "Islam does not belong to Germany" later. But, according to his wishes, the DIK should also investigate the question of whether there is a German Islam and how to define it. This, of course, remains the task of the participants in the Muslim conference, not indifferent politicians, says Secretary of the Interior Markus Kerber. But an agreement between the conservative representatives of Islam and the participants in the liberal conference seems extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Seyran Ates, head of the Berlin-based liberal mosque Ibn Rushd Goethe, is among them. Representatives of the newly founded initiative, secular Islam, are also invited. For them, the headscarf is an instrument of oppression, the consumption of pork goes well, abortion is a right for all women and the Koran is a work partially outdated. Even psychologist Ahmed Mansour is very controversial in conservative Islamic badociations. In short, at the conference, it is precisely those who are allowed to define a German Islam which, from a conservative and Muslim point of view, balances the abyss from the point of view of apostasy.

Islamic badociations fear not only theological destruction, but also a kind of cultural approximation. They refer to Seehofer's statements that German customs are Christian and that he should remain in spite of Muslim immigration. In addition, the journalist Eren Güvercin promoted a participant of the DIK for the cultural badimilation of Muslims. Güvercin, who chairs the more liberal society of the Alhambra, has called for not fearing a cultural adjustment.

However, US Secretary of State Kerber pointed out that liberal reform groups in no way dominate the DIK. In fact, the four main badociations – the Ditib, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, the Islamic Council and the Association of Islamic Cultural Centers – are present in panels and panels of the conference. However, they must share venues with representatives of small groups such as the Secular Islamic Initiative, the Alhambra Society and the Islamic Liberal Alliance. According to a survey by the Ministry of the Interior, the four badociations account for 20 to 30 percent of the estimated 4.4 to 4.7 million Muslims in Germany.

These are generally considered much more conservative than the majority society. This is proven by Bertelsmann's "Religion Monitor" study, according to which only 35% of Muslims would allow abortion and 48% of gay marriage. No other religious group is so conservative on these issues. Serap Güler (CDU), State Secretary for Integration in North Rhine-Westphalia, told WELT: "The only liberal groups" could "not reach the Muslim mainstream". they wanted to promote German Islam.

Especially in the case of the Turks, many Muslims also have a strong attachment to their country of origin or that of their family. According to the Foundation Center for Turkish Studies and Research on Integration, 82% of Turks feel exclusively or at least in Turkey. The director of the foundation, Haci Halil Uslucan, has warned that Muslims living in this country should claim their only allegiance to Germany – and to distinguish too much German Islam from the Turkish one.

The Alhambra Society wishes to represent a similar position to the DIK: it pleads for a moderate, conservative Islam, as well as the liberals and the link with Germany as a normal life – without breaking with the fingerprints of the culture of origin. Such an understanding of Islam could also be of interest to many members of large badociations, says Alhambra President Güvercin – at least at the base.

But the highest officials – with a few exceptions, aside from Central Council President Aiman ​​Mazyek – have pledged to follow the course of the Turkish government. That is to say: no chance for German Islam. This message is shared not only by Ditib officials, but also by the Ministry of Turkish Foreign Turks or the Turkish media loyal to Erdogan.

For weeks, they verbally beat all conference participants who were not on their line, denouncing them as apostates, gravediggers of Islam or even terrorists. The newspaper "Yeni Safak", which is affiliated with the ruling AKP party, claimed, for example, that the Alhambra society was controlled by the Gülen movement; that is, to be in touch with a group whose members are persecuted by the Turkish rulers as coup leaders. In this perspective, the prospects of a rapprochement between conservative and liberal Muslims at the conference on Islam are likely to be weak.