Imam of Berlin mosque to Jusoor Post: Political parties moving further to the right against migrants, especially Muslims

As soon as a secret meeting between members of the far-right and controversial Alternative for Germany (AfD) and neo-Nazis was revealed by the German newspaper Corrective, the news quickly spread like wildfire and led to demonstrations that swept the streets of Berlin and other cities in Germany. 

The meeting included anti-migrant members of the AfD, centre-right Christian Democratic Party (CDU), Identitarian movement, students and businessmen in a hotel near Potsdam in Berlin on November 25, 2023. Its focal point boiled down to seeking to extradite all those who are “non-assimilated” into the German culture, whether migrants, asylum seekers or even citizens.

Such an anti-migration plan has instilled fears into a large segment of Germany’s Muslim community (5.5 million people, which represents 6.6% of the German population, according to the Deutsche Islam Konferenz), especially those with immigrant backgrounds, at a time when they have been facing increasing hostility since the outbreak of war between Palestine and Israel in the Gaza Strip.

Jusoor Post interviewed Scharjil Ahmad Khalid, an Islamic theologian and the imam of Khadija Mosque in Pankow, northern Berlin. Khadija Mosque, owned by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was the first mosque established in former East Berlin. It opened on October 16, 2008.

Sheikh Khalid voiced the Muslim community’s concerns about the rise of the far-right ideology and anti-migrant nationalism, especially the AfD’s plan to expel migrants, saying, “There are of course some Muslims who are afraid and anxious about the AfD and even thinking about shifting to another country.”

“There are two points many Muslims are criticizing now. First [is] the established parties like CDU (Christian Democratic Union) and even SPD (Social Democratic Party), especially [as German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz clearly stated that they want to deport more refugees/migrants back to their homeland. So, in fact, it is not merely a problem of AfD, but all parties are becoming more right,” he said.

Khalid added that the second point disturbing Muslims is the double standards adopted by Germans, as was reflected by the government’s support for Israel, which is “purely nationalist,” while millions of demonstrators went to the streets to speak out loudly against the AfD's far-right ideology, which is similar to the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“Muslims [are] raising the questions [about] why Germany is so intensively cooperating with Israel, where an extreme right government is ruling now. Why are they even sending weapons and money to those extremist people who are literally [committing] a genocide in Palestine?” Khalid said, adding, “So why are they are just blaming right people in Germany? Why not in the whole world? Muslims are just frustrated about these kinds of double standards.” 

In reply to a question about whether there could be a trend in the political parties to restore Adolf Hitler’s Nazi ideology gradually, Sheikh Khalid ruled that out, saying, “I am not thinking that we are going back to Hitler. German people are very nice and generous, but because of this labeling, many are getting frustrated […] because the media is propagating so much bad news about Islam.” 

Khalid does not believe that other parties will not join these ideas, but he noted that more people will join the AfD and give their votes to the party.

“Some analysts think that this is a campaign of the government against the AfD because of the upcoming elections in the states of East Germany, where according to the surveys in most of those states, AfD will have the most votes,” he clarified.

The imam illustrated that although those voters are not anti-immigrant, they are of the belief that the country’s infrastructure cannot afford more migrants, noting, “Even the Green Party is now saying that we cannot accept all refugees.”

However, on the other side, he said that “the nationalist ideology is growing,” which leads to hate against migrants and especially Muslims.

Increased hatred, discrimination against Muslims

Meanwhile, hatred and discrimination against Muslims have increased since the outbreak of the war on the Gaza Strip.

“This is unfortunately growing. My sister, my mother, my cousins, my wife: all are witnessing and experiencing it. Since the war in Gaza, Muslims are facing hard times all around the world,” Khalid said.

In response to a question about whether the reason for hatred against Muslims is because of their religion or because of the ideology of nationalism, Sheikh Khalid attributed the reasons to both factors, saying, “Whenever [the far-right people] talk about migrants, they differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims. For example, they often say that Germany has its own culture, and Islam is the complete opposite of it.”

The extreme right believe that “Muslim migrants are the worst,” and they “are publishing statistics in which Muslims are more criminal,” he continued, noting however that the German government is recognizing that Islamophobia is an urgent danger.

Sheikh Khalid wondered about the fate of German Muslims, as many people who go to the mosques are originally German, so he views the plan to expel migrants that was presented at the Potsdam meeting is “unrealistic.”

Khalid noted that the AfD is currently saying that this plan is against their policy and they would never deport people with German passports. However, he added that “people are always looking for a scapegoat. In the past it was the Jews and now many think it is the Muslims.”