According to German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, “Salafism is currently the most dynamic Islamist movement in Germany as well as internationally. Its fanatic followers represent a particular danger for Germany’s security. The Salafists provide the ideological foundation for those who then turn violent.”
Friedrich has been leading a multifaceted nationwide crackdown on Salafism and other radical Muslim groups in Germany (see here, here, here and here).
The Secretary General of the ruling Christian Democratic Party (CDU), Hermann Gröhe, in an October 19 interview with the German newsmagazine FOCUS, said the conviction of Murat makes it clear that Germany will not allow radical Muslims to “lead a religious war on German streets.”
Gröhe was also asked if he could “understand that many people in Germany have concern for the Christian character of the culture, not least because of the growing number of Muslims in the country?”
Gröhe responded: “The Christian character of our country is not at risk just because a religious minority goes to the mosque, the synagogue or to another place of worship. A far more important factor is when a significant number of church members only remember their Christian roots on Christmas Eve. I am less concerned about full mosques than I am about far too many empty churches.”
Originally published by the Gatestone Institute.