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| Europe | |
| Police make raids against suspected 'IS' supporters across 10 states in Germany | |
| 2016-11-16 | |
| [DeutscheWelle] Authorities have carried out more than 200 searches against suspected radical fundamentalists. German media reported that the targets were part of the well-known "True Religion" Salafist group. A string of raids were carried out across Germany early on Tuesday morning against suspected "Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... " (IS) sympathizers. According to news agency dpa, the raids took place in more than 200 homes and offices across 10 federal states. Authorities carried out searches targeting individuals belonging to the "True Religion" Salafist group ("Die wahre Religion"), who have stirred up controversy for passing out a particularly fundamentalist translation of the Koran. The Interior Ministry confirmed the actions in a tweet, and announced a ban of the organization: Some 65 raids were carried out in the state of Hesse, 15 of them in the city of Frankfurt alone. Every one of the searches took place in Berlin or the former West. Salafism promotes a very strict interpretation of Islamic scripture and the use of Sharia law to impose order. The "True Religion" Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... targeted in Tuesday’s raid have become infamous in Germany in recent years for disseminating copies of the Koran emblazoned with the slogan "Read It!" before they were banned from doing so in pedestrian zones by Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière. De Maizière elaborated on the cause of the raids in a presser later in the day. He said that this particular translation of the Koran was used to "spread messages of hate and anti-constitutional ideologies," adding that "more than 140 young people have traveled to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist groups after participating in the 'Read It!' campaign." A Twitter account appearing to represent the group claimed that "the Koran has been banned in Germany," going on to say "we have delivered Allah's message." "Those who indoctrinate young people and radicalize them with pseudoreligious ideologies are using religious freedom as a smoke screen," said Ralf Jäger, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia's top security official, after the raids. The "True Religion" group's Paleostinian-born leader Abou-Nagie was not in Germany when Tuesday's raids took place. Police searched his last-known location in the western city of Bonn. Abou-Nagie is believed to be in Malaysia, security sources told dpa, where the group is reportedly planning on launching a similar Koran-distribution initiative. The "True Religion" group already operates in 15 countries including Austria, La Belle France, Bahrain and Brazil, the sources said. The raids came just one week after German authorities began a renewed crackdown on the country’s top Salafist ideologues, including 32-year old hate preacher Abu Walaa. Walaa, an Iraqi who has been in Germany since 2000, is suspected of supporting IS interests in Germany.
'True religion:' How Salafists lure supporters [DeutscheWelle] German authorities have stepped up pressure on the "True Religion" Salafist group. Abou Nagie, a Cologne ...a lovely city in Germany. They invented perfume there... -based, Paleostinian-born Salafist preacher, activist and businessman, is one of the group's leading figures. "Islam is presented as though it is all about violence, hate, forced marriage and terror" - that's how a video on the internet site of the "True Religion" group starts off. Now banned by the German Interior Ministry, the organization was founded by Ibrahim Abou Nagie, a German Moslem with a Paleostinian background. He is one Germany's most prominent Salafists. His declared aim: to improve the public image of Moslems and Islam. In an interview with DW three years ago, the preacher from Cologne clarified that he wants to present the "true Islam". He described himself simply as Moslem. Salafist, he argued, is a term used by the media and politicians to divide Moslems - adding that the term has been whispered into the ears of government by "Zionist advisors." "Only Moslems" "Salafist, Islamist - we are only Moslems," explain the friendly young men and at least one woman in the video on the "True Religion's" website, which was still accessible even after the movement was banned. The opening of the video comes across like a commercial, with its projection of a special atmosphere, and oriental-sounding music. It is as if they are trying to sell something. And indeed, after a few seconds, there is a cut to a pedestrian street in a large German city, where Abou Nagie sits behind a counter stacked with copies of the Koran he wants not to sell, but give away - namely to infidels. When the campaign with the commanding name of "Read!" began in 2012, the idea was to give away copies of the Koran so people could form their own opinion about Islam. At the time, the organizers explained that their goal was to distribute a total of 25 million copies. Or as Abou Nagie put it: a Koran for every German household. The campaign to distribute the Koran spread to 15 other countries, amongst them, La Belle France, Great Britannia, Sweden, Austria, Bahrain and, since June 2016, also Brazil. Abou Nagie, 52, came to Germany when he was 18 to study electrical engineering. But instead of completing his studies, he started a business selling self-adhesive film. Nine years ago he was forced to declare bankruptcy - retroactive tax demands of 70,000 euros ($US 75,500) ruined him financially. From then on, he dedicated his life the Salafist scene and to converting non-Moslems. This scene included well-known Salafists such as the recently jugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... Abu Walaa as well as Sven Lau, currently on trial for allegedly supporting the terrorist militia "Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... " (IS). Abou Nagie taught Islam at various mosques, gave advice to converts on YouTube and made public appearances with Salafist preacher Pierre Vogel. The Cologne businessman preached an extremely repressive interpretation of the Koran. Nationwide campaign According to intelligence authorities, Abou Nagie is not only thoroughly Salafist, he is also one of the most influential Salafists in Germany. By definition, this means he belongs to one of the most conservative branches of the religion, a branch that looks to the bygone days of early Islam, the times of the Prophet Mohammed. The Salafist movement rejects later judicial decisions and interpretations. Intelligence authorities estimate there were 3,800 Salafists in Germany in 2011 - and 7,500 supporters just four years later. Only a minority support violence, but experts say there is often a smooth transition from being politically active to become a jihadist, and adopting violence-prone Salafism. Abou Nagie teaches "the full spectrum of Salafist ideology" in his regular lectures and seminars, domestic intelligence authorities in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia noted in 2011. An intelligence report described Abou Nagie as not only offering religious instruction, but also discussing and supporting martyrdom and jihad, including using violence to defend Islamic belief. Simple approach A series of criminal charges followed: he was charged with inciting punishable acts, including murder. In June 2012, then Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich initiated legal proceedings to have the "True Religion" group banned. Yet all attempts to attribute crimes to Abou Nagie or his organization remained unsuccessful. His tirades against the immoral life in the West and homosexuality, and for Sharia law, may have violated accepted ethical standards in Germany - but they did not break criminal laws. Many people see distributing the Koran as too zealous, the "True Religion" front man's rhetoric seems too radical to pass it off as a harmless initiative. The Interior Ministry came to the same conclusion in its 2015 annual report, saying that people participated in the campaign with the purpose of "disseminating radical Islam and recruiting jihadists." There is increasing evidence that people took part in the campaign to distribute the Koran so that they could later take part in the struggles in Syria, the ministry said. Several of the group's members were arrested before the current crackdown and ban of the organization. But for Abou Nagie. Earlier this year, the Cologne district court convicted him of professional social security fraud, saying he had pocketed the benefits but had declined to declared an income of 50,000 euros from his "Read!" campaign. He was handed a 13-month suspended sentence, but not forbidden to distribute the Koran on the streets in Germany. Abu Nagie was also not arrested during the crackdowns on Tuesday morning. Investigators believe he may be in Malaysia - supposedly the next country to be added to the list of nations where Salafists hand out the Koran for free. | |
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