Islamists sent here to 'islamise' Europe, says female imam in Germany
Hundreds gathered Saturday outside Berlin's city hall, waving Syrian flags and chanting slogans, including "Today we liberate Suwayda. And we will bend the Druze," according to observers.
Protesters also directed hostile chants against Christians, Alawites and Israelis while displaying support for Syria's new Islamist leadership under Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known by his nom de guerre Mohammed al-Jolani.
The demonstrations coincided with ongoing violence in Syria's Druze-majority Suwayda region, where human rights organisations report hundreds were killed in attacks by Bedouin militias and government-aligned forces. Entire villages have been burned and civilians, including women and children, assaulted and summarily executed.
Similar protests in Düsseldorf drew approximately 300 participants who displayed large posters honouring al-Sharaa. Videos showed demonstrators dancing while glorifying attacks on Druze communities, with footage later posted to TikTok featuring scissors symbols representing the cutting of Druze men's facial hair.
Violence erupted at Düsseldorf's central train station when Syrian protesters clashed with Kurdish demonstrators. Participants threw bottles and stones, injuring five police officers before authorities separated the groups. Police filed roughly 20 criminal charges, including breach of peace, assault and property damage.
'Sent to Europe to cause unrest'
Seyran Ateş, founder and imam of the Ibn Rushd Goethe Mosque, issued a stern warning about the "protesters" who openly show their radicalism on the streets.
"They were sent to Europe to cause unrest here, to recruit people for their ideology and to work on the big idea of Islamising Europe," Ateş told Euronews.
"A liberal society like Germany cannot and will not close itself off to radical views as long as they do not threaten the constitution."
"If right-wing extremist Germans are allowed to demonstrate, then Islamists can demonstrate too. Yet more tolerance is often shown towards Islamists so as not to be seen as Islamophobic," she explained.
Ateş's liberal mosque had to close temporarily in 2024 due to threats of extremist attacks. She was the target of an attack by a member of the Turkish right-wing extremist group Grey Wolves in 1984. Ateş has been under police protection for almost 18 years - yet she continues to campaign for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights.
"Syrian Islamists who celebrate massacres of minorities and attack Druze and Kurds on our streets have just as little place in Germany as foreign antisemites," anthropologist focusing on Islam Susanne Schröter told Euronews.
"Those who belong to the Islamist opposition to al-Assad should be returned to their home country as quickly as possible", she explained. "They no longer pose a threat there (but) when they come here, they pose a threat to internal security," warned Schröter.
Mehmet Tanriverdi of the Kurdish Community of Germany (KGD) noted many demonstrators originally fled Syria's al-Assad regime a decade ago but now support the Islamist forces persecuting minorities including Kurds, Alawites and Druze.
He called on the German government to "absolutely correct" its current Syria policy. "In addition to the criminals, Germany must also deport all others who are Islamist-minded, promote the dictatorship and are against the constitution."
CDU politician Christopher Förster questioned why supporters of Syria's new regime remain in Germany, arguing they should be encouraged to leave voluntarily or face deportation since Syria is now "obviously a safe country" for Islamists.
"Nobody should be given a German passport for taking part in such a demonstration," Förster said. "I seriously wonder why these people are still here at all."
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