Gülden Hennemann, head of the Central Coordination Office for Countering Extremism in the Bavarian prison system (ZKE)
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not in any way represent the editorial position of Euronews.
As with the fight against right-wing extremism, a clear line must be drawn with Islamists, not only on the issue of violence but also regarding their position on core democratic values, writes Gülden Henneman.
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Friday night: A knife attack at a town festival in Solingen. Saturday morning: Arson at a synagogue in the south of France. Sunday morning: The launch of a long-anticipated major attack by Hezbollah into Israel.
It's a sad weekend marked by Islamism and Islamist hatred. What these three events have in common is Islamist hatred of liberal democratic values and Israel.
Given the growing threat from far-right extremism, political focus has recently shifted to efforts to combat right-wing extremism.
Civil society has also been vocal in its determination to fight racism, hostility towards people and ethno-nationalism through countless demonstrations and various actions – from concerts to social media campaigns.
At the same time, there has been a notable silence from politics and civil society on the issue of Islamism.
On the contrary, many scientists, experts, writers and journalists deliberately avoid the topic of Islamism out of fear, as the public pressure on social media and threats against themselves, their friends and family are almost unbearable.
Especially since the terrorist attacks by Hamas and its allied Islamist groups on October 7 last year, any statement about Islamism, Israel and Palestine feels like walking through a minefield.
But given that the Islamist threat has persisted for years, this silence is the worst possible option, because it would suggest either approval or cowardice — either of which are existential threats to liberal democracy.
The world has changed since October 7th, making it even more important that we finally tackle Islamism and its effects, and not just legally and criminally.
Decades of hatred
The investigation in Solingen is still ongoing and the exact circumstances surrounding the crime are unclear, but a number of facts point to an Islamist terror attack.
The official media of the so-called Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia has already claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as “revenge against Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere.”
The intellectual history of Islamism reveals that hatred of Israel and the Jewish people, combined with the rejection of democratic values and free lifestyles, are core elements of Islamist ideology.
Since the last century, Islamists have systematically spread these ideas, first and foremost through the books and works of Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966), the supreme leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and the founder of modern Islamism in the 19th century, which are still referenced for radicalization purposes today.
His essay “The War against the Jews” had a lasting impact on Muslim hatred towards Jews and Israel, as he referred to religious sources and traditions and gained religious justification for this hatred.
It should not be forgotten that Abdullah Azzam (1941-1989), himself a Palestinian and the ideological and organizational mastermind of al-Qaeda, explicitly called for the use of violence as a means to defend Muslim lands around the world, and Palestine in particular, from Israel.
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And finally, there was Yusuf al-Qaradawi (1926-2022), who not only fostered the emergence of a generation of fundamentalist-minded Muslims, especially in Europe, but was also one of Hamas’ most prominent supporters and an outspoken advocate of the use of Palestinian violence, including suicide bombings.
Yet since October 7, there has been little discussion of these core elements of Islamism and Islamic terrorism.
And this despite the fact that this terrorist attack by Hamas and its allies not only has the potential to reshape the Near East and Middle East order, but also to spark a new wave of Islamic extremism in Europe.
On the contrary, the political establishment argues that Islamism and Islamic terrorism only arrived in Europe with the 2015 refugee movements.
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Extremism Hiding Behind Democratic Laws
Even if Muslim anti-Semitism has become an increasing problem in the wake of refugee movements since 2015 and, together with other psychosocial factors, has become a breeding ground for Islamic extremism, this should not obscure the fact that Islamists have been systematically building organizations and expanding their networks in Europe since the 1970s and especially the 1980s, and have been increasing their influence, particularly in the educational, social and socio-political spheres.
Thus, the decades-long expansion of Islamism in Europe has been nurtured through anti-democratic, anti-Semitic and anti-Western rhetoric by Islamist groups and movements, notably the Muslim Brotherhood, often protected by the freedom of expression and religion guaranteed by democratic laws.
And as long as they don't cross the line of criminal law, they can continue to organize and network unhindered, sometimes reaching the highest political levels.
Because they publicly oppose violence in the name of religion, they remain often consulted as partners and advisors on issues of integration and counterterrorism.
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And that’s not all: Islamist organisations, such as those ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood, continue to receive funding in many European countries and are seen as legitimate representatives of Muslims at the political and social levels.
Romantic reductionism justifies crime
In the context of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the consequences of this Islamist networking are particularly clear.
Organisations such as the Palestinian Community in Germany (PGD) and the Samidoun Network (Palestinian Prisoners Solidarity Network), banned in Germany but still active across Europe, claim to represent the interests of Palestinians, but at heart they spread hatred towards Israel and the Jewish people and support Islamist groups such as Hamas.
These and similar organisations aim to strongly emotionally stimulate European societies, influence public debate and influence political decisions regarding Israel, in particular for their own anti-Israel and Islamist interests.
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They enjoy public, political and social support, especially from the left. Thus, we see how students, feminists, LGBTQ+ activists and other supposedly enlightened figures have remained silent about the atrocities of October 7, which have been used for months to justify Islamist-motivated rapes, murders, massacres and abductions, while almost romantically trivializing the Islamist terrorism of Hamas and its allies as a form of self-defense against the so-called aggressor state of Israel.
It is a betrayal beyond comparison that those who have been advocating for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights for years and decades are now aligning themselves with those who oppose those very rights because of their Islamist beliefs and support the Islamist Hamas in Gaza.
What is particularly shocking is that while these groups legitimize Hamas and its allies as the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people, they fail to acknowledge that women, homosexuals and dissidents have been oppressed and persecuted since Hamas came to power in Gaza.
Indeed, these developments over the past few months have highlighted one thing: criticism of Israeli political developments, such as settlement policy and pro-Palestinian demonstrations, is important and legitimate.
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But in the process, it would be dangerous to become an Islamist mouthpiece and deny Israel's right to exist — not only would this legitimize Islamist terrorism, but it would also put at risk the fundamental principles of democracy.
Don't give extremists the satisfaction of silencing them
In order to effectively counter the further rise of Islamism and Islamic terrorism in Europe in the future, we need to not only focus on legal and security measures, but also ultimately address the ideological nexus and expose Islamist discourse.
As with the fight against right-wing extremism, clear lines must be drawn with Islamists, not just on the issue of violence but also regarding their position on core democratic values.
On the one hand, it is crucial that people’s critical thinking skills are more strongly promoted so that they can recognise Islamist propaganda and misinformation, and, on the other hand, that a culture of debate and discussion is promoted in which the long-term dangers that Islamist ideology poses to democracy are openly addressed and, above all, communicated.
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Silence is not an option, as it would allow Islamists and their accomplices to achieve their goal.
Gülden Hennemann is a political scientist and former employee of the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution, who now heads the Central Coordination Office for Countering Extremism (ZKE) and the Operational Unit for Countering Extremism (OpEEx) in the Bavarian prison system.
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