Turkish Union concerned about increasing number of mosque attacks

The Secretary General of the Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institution for Religious Affairs (DİTİB) is calling on the German public and politicians to take action in view of the increasing anti-Islamic attacks on Turkish mosques in the country.

DITIB looks after over 800 mosques in Germany and is home to the largest Turkish diaspora in Europe.

According to Eyüp Kalyon, the attacks ranged from threats to burn the Holy Quran to the malicious delivery of pork to mosques, the consumption of which is forbidden in Islam.

Although these incidents were reported to the police, the authorities were accused of not paying enough attention to them or even denying them.

DITIB also reports an increase in hate mail. The organization said it had received at least 17 emails and letters containing hate and threatening material.

“They try to damage our mosques, to challenge Muslims (to repel the attacks). DİTİB immediately reports such attacks to the police… But we are worried. It scares the Muslims here, especially the children. We expect German politicians to take this seriously and take action against it,” Kaylon said. Anadolu Agency.

In 2023, CLAIM, a network of NGOs that monitor Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, recorded 1,926 anti-Muslim incidents – an increase of 114 percent.

While mosques in Germany reported an increase in Islamophobic vandalism, harassment and threats in 2023, Kaylon pointed out that attacks have increased even further since Israel’s war on Gaza.

The number of targeted attacks on Muslims has increased, and there have been 90 attacks on Islamic places of worship, cemeteries and other facilities.

Most of the attacks on individuals consisted of verbal abuse and were directed against women. There were also four attempted murders.

CLAIM also reported on a survey showing that every second German has anti-Islamic views.

The rise in Islamophobia in Germany comes at a time when the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which declares in its programme that Islam does not belong in Germany, has jumped to second place in polls over the past year, prompting mainstream parties to take a tougher stance on the issue of migration and particularly on Islamic migration.