DAR AL HARB - GERMANY: MOSLEMS IN GERMANY WILL NOT BE 'FORCEFULLY' INTEGRATED, THEY WON'T BE INTEGRATED AT ALL, THEY WILL DOMINATE GERMANS SOON

German Islam Confab rejects forced integration of Muslims

A leading German Muslim official on Wednesday lashed out at efforts to force the integration of Germany's 3.5 million Muslims.

"You can't demand integration and it cannot be imposed by the state. The readiness for integration must come from within Muslims," said the Chairman of Annemarie Schimmel Forum Mohammad Aman H. Hobohm during his opening address to a conference titled 'Religion and Integration' in Berlin.

"There is a need for a theological underpinning about the integration of Muslims. Furthermore the willingness of Muslims to hold a dialogue is often marred by public accusations," he added.

Hobohm urged also Muslim leaders to focus more intensely on the issue of integration.

He also called on the Christian majority to play a positive role in the integration process.

The German Muslim leader stressed there was a need 'to remove the old and new cliches of Muslims'.

Hobohm made clear that the so-called concept of 'Euro Islam' was 'not accepted by the majority of Muslims' in Germany.

He strongly condemned groups like Al-Qaeda, Taliban and other radical Islamist organizations, branding them as 'a perversion of Islam'.

Hobohm emphasized that today's German society was in need 'of a lot of religion', saying Islam had become as serious alternative to the secular western model.

The two-day conference at Berlin's French Dome is to focus on the incompatibility of cultural norms and values of Germans on one hand and Muslims on the other hand.

Topics include 'Muslims in a secular state', 'The Culture War Discourse as Self-Fulfilling Prophecy', 'Islam and Muslims in the Media' and 'Islam as a Bogeyman'.

The Annemarie Schimmel Foundation was created in spring 2003 shortly after the death of the late Islam thinker.

The newly-created organization is aimed at promoting cultural and religious dialogue as well as religious.


HatTip: UmmahNewsLinks.com


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