The German government pledged to fight against Islamophobia and discrimination

In his speech at the 16th German Islamic Conference, Faeser said: “Many people in Germany face racism every day. Muslims are twice as likely to experience racism. As adherents of the Islamic religion, but also as people with an immigrant background, they often face hostility and rejection.” he said.

Nancy Faeser promised that the coalition government will take measures to combat racism and Islamophobia and will support projects that promote integration and greater participation of Muslims in German society.

Faeser also stated that the Ministry of the Interior will take a new approach to the work of the German Conference of Islam and will advocate for broader participation to ensure it reflects the diversity of Muslims in the country.

The Minister of the Interior also stated that he wanted the appointments to be phased out to end the appointment of imams in Germany by other states. The issue of imams being sent to Germany is of particular interest to Turkey.” he said.

Faeser stated that his ministry is in contact with Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs in this context and that Undersecretary Juliane Seifert discussed this issue in Ankara last week.

Faeser stated that imams who speak German and are familiar with the vital reality of Germany will also be socially beneficial.

In Germany, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) provides the majority of religious personnel needs in approximately 900 mosques in Turkey.

160 representatives of different institutions and organizations were invited to the German Islam Conference, which was implemented in 2006 to ensure a regular dialogue between the German state and the country’s Muslims.

While Germany registers as the country with the second largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France, according to official figures, approximately 5 million Muslims live in the country.

In recent years, Germany has witnessed increasing cases of racism and Islamophobia, due to the propaganda of far-right groups and parties that exploit the refugee crisis and try to feed fear of immigrants.

German authorities recorded at least 662 Islamophobic hate crimes in 2021. Between January and December last year, more than 46 mosques were attacked and at least 17 injured as a result of anti-Muslim violence. (AA)