Cairo, NU Online
After decades of a rather informal existence, Islam and Muslims have recently come into the focus of public scrutiny. This resulted in a rising interest in the subject of Islam. Mounir Azzaoui, former spokesman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD), said.
The last five years were characterized by crises, terrorist attacks, discussions about the caricatures, and statements of the Pope; nearly every third month, we had a bigger debate.<>
Genesis of German Islam
Roughly, three quarters of all German Muslims are either Turkish citizens or their descendants. Representative polls show that 84 percent of all Muslims in Germany want to stay in Germany. Some 600,000 of them are already German citizens.
In order to facilitate their religious needs, Muslims founded associations, which in turn opened temporary prayer rooms. These were the first signs of a visible Muslim presence in Germany.
Little by little, Muslims and their organizations searched for long-term places to practice their religion. Today, there are more than 2,000 prayer rooms, in which the daily prayers are performed. By now, 159 architecturally recognizable, purpose-oriented Mosques have been constructed. Other 140 projects of construction are in the planning stage.
Representatives of German Muslims
Until now, "organized Islam" has been numerically dominated by ethnically structured and distinct organizations. Currently, four big formations are predominant. The strongest of these are two Turkish Mosque associations: the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (D?T?B) and the autonomous, independent Union of Islamic Cultural Centers (VIKZ). With the biggest number of Mosques, D?T?B is influenced by the Turkish state.
In addition, there are two umbrella organizations: the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) and the Islamic Council of Germany. The Islamic Council has as its dominant member the Islamic Community Milli G?rüs (IGMG) of Turkish roots. The most important member of the ZMD is the (Arab-rooted) Islamic Community in Germany (IGD). Each of both umbrella organizations has in turn dozens of other members, but these do not rival the IGMG or the IGD in the numbers of their followers or their political leverage.
Dr. Ayyub Khler, veteran German Muslim and president of the ZMD, sees the "internal tasks" of his umbrella organization in the "support of and care for the communities and member organizations." But, according to Dr. Khler, there are also questions of religious training. "Additionally, we offer support in legal and theological questions, as well as activities to improve the conditions regarding religious practices," he added.
Turkish Islam in Germany
Muslims growingly see the still-existent ethnical focus as an obstacle to Islam. "It is a problem that the biggest group of Muslims is linked to Turkey. This has led to the current connection of Islamic topics with Turkish problems," Leyla Massoudi a young Muslim student from Cologne said.
Fairness demands the acknowledgment that there are also other ethnical groups that are, to say the least, partly under foreign influence. There are attempts, especially by Muslim organizations, to emphasize that Islam is free from terror and that suicide bombings have been hampered by ideologies from the Middle East.
Obstacles to German Muslims
Azzaoui assesses the status of Islamic teaching as "problematic." He was quoted by islamonline.com as saying
It is indeed a central problem of the current platforms that there is no sophisticated teaching that deals with the local situation of Muslims. Organizations are missing this point when they think only in political terms.
Mostly, the generation of young Muslims and new Muslims is confirming a basic accumulating demand. There is an undercurrent, yet outspoken, critique on some of the positions of Islamic organizations. Based on encounters of some Muslims in Germany, the main three uttered points of critique are the lack of independent teaching of Islam, the absence of a sustainable network of Awqaf (endowments), and the predominant focus of Islamic organizations on their own structural needs.
The opinion of the well-known German-Turkish writer Feridun Zaimoglu can be seen as representative of others' opinions. He stated,
Maybe it is time to ask what the so-called "organized Islam" can and can't do. I would rather place emphasis on the young generation of Muslim men and women, who will be soon the avant-garde of Germans with an immigrant background.
With regard to institutionalized Islam, Zaimoglu thinks one has to deal quite often with "representatives who solidify a certain hierarchy."
Malik Sezgin, secretary-general of the European Muslim Union, confirms the critique on the ethnical focus of the existing bodies in Germany. He, himself being from an immigrant background, explains that European Muslims are going to play an increasing and important role within Islam in Germany. They will have to be the key element for a positive change within the Muslim community of Germany because, he said, they understand the language of the place as well as the intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Germans.
Contact with German politics
Despite the partial increase of polarization of the German society due to the media coverage of Islam, the realization that Muslims (represented by their organizations) can no longer be negated is becoming evident. Two conservative politicians, namely Home Secretary Wolfgang Sch?uble and Chancellor Angela Merkel, have confirmed this reality.
During the German Conference on Islam, Sch?uble demonstrated that he hopes the conference could talk with the Muslims in their presently organized form. In May 2007, he met for the second time the representatives of the biggest four Muslim organizations for a one-day conference. The Islamic Newspaper (Islamische Zeitung) pointed out more than once the fact that discussions in the conference are done mostly over the heads of Muslims.
Furthermore, Zaimoglu criticized the absence of practicing Muslim women in the conference:
It cannot be like this. Women who value Islam as their belief and the core of their lives should not be excluded.
Difficult search for unity
As a new tool to achieve the unity of Muslims, in April 2007, the biggest four Muslim organizations in Germany formed the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM). All participating bodies have two votes in this new council. However, because of its big size, the D?T?B has three votes. The council's chairing speaker is changed every six months and is agreed upon by the four members of the council.
Complete, mutual consent exists within all important Islamic communities with regard to rejection of terrorism and racism. The unity ends here; at least until now. Beyond the five daily prayers, modalities of how to apply the rules of zakah (obligatory alms) and other elements of Islamic, life transactions are much more difficult to agree upon. Also, there is still disagreement as to when Ramadan should start or end.
However, there is an overall growing will from the Muslims to coordinate their communities and the Islamic life in a much stronger manner. The main arguments among the organizations are based on old conflicts. These conflicts have almost no reality anymore and will be sooner or later settled by a new generation.
An important and pressing task for the KRM is developing a common position toward the training of future imams in Germany. In this regard, it would be helpful for the council to have a stronger presence on the Internet to publicly clarify the common grounds.
Part of Germany
During the stage of founding the KRM, the council's members stood in front of the press and all participants were very optimistic. "The time of guest workers and also of the immigrants is over," said the chairman of the Islamic Council, Ali Kizilkaya. "The majority of Muslims was born in Germany and did not migrate. We are part of Germany," he added.
Bekir Alboga, the new spokesperson of the KRM, said, "The council has proved its capability to the public." He also stated that with the integration of the four Islamic umbrella organizations, the wishes of German Muslims for unity and the constant political demands have been fulfilled.
Concerning the question of Muslim organizations, Zaimoglu holds a quite contrary position: "Institutionalized Islam? I am not interested." Furthermore, he calls for a greater self-confidence of the Muslims. "They should not give in too easily to any pressure," he said.
Ahmad Gross, general manager of Weimar Institute, a leading Muslim educational and cultural institute, is optimistic about the prospects of Muslims in Germany.
The pressure on Muslims is growing, so we need to understand our existence here as a chance given by Allah. Regardless of all the propaganda and madness of this time, the West is discovering Islam. Everyone is passing through a different door, but people are in the end looking for the mercy of Allah.
Difficult but necessary
The youth and new Muslims have an ambiguous stance toward "organized Islam." They call for more activities for and by the Muslims in Germany. There is, however, a big potential of capable skills in the community, according to Azzaoui. "Until now, these positive faculties have not been called up by the big organizations. Important fields of activity are economy, media, and everywhere else, where there are Muslims who are willing to participate," he said.
So far, there is a lack of independent practicing Muslims and native German Muslims who are capable of developing visions for the future of Islam in Germany. First and foremost, it is the youth who want and need to have correct Islamic guidance that leads neither into fundamentalism nor into esotericism. (dar)
After decades of a rather informal existence, Islam and Muslims have recently come into the focus of public scrutiny. This resulted in a rising interest in the subject of Islam. Mounir Azzaoui, former spokesman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD), said.
The last five years were characterized by crises, terrorist attacks, discussions about the caricatures, and statements of the Pope; nearly every third month, we had a bigger debate.<>
Genesis of German Islam
Roughly, three quarters of all German Muslims are either Turkish citizens or their descendants. Representative polls show that 84 percent of all Muslims in Germany want to stay in Germany. Some 600,000 of them are already German citizens.
In order to facilitate their religious needs, Muslims founded associations, which in turn opened temporary prayer rooms. These were the first signs of a visible Muslim presence in Germany.
Little by little, Muslims and their organizations searched for long-term places to practice their religion. Today, there are more than 2,000 prayer rooms, in which the daily prayers are performed. By now, 159 architecturally recognizable, purpose-oriented Mosques have been constructed. Other 140 projects of construction are in the planning stage.
Representatives of German Muslims
Until now, "organized Islam" has been numerically dominated by ethnically structured and distinct organizations. Currently, four big formations are predominant. The strongest of these are two Turkish Mosque associations: the Turkish Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (D?T?B) and the autonomous, independent Union of Islamic Cultural Centers (VIKZ). With the biggest number of Mosques, D?T?B is influenced by the Turkish state.
In addition, there are two umbrella organizations: the Central Council of Muslims in Germany (ZMD) and the Islamic Council of Germany. The Islamic Council has as its dominant member the Islamic Community Milli G?rüs (IGMG) of Turkish roots. The most important member of the ZMD is the (Arab-rooted) Islamic Community in Germany (IGD). Each of both umbrella organizations has in turn dozens of other members, but these do not rival the IGMG or the IGD in the numbers of their followers or their political leverage.
Dr. Ayyub Khler, veteran German Muslim and president of the ZMD, sees the "internal tasks" of his umbrella organization in the "support of and care for the communities and member organizations." But, according to Dr. Khler, there are also questions of religious training. "Additionally, we offer support in legal and theological questions, as well as activities to improve the conditions regarding religious practices," he added.
Turkish Islam in Germany
Muslims growingly see the still-existent ethnical focus as an obstacle to Islam. "It is a problem that the biggest group of Muslims is linked to Turkey. This has led to the current connection of Islamic topics with Turkish problems," Leyla Massoudi a young Muslim student from Cologne said.
Fairness demands the acknowledgment that there are also other ethnical groups that are, to say the least, partly under foreign influence. There are attempts, especially by Muslim organizations, to emphasize that Islam is free from terror and that suicide bombings have been hampered by ideologies from the Middle East.
Obstacles to German Muslims
Azzaoui assesses the status of Islamic teaching as "problematic." He was quoted by islamonline.com as saying
It is indeed a central problem of the current platforms that there is no sophisticated teaching that deals with the local situation of Muslims. Organizations are missing this point when they think only in political terms.
Mostly, the generation of young Muslims and new Muslims is confirming a basic accumulating demand. There is an undercurrent, yet outspoken, critique on some of the positions of Islamic organizations. Based on encounters of some Muslims in Germany, the main three uttered points of critique are the lack of independent teaching of Islam, the absence of a sustainable network of Awqaf (endowments), and the predominant focus of Islamic organizations on their own structural needs.
The opinion of the well-known German-Turkish writer Feridun Zaimoglu can be seen as representative of others' opinions. He stated,
Maybe it is time to ask what the so-called "organized Islam" can and can't do. I would rather place emphasis on the young generation of Muslim men and women, who will be soon the avant-garde of Germans with an immigrant background.
With regard to institutionalized Islam, Zaimoglu thinks one has to deal quite often with "representatives who solidify a certain hierarchy."
Malik Sezgin, secretary-general of the European Muslim Union, confirms the critique on the ethnical focus of the existing bodies in Germany. He, himself being from an immigrant background, explains that European Muslims are going to play an increasing and important role within Islam in Germany. They will have to be the key element for a positive change within the Muslim community of Germany because, he said, they understand the language of the place as well as the intellectual and spiritual heritage of the Germans.
Contact with German politics
Despite the partial increase of polarization of the German society due to the media coverage of Islam, the realization that Muslims (represented by their organizations) can no longer be negated is becoming evident. Two conservative politicians, namely Home Secretary Wolfgang Sch?uble and Chancellor Angela Merkel, have confirmed this reality.
During the German Conference on Islam, Sch?uble demonstrated that he hopes the conference could talk with the Muslims in their presently organized form. In May 2007, he met for the second time the representatives of the biggest four Muslim organizations for a one-day conference. The Islamic Newspaper (Islamische Zeitung) pointed out more than once the fact that discussions in the conference are done mostly over the heads of Muslims.
Furthermore, Zaimoglu criticized the absence of practicing Muslim women in the conference:
It cannot be like this. Women who value Islam as their belief and the core of their lives should not be excluded.
Difficult search for unity
As a new tool to achieve the unity of Muslims, in April 2007, the biggest four Muslim organizations in Germany formed the Coordination Council of Muslims in Germany (KRM). All participating bodies have two votes in this new council. However, because of its big size, the D?T?B has three votes. The council's chairing speaker is changed every six months and is agreed upon by the four members of the council.
Complete, mutual consent exists within all important Islamic communities with regard to rejection of terrorism and racism. The unity ends here; at least until now. Beyond the five daily prayers, modalities of how to apply the rules of zakah (obligatory alms) and other elements of Islamic, life transactions are much more difficult to agree upon. Also, there is still disagreement as to when Ramadan should start or end.
However, there is an overall growing will from the Muslims to coordinate their communities and the Islamic life in a much stronger manner. The main arguments among the organizations are based on old conflicts. These conflicts have almost no reality anymore and will be sooner or later settled by a new generation.
An important and pressing task for the KRM is developing a common position toward the training of future imams in Germany. In this regard, it would be helpful for the council to have a stronger presence on the Internet to publicly clarify the common grounds.
Part of Germany
During the stage of founding the KRM, the council's members stood in front of the press and all participants were very optimistic. "The time of guest workers and also of the immigrants is over," said the chairman of the Islamic Council, Ali Kizilkaya. "The majority of Muslims was born in Germany and did not migrate. We are part of Germany," he added.
Bekir Alboga, the new spokesperson of the KRM, said, "The council has proved its capability to the public." He also stated that with the integration of the four Islamic umbrella organizations, the wishes of German Muslims for unity and the constant political demands have been fulfilled.
Concerning the question of Muslim organizations, Zaimoglu holds a quite contrary position: "Institutionalized Islam? I am not interested." Furthermore, he calls for a greater self-confidence of the Muslims. "They should not give in too easily to any pressure," he said.
Ahmad Gross, general manager of Weimar Institute, a leading Muslim educational and cultural institute, is optimistic about the prospects of Muslims in Germany.
The pressure on Muslims is growing, so we need to understand our existence here as a chance given by Allah. Regardless of all the propaganda and madness of this time, the West is discovering Islam. Everyone is passing through a different door, but people are in the end looking for the mercy of Allah.
Difficult but necessary
The youth and new Muslims have an ambiguous stance toward "organized Islam." They call for more activities for and by the Muslims in Germany. There is, however, a big potential of capable skills in the community, according to Azzaoui. "Until now, these positive faculties have not been called up by the big organizations. Important fields of activity are economy, media, and everywhere else, where there are Muslims who are willing to participate," he said.
So far, there is a lack of independent practicing Muslims and native German Muslims who are capable of developing visions for the future of Islam in Germany. First and foremost, it is the youth who want and need to have correct Islamic guidance that leads neither into fundamentalism nor into esotericism. (dar)
