It has long been known – even to the German government: anti-Semitism is widespread among the Muslim population in Europe. According to a 2013 study by the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB), almost half of European Muslims believe that Jews cannot be trusted. By comparison, only less than ten percent of Christians believe this.

Here, according to the study, there are hardly any differences in views between the first and second generation of Muslims in Germany, France or Great Britain. Religious fundamentalism, anti-Semitism and bigotry are widespread and deeply rooted.

No wonder 52 percent of Germans find Islam threatening, according to a 2019 study by the Bertelsmann Foundation. Muslim Germans were also surveyed.

The Jewish population experiences the hostility of Muslims first-hand. In a 2017 study by the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence in Bielefeld, 81 per cent of the Jews surveyed in Germany said they had already been attacked by Muslims, and 61 per cent had suffered verbal insults or harassment.

For experts, the causes are rooted in Islam: In the Islamic world, 53 per cent of the countries are ruled by authoritarian regimes, and only four per cent are democratic, writes WZB researcher Ruud Koopmans. In 2018, the Berlin historian and sociologist Günther Jikeli presented one of the few systematic studies on anti-Semitism among Muslims in Europe. He conducted interviews with young Muslim men of different ethnic backgrounds in London, Berlin and Paris.

In these interviews, he identified different forms of anti-Semitism: “classical anti-Semitism”, such as stereotypes that Jews are rich, forms of Israel-related anti-Semitism and an anti-Semitism that completely dispenses with justifications. For Jikeli, anti-Semitism “lies in the interpretation of Muslim identity”: hostility against Jews is thus part of Islam, of being Muslim. Anti-Semitism is not the exception but the rule among Muslims, hatred of Jews often is the norm, Jikeli concludes.

For the Hamburg political scientist Matthias Küntzel, the humiliation of Jews, who are seen as “weak and despicable”, is characteristic of Islam: “When Arab youths in Berlin chanted the slogan: ‘Jew, Jew, cowardly pig, come out and fight alone’ in the summer of 2014, this devaluation became conspicuous. When in April 2018 an Arab in Berlin reached for his belt to whip a kippa-wearer with it, he too used an archaic language that expresses more than just violence: similar to spitting or slapping, the belt slap serves to degrade the other – the humiliation was more important here than the physical injury.”

Scholars see the influence of Arab, Iranian and Turkish media as one reason for the widespread anti-Semitism in Muslim milieus in Europe. Here, anti-Semitism is often expressed quite openly, according to the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ) from Jena: “In addition, there is the influence of Islamist organisations, which are paid from abroad, on mosque associations and imams in Germany.

Physical attacks on Jews and the desecration and destruction of synagogues are mainly committed by young Muslim perpetrators, mostly of Arab descent, reports the IDZ. Muslim perpetrators are also responsible for numerous anti-Semitic murders in Europe in recent years: for example, for the attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse in 2012, in which a teacher and three children were shot dead, for the attack on the Jewish museum in Brussels in 2014, in which four people were killed, for the attack on a Jewish supermarket near Paris in 2015 with four deaths, for the attack on a synagogue in Copenhagen in 2015 with two deaths.

Interesting: The Central Council of Muslims in Germany also seats on the board of trustees of the IDZ.

So far, even unsolved anti-Semitic crimes are automatically attributed to right-wing extremists in police statistics: “But hostility towards Jews is also a problem among immigrants from Muslim countries. It’s a sensitive issue that many people don’t want to get their fingers burnt on,” Frankfurt professor Susanne Schröter, head of the Global Islam Research Centre, told FOCUS Online. According to Schröter, the statistics paint a false picture of the reality.

https://www.focus.de/politik/deutschland/integration-gescheitert-ueberwiegend-judenfeindlich-deutschland-sitzt-auf-einem-pulverfass-der-islam-legt-die-lunte_id_13300817.html

A week ago, the campaign for more acceptance was launched in Berlin: “Love is halal – love is allowed”. Now there is the first case of vandalism.
On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia of all days, the case becomes known: Vandalism at the Franklinstrasse bus stop in the Charlottenburg district.

According to the mosque, Wall Ltd. wants to carry out repairs quickly, among other things because of broken glass, and put the poster back up on Monday. Criminal charges have been filed against unknown persons.

Last Tuesday, the Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque and its contact point Islam & Diversity (AID) launched an acceptance campaign for queer Muslims. Posters with a total of five different motifs are now being displayed in Berlin. Their message: “Love is halal – love is allowed.

The campaign is directed against the prevailing view, especially within Muslim communities, that sexual diversity is forbidden in Islam. The Islam & Diversity (AID) contact point, funded by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, counters this: Muslim and queer – these can very well be reconciled. Among other things, the AID offers pastoral counselling, a shelter and various platforms for regular exchange.

“We cannot imagine a God who opposes the love of two people,” explains Seyran Ateş, the founder of the Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque and its managing partner. And yet queer Muslims and Muslim women are repeatedly expelled or even killed by their families.

https://mannschaft.com/vandalismus-gegen-akzeptanzkampagne-fuer-queere-musliminnen/

In view of the renewed escalation of violence in the Middle East, several demonstrations took place across Germany last Saturday. The Palestinian Association Flensburg also protested in the presence of a large police contingent. According to media reports, around 150 people took part in the pro-Palestinian rally on Flensburg’s Willy-Brandt-Platz square.

Not far from the rally, about 25 people gathered at the same time for a counterdemonstration to make a statement against anti-Semitism and to show solidarity with Israel. The rally was announced by the blogger and activist Amed Sherwan, an ex-Muslim who had to flee northern Iraq in 2014 because of his critical stance towards religion.

In a speech, Sherwan explained his reasons for organising the event: “I am standing here because I know anti-Semitism. For a long time, it was a natural part of my world view. However, through his confrontation with the Holocaust and encounters with Israel-solidarity groups, he gained a new perspective on the Middle East conflict in Germany: “I don’t know the solution, but I know that Islamism is part of the problem. Because the images of the enemy that I grew up with are deliberately spread all over the world by Muslim Brotherhood groups. And other Islamist groups also portray Israel as the root of all evil.” Enemy images, Sherwan explained, are never a solution to problems – no matter by whom they are fomented.

As the demonstration continued, an incident occurred in which Amed Sherwan was physically assaulted: A 23-year-old man, who was allegedly taking part in the pro-Palestinian rally, tried to snatch an Israeli flag from Sherwan. During the assault, both fell to the ground, whereupon police officers intervened. Shortly afterwards, Sherwan, who was also initially detained by the officers, was allegedly called a “fucking Jew” by the perpetrator.

According to the police, the assailant was taken into custody and released after his personal details had been established. Sherwan suffered minor injuries as a result of the fall and filed a complaint against the perpetrator.

On the same day, Sherwan published a video statement on his Facebook page in which he describes the incident in detail. He also criticised the municipality of Flensburg for continuing to treat the Palestinian Association as if it were a “normal cultural association”. The public statements of the association, on the other hand, clearly show that its members hold Islamist and anti-Semitic positions.

https://hpd.de/artikel/angriff-ex-muslim-demonstration-gegen-antisemitismus-19298

Nearly 10 percent of restaurants in the United Kingdom have gone bankrupt since the coronavirus epidemic hit last spring, a joint survey of business and professional consultancy firms presented by AlixPartners and CGA on Sunday showed, meaning after the industry’s full reopening on Monday, a significantly smaller number of restaurants, bars and pubs will be available than in March last year.

In the UK, from Monday, restaurants, pubs and bars will be able to open their indoor service rooms. The easing also allows the opening of cinemas, theaters, concert halls, museums and stadiums, hotels, and other tourist accommodations in the country.

According to the survey, bankruptcies have hit restaurants the hardest within each category: 4,204 restaurants have closed permanently. This means that 9.7 percent of UK restaurants have closed since March last year. Within the average, the loss was even more severe among restaurants that belonged to the mid-priced, “average” market sector and thus attracted the most populous audience: 19.4 percent of restaurants in this category — almost a fifth — went bankrupt.

According to the survey, the number of British establishments specializing mainly in the distribution of alcoholic beverages — namely pubs and bars — has fallen from 61,229 to 57,783 since March 2020, meaning that 5.6 percent of them have disappeared over the more than one year since the epidemic began.

In line with the opening schedule of the British government, the previous easing of restrictions was on April 12 when restaurants were allowed to open their terraces and garden areas to the public. However, according to a survey published by AlixPartners and the CGA on Sunday, less than a third of British restaurants — 32.9 percent — had such facilities, meaning that more than two-thirds of restaurants and pubs remained closed until today. Thus, the recovery process in the hospitality sector can only really start after the full opening from today, states the study.

British pubs and restaurants open today, but the entire industry already paid a heavy toll

Disciplinary action is being taken against Lisa Keogh, 29, for “offensive” and “discriminatory” comments she made during classes at Abertay University in Dundee. Keogh was denounced by younger students after she maintained that women are born with female genitals and that “the difference in physical strength between men and women is a fact”. A formal investigation into her conduct has now been launched.

Keogh said she was stunned when she received an email accusing her of transphobic and offensive comments at seminars on gender feminism and the law. “I thought it was a joke,” she said. “I thought it was impossible for the university to prosecute me for using my legal right to free speech,” she told the British newspaper The Times.

She allegedly stated that women were the “weaker sex” and that her classmates were “feminists who hate men” after one of her classmates claimed that all men are rapists and pose a danger to women.

“I didn’t deny that I said these things and I told the university exactly why I did it,” she said. “I didn’t mean to be offensive, but I took part in a debate and expressed my sincere views. I was abused and called names by the other students, who told me I was a “typical cis white girl”. You must be able to freely exchange different opinions, otherwise it is not a debate”.

During a video seminar Keogh had raised concerns about a transgender woman’s participation in mixed martial arts fights, but was muted from participating. “I argued that this woman had testosterone in her body for 32 years and as such would be genetically stronger than your average woman,” she said.

“I wasn’t mean, transphobic or offensive. I was just stating a basic biological fact. I used to work as a mechanic and when I was in the workshop there were heavy things that I just couldn’t lift, but male colleagues could.”

The university’s definition of misconduct includes “use of offensive language” or “discrimination against gender reassignment”. Sanctions include expulsion from the institution. Keogh, mother of two, fears for her future. “I don’t come from a legal background and I have worked incredibly hard to get to where I am,” she said.

“I’m afraid my chance to become a lawyer, and to make a positive contribution, may end just because some people have been offended.”

Abertay University said it would not comment on disciplinary issues.

https://freewestmedia.com/2021/05/17/scotland-law-student-faces-expulsion/

An outbreak of hatred against Jews – in the middle of Germany’s streets! How should our country react to this?

Gerhard Schindler (68), head of the German foreign intelligence service BND from 2011 to 2016, is highly alarmed by the anti-Semitic marches in Gelsenkirchen and other major cities by predominantly Arab demonstrators.

“This development of the last few days is frightening and intolerable because it violates the German reason of state,” Schindler said on the tabloid BILD Live. “Flag burning, stone throwing against synagogues, anti-Semitic hate slogans on German soil are simply not compatible with our own history.”

In BILD Live, the lawyer explained why he sees a red line crossed – and why German politics must react harshly to the disgusting, openly displayed anti-Semitism on our streets.

He clarifies: “Of course, we must not play down anti-Semitism among the German population, we must not talk it down. But the anti-Semitism that we now see among migrants is a fact that we have to face.”

He added that one had to wait for the police investigations to find out who had taken part in the marches. “But the findings so far show that it is not only Palestinians who are involved.

Visible evidence: Tunisian and Turkish flags, for example at the march in front of the synagogue in Gelsenkirchen, where participants shouted “Sh… Jews”.

Schindler explained why politics must not go back to business as usual this time: “These people disregard our hospitality in two ways. On the one hand, by committing criminal offences – insulting, threatening, denying Israel’s right to exist. And in the second respect, by violating our basic socio-political consensus, namely that no anti-Semitic agitation may take place on German soil.”

This is not a trivial offence. “This affects the DNA of the German understanding of the state”.

Citizens could trust the German security authorities: “The police leadership, but also the state offices for the protection of the constitution and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution are doing a good job.” The concepts for the protection of Jewish institutions are certainly “very up-to-date and appropriate to the current situation”.

Schindler does not share criticism of the possibly too passive behaviour of the police forces: “I think it is always difficult to want to judge the current situation on the ground from the living room or in front of the TV set.”

But one thing is clear: “The security authorities can only tackle the symptoms. The cause of this basic problem is a societal problem that everyone must address.”

What is needed now, he said, is to “fight the anti-Semitism that has taken root in our society” – specifically among young migrants. “Of course, we must not play down the anti-Semitism of the German population, not talk it down. But the anti-Semitism that we now see among migrants is a fact that we have to face.”

Schindler’s explosive demand: “It is not enough that we openly address this fact. We must also expel those who abuse our hospitality here.”

Three points are necessary in Schindler’s view:

“We need better integration of these people. They are now here, and then we also have to take care of them. BUT, said the ex-BND chief: “Those who won’t let us help them, we have to expel them from the country.”

“Secondly, we need better education, especially better adult education.”

And thirdly, Schindler expects “the Muslim associations and organisations to take on a huge responsibility”.

He expects “much more commitment” from them, such as moderating words at Friday prayers: “For me, the question is: In what percentage of German mosques has the imam called on people not to take part in anti-Israeli demonstrations? I would be very interested to know that. And I say again: I see more deficits here than hopeful approaches.”

https://www.bild.de/politik/inland/politik-inland/ex-bnd-chef-ueber-judenhasser-unbelehrbare-ausser-landes-bringen-76408860.bild.html

With special trains, the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH in Mannheim apparently made it easier for one of the nationwide Palestinian gatherings to take place on May 15, 2021. The state-owned company with close contacts to the municipality and the police had trams full of Palestinian flags running with the notice: “Sorry out of service”. When they got off the trams, the demonstrators shouted aggressively: “Allahu akbar”. The Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH press office could not be contacted about this. The WIM editorial office was unable to get a statement. The rally with numerous foreigners demonstrably receives state encouragement and support. I can’t recall a single city that has ever organised special trams or trains for rallies against Corona measures for over a year.

https://politikstube.com/gehts-noch-staatlicher-fahrdienst-fuer-israel-hasser-in-mannheim/