Latest news with #radicalisation
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
More than a million Muslims in Germany with a 'migrant background' are at risk of being radicalised, study finds
One in five Muslim migrants living in Germany is susceptible to radicalisation, according to a new study conducted by one of the nation's foremost socio-political research organisations. Experts at the University of Münster's Research Centre for Islamic Theology last week shared the results of a survey it conducted to gauge socio-political views of Muslims with a 'migration background' across the country. Their study found that 19.9% of almost 1,900 respondents in the representative survey exhibited an emotional state that is ripe for radicalisation, based on strong anti-Western, anti-Semitic attitudes and a 'resentment' of German politics and societal norms, German media reported. 'Migration background' is a term used in Germany to refer to first-generation migrants and their offspring. There are more than 5.5 million Muslims in Germany with such a background, suggesting that one million people could be susceptible to being radicalised, according to Die Welt. Of the nearly 20% of respondents that researchers claimed could be targets for radicalisation, a third reportedly support violence in response to perceived injustices against Muslims. A majority of these respondents also said they felt that Islamic Sharia law was far superior to German law and want Islam to be the 'sole and final political authority' in Germany, according to media reports. Speaking to German outlet NOZ, Münster-based religious psychologist Sarah Demmrich said: 'With the emotional state of resentment, we were able to uncover a new and even strong factor in radicalisation. 'The capacity for criticism within Islam must be strengthened in order to promote reflective debates on religious and social issues,' she said. MailOnline has contacted the research centre for comment. The emergence of the research by the Centre for Islamic Theology comes weeks after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz scrapped his nation's open border policy and issued orders to turn undocumented migrants away at the frontiers. Alexander Dobrindt, Merz's new interior minister, rescinded former Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2015 order, which had previously allowed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers to enter Germany. The new rules will now see everyone without proper documentation, apart from children and pregnant women, turned away if they try to enter Germany from a neighbouring country. Merz also moved to initiate a process to allow for the deportation of Syrian migrants following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime late last year. The Chancellor, who made the order on his first day in office early May, pledged during the election to crack down on migration. To implement the new measures, Dobrint ordered a massive increase in border force personnel, with local media reporting that a further 3,000 cops are being brought in for a total of 14,000 border guards. 'It's clear that we want to take stronger steps against illegal immigration and the result must be that we deploy a bigger police presence at the borders for that. The numbers remain significantly too high,' Dobrint said. Merz defended the policy, saying: 'The European Union must send a signal to those who are setting off for Europe without valid entry permits. 'Above all, we need to send a signal to the smuggling organisations that these routes will become much more difficult in the future - and that at some point, they will be closed altogether. That is the right and strong common signal.' Suspected illegal migrants sit on the ground after they were detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration Merz last month succeeded his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, whose government collapsed six months ago. Scholz, too, had been under pressure to curb migration as shelters across the country had been filling up for years. His government tried to speed up asylum procedures and also negotiated agreements for countries to take unsuccessful asylum seekers back in exchange for more opportunities for legal immigration. In February, Scholz extended strict border controls brought in to tackle migration and Islamist terrorism by a further six months past their planned expiry in March. According to the EU, member states are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls in cases of a serious threat, such as internal security. But the regulations stipulate that border controls should be time-limited and applied as a last resort in exceptional situations. Recent attacks on German soil refocused attention on security and immigration ahead of the election earlier this year. In December, the country was rocked by an attack in Bavaria, when an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly stabbed a two-year-old boy and a passerby to death in a German park.
News24
22-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
Macron urges action on Muslim Brotherhood movement as a ‘threat to national cohesion' in France
French President Emmanuel Macron ordered proposals on the influence of Muslim Brotherhood. A security meeting sounded the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood. Religious radicalisation has become a hot-button issue in France. President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday ordered the government to draw up proposals to tackle the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement and the spread of political Islamism in France, the Elysee said. The French presidency made the announcement after Macron chaired a security meeting to examine a report sounding the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood and saying the movement poses 'a threat to national cohesion' in France. 'Given the importance of the subject and the seriousness of the facts established, he has asked the government to draw up new proposals that will be examined at a forthcoming Defence Council meeting in early June,' the Elysee Palace said. In a rare move, Macron has also decided to make the report public by the end of the week. AFP obtained a copy of the report on Tuesday. The Elysee Palace has said that some measures will be announced, while others will be classified. The report into the movement, which was founded in Egypt in 1928, was commissioned by the government and prepared by two senior civil servants. It 'clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood' and 'proposes ways to address this threat', the presidency said ahead of the meeting. Tom Masson/AFP France and Germany have the biggest Muslim populations among European Union countries. Authorities are eager to prevent any spread of extremist Islamist ideas in a country that has been rocked by a string of deadly jihadist attacks. Religious radicalisation has become a hot-button issue as the far-right is becoming increasingly popular in France. The report sparked heated reactions. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused the government of inaction, saying on X that she has long proposed measures to 'eradicate Islamist fundamentalism'. Jordan Bardella, the leader of her National Rally party, said on France Inter radio: 'If we come to power tomorrow, we will ban the Muslim Brotherhood.' But critics have condemned what they call the rise of Islamophobia in France. 'Islamophobia has crossed a line,' hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said on X. He accused officials of endorsing 'the delusional theories' of Le Pen and France's hardline Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau. The report pointed to the spread of Islamism 'from the bottom up', adding the phenomenon constituted 'a threat in the short to medium term'. At the same time, the presidency stressed, 'we are all perfectly aligned in saying that we must not lump all Muslims together.' 'We are fighting against Islamism and its radical excesses.' The report zeroed in on the role of Muslims of France (Musulmans de France), which it identified as 'the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France'. The Federation of Muslims of France denounced 'unfounded accusations' and warned against 'dangerous' conflation between Islam and radicalism. 'We firmly reject any allegation that attempts to associate us with a foreign political project or an 'entryism' strategy,' said Muslims of France, warning against 'a stigmatisation of Islam and Muslims'. The 'constant accusation shapes minds, fuels fears and, sadly, contributes to violent acts', it added, pointing to the death of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old Malian who was stabbed dozens of times while praying in a mosque in southern France. Conservative daily Le Figaro, which first published excerpts of the 'shocking' report on Tuesday, said the Muslim Brotherhood 'wants to introduce Sharia law in France'. The report said however that 'no recent document demonstrates the desire of Muslims in France to establish an Islamic state in France or to enforce Sharia law there'. But the threat was real, the authors said. 'We are not dealing with aggressive separatism' but a 'subtle... yet no less subversive aim for the institutions'. Macron's party proposed banning minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public spaces, saying the hijab 'seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children'. The party also wants to introduce a 'criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil'. In 2023, France banned pupils in public schools from wearing the abaya, a loose-fitting garment worn by Muslim women.
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Al Jazeera
A father's fight to find out what happened to his son who joined ISIS
Stockholm, Sweden and Northeast Syria - In late September 2014, Aaden*, a sociable, middle-aged father of five, got a call from two intelligence agents asking to meet with him. The two casually-dressed women from the Swedish Security Service (Sapo) were polite and reassuring. They were responding to a panicked call Aaden had made to emergency services about a week earlier. He had phoned for help after his son Damaal* called him from southern Turkiye to say he was about to cross the border into Syria to join ISIL, also known as ISIS. "But you'll die!" Aaden had pleaded with his son. "Maybe. But I'm strong, thanks to you," came the response. Frustrated, Aaden asked the Sapo agents to help him understand how Damaal was "radicalised". They told him they were as surprised as he was. Damaal, unlike many other ISIL recruits, had never been flagged in their system. Urging Aaden to contact them if he heard from Damaal, they said goodbye. It would not be long before they spoke again.
ABC News
09-05-2025
- ABC News
Coroner unable to determine Ranghe Mohamed Adbi's motive for murdering Brisbane couple
A coroner has been unable to determine the "true motive" of a man who was becoming "more and more radicalised" when he killed an elderly Brisbane couple. Raghe Mohamed Abdi was shot dead by police on the Logan Motorway at Drewvale after he rushed at them with a knife while yelling "Allahu Akbar" in December 2020. Several hours after his death, the bodies of 87-year-old Maurice Antill and his wife, 86-year-old Zoe Antill, were found in the backyard of their Parkinson home. Investigators promptly linked their stabbing deaths the night before the 22-year-old rushed at police and declared the two incidents a "terrorism event". At an inquest held in 2023, the Coroners Court in Brisbane heard Mr Abdi was on bail at the time for minor Commonwealth offences related to an investigation into whether he was preparing to be involved in a foreign incursion. The inquest heard he was being monitored by police and counter terrorism officers. A terrorism expert gave evidence that they believed Mr Abdi did hold extremist views at the time but there was little evidence to suggest the stabbings had "anything to do with Islamic State ideology". In her written findings published this week, Deputy State Coroner Stephanie Gallagher made a similar determination. She said although there was evidence put before her that Mr Abdi had a "general support for ISIS" and expressed intention to wage jihad overseas, he gave "no indication" to anyone of what he would do. "Neither his family … nor the various officers who had been engaging with him, had any idea Raghe harboured any intention to take the action that he did," she said. Deputy State Coroner Gallagher said this was a "very unusual set of circumstances" and many questions will "never be answered". "Ultimately and tragically, no one will ever know Raghe's true motivation, and there can be no firm answers for the Antills or for Raghe's family in respect of this issue," she said. During the inquest, the court heard Mr Abdi had removed a GPS ankle tracker before he killed Mr and Mrs Antill and there was a delay in an alert being sent to authorities flagging this. Deputy State Coroner Gallagher said this failure was unsatisfactory and due to "human error", particularly because Mr Adbi was able to "cause such harm while unmonitored." However, she determined even if authorities had been notified at the time, it was unlikely this would have prevented the couple's deaths. "By the time Raghe had removed his [electronic monitoring device], he had already walked away from his family into bushland, and was clearly trying to avoid detection," she said. "I am satisfied that there is nothing more that could reasonably have been done by law enforcement agencies." It was determined that the police response to Mr Abdi and their use of lethal force was appropriate, as were the investigations before and after the deaths. "The [Queensland Joint Counter Terrorism Taskforce] made every effort while Raghe was alive to divert him from a trajectory in which he was becoming more and more radicalised," she said. "Various law enforcement agencies took appropriate and extensive steps to determine exactly what had happened, and to ensure public safety in the aftermath of these events."
