Germany: Berlin mosque once known as “liberal” ends project against “radicalization”
German authorities suspect that the change has come because of Turkish influence, and they’re likely correct. But why does the Turkish influence militate away from the project against “radicalization”? Because Erdogan is re-Islamizing Turkey, and so Turkish mosques in Germany and elsewhere are expected to hew to the traditional understanding of Islamic texts and teachings. And that means they aren’t going to be fighting against “radicalization.”
“Project against radicalization in the Berlin Mosque is ended,” translated from “Projekt gegen Radikalisierung in Berliner Moschee beendet,” by Von Anna-Sophie Schneider, Spiegel Online, November 28, 2018:
Previously, the Sehitlik Mosque in Berlin was considered liberal. Now a project for extremism prevention has failed, possibly because of the resistance of the mosque leadership. Critics suspect the influence of Turkey is behind this.It was a pilot project in Germany: in 2015, the Violence Prevention Network (VPN) first set up a counseling center on the prevention of extremism and the radicalization of Muslim youth directly on the premises of a mosque. The offer in the Berlin Sehitlik Mosque was well received. Frequently, young people and parents had sought advice from volunteers, says VPN CEO Thomas Mücke. But now the project has ended abruptly.The reason for this is an incident at the end of September, which only know has become known. The volunteer consultant Pinar Cetin at that time received a school class in Berlin’s largest mosque. The students had come at the invitation of the Foreign Office; Cetin was to tell them more about the ongoing prevention project running under the name “Bahira.” After a few minutes — according to project managers — the political scientist was harassed by several men. Among them were the imam of the mosque and the religious attaché of the Turkish Embassy, Ahmet Fuat Candir.They accused the 36-year-old of leading the students through the mosque without permission and imparting a false image of Islam, said the consultant Cetin recently in a conversation with the RBB. Then she was loudly criticized in the mosque. Cetin did not respond to an interview request from SPIEGEL. “She is probably still very upset and therefore probably does not want to talk about it anymore,” says VPN CEO Mücke. Cetin informed him of the scandal in September. The club then decided to end the “Bahira” project.Like about 960 mosques in Germany, the community belongs to Ditib“There was a red line crossed,” says Mücke: “We have long had the feeling that we were no longer desirable.” Although it had never been a classic collaboration anyway, VPN had often rented premises in the mosque. Finally they one did not feel welcome anymore. Mücke suspects that behind this was the growing influence of Turkey on the former flagship mosque.The community is one of about 960 mosques in Germany that belong to to Ditib. The Turkish Islamic Association likes to refer to itself as “politically neutral.” However, its structures offer Ankara opportunities to interfere with community life in this country. Ditib is subordinated to the Turkish religious authority Diyanet, which in turn is ultimately under the control of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Diyanet sends Turkish imams to Germany, and pays them, too. They are thus state officials of Turkey. Ditib has a religious attaché who is an employee of the Turkish embassy. Critics accuse Ditib, therefore, of working for Erdogan in Germany.“The structures have always been there, but in the past they were more restrained,” says Mücke. Only three years ago, when the prevention project was launched, the Sehitlik mosque was considered liberal. The then board chaired by Cetin’s husband Ender Cetin shaped an open community. However, since the failed coup in Turkey, the climate has changed. “The diversity that the community once stood for is no longer there,” says Bettina Jarasch, the integration policy spokeswoman for the Greens in Berlin.Board replaced by ACP-loyal peopleJust a few months after the coup attempt in 2016, the mosque’s executive committee was changed to one person and replaced with AKP-loyal people. As local media reported at the time, the change took place under pressure from the religious attaché Candir. From the official side that was denied at that time.Whether Candir, as claimed by Cetin and Mücke, was also involved in the recent scandal, the mosque’s executive committee has not confirmed upon request. Even Candir himself left a request unanswered. However, a statement by the Sehitlik board said that the mosque leadership had “politely requested Cetin to end her unauthorized initiative after one hour.” The Ditib mosques in Berlin and in particular the Sehitlik mosque were always available for projects of deradicalization, it said….
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