“Power demonstration of political Islam” – Sharp criticism of the Cologne muezzin call
“We have to create alternatives for those we need for our job market”
There was no agreement on money at the refugee summit with Interior Minister Faeser. After all, the federal government wants to help with even more real estate. The Islamism expert Ahmad Mansour calls for a rethinking of migration policy: “Integration does not just mean language and work,” says Mansour.
The Turkish-Islamic Union Ditib wants to introduce a muezzin call in Cologne soon. The psychologist Ahmad Mansour criticizes this as a “demonstration of power of political Islam”. He accuses the Mayor of Cologne, Reker, of naivety.
Dhe Berlin Islamism expert Ahmad Mansour fears “fatal consequences” from the muezzin call planned in Cologne. “This is a demonstration of the power of political Islam,” Mansour told the German Press Agency. The Turkish-Islamic Union Ditib may be allowed to call the muezzin to prayer in the central mosque for the first time this Friday.
Mansour, who grew up in Israel in an Arab-Palestinian family, is a psychologist and author of Operation Allah – How Political Islam Wants to Undermine Our Democracy. He regularly publishes guest articles at WELT and talks to his wife Beatrice about their binational marriage in the podcast “Ein Herz und ein Habibi”.
He reminded that Ditib is the extended arm of the Turkish religious authority in Ankara and that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally opened the central mosque in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. “It is devastating when this organization of all people is now being given such public recognition.” The Cologne initiative is not only perceived nationwide, but all over the world.
Cologne has announced that mosque communities can call their believers to prayer upon request and subject to conditions. The city refers to the freedom of religious practice enshrined in the Basic Law. While the bells rang in churches to call the faithful to the service, in the mosques it was the calls of the muezzin.
“I see it differently,” said Mansour. “The ringing of the bells is about sound, the muezzin call is about specific religious messages.” The muezzin calls out that there is no other god than Allah and that Mohammed is his messenger. “So that’s a distinct difference from just ringing.”
It is also easy to overlook the fact that many young Muslims in Germany appreciate the fact that religion is not as visible in public space as it is in their families’ Islamic countries of origin. “They find that relaxing, they find that good,” Mansour said. “If you want to be on time for prayer, just turn on your cell phone.”
In particular, Mansour criticizes the fact that the decision was simply announced by Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker (independent) without a prior discussion having taken place. This is about very fundamental questions: “What is the position of Islam in our society? Is he really equal? If that’s the case, then Muslims should also be able to demand public holidays and much more besides. And that is exactly what will happen now: the conservatives feel vindicated, see this as an important step towards the Islamization of Europe and will keep demanding more and more.” Of course, everyone is in favor of freedom of belief. “But to simply place the muezzin call in this context is criminally naive.”
At the Ditib central mosque, the muezzin could possibly call for prayer over loudspeakers from Friday (October 14). According to the city of Cologne, it is about to conclude a corresponding contract with Ditib. If this happens, the muezzin may call for Friday prayers once between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. for a maximum of five minutes. Since this is a pilot project, the contract is limited to two years, according to the city. The Ditib must also inform the residents with a flyer and name a contact person.
You can also hear Ahmad Mansour on the One Heart and One Habibi podcast. In it he talks to his wife about the advantages and prejudices of a binational marriage. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts, deezer, Amazon Music or directly by RSS feed.