Conservatives call on Muslims to report radicals in their midst

Stefan Müller, integration spokesman for the Christian Democrats and Christian Social Union’s parliamentary group, said members of the 2,500 mosques in Germany should co-operate with anti-terrorism authorities more closely.

“In the face of the intensified situation, the mosque communities are called on to be especially watchful and keep an eye out for possible fanatics in their own ranks,” Müller told the daily Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung’s Thursday edition.

The great majority of Muslims in Germany had nothing to do with terrorism, Müller stressed.

“It is also in their interests to prevent the abuse of Islam by radicals.”

Müller, of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, the CSU, appealed to mosque-goers to “intensify co-operation with security services and pass on evidence quickly in cases of suspicion.”

The chairman of the Central Council of Muslims, Aiman Mazyek, has previously said that many Muslims in Germany feel they are under suspicion because of their faith alone. Mosques had been subject to hate mail and material damage, he said.

Amid the debate about the sharpened terrorism threat Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière has also warned against holding a “general suspicion” of Muslims. He has also cautioned against hysteria and abusing the debate to pre-judge Muslims.

The Local/dw