By Prof. Wolfgang Hetzer, Berlin
Germany’s new government promises to fight Islamism. But while extremist ideologies pose a real threat, millions of Muslims have long been living as a natural part of German society.
“We will fight Islamism” – this sentence appears twice in the current coalition agreement. Given terrorist attacks and demonstrations for a caliphate, this is an understandable priority. Yet the debate over an alleged “Islamization” of Germany reveals a dilemma between legitimate security concerns and blanket prejudices.
