NUREMBERG,
Germany, July 28, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Fourteen Muslim imams
have been deported from the southern German state of Bavaria since
November last year.
The
latest imam to be sent out of the country is an Egyptian who was sent
home by the Bavarian authorities July 26.
Bavarian
Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein claimed the imam was deported
after he was proved to be inciting hatred and violence in his
religious sermons in the Islamic center in the city of Nuremberg.
The
imam was placed aboard a plane to Cairo at Munich airport Monday, July
25, Beckstein said in a statement.
He
claimed that the deportation of the imam, who was pending arrest since
July 15, was a success to the security authorities in dealing with
what he termed "hatred-inciting preachers".
The
deportation was the latest step of measures taken by the European
countries against what they term "inciting preachers"
following the London terrorist attacks, which left 56 people killed
and more than 700 wounded.
Deportation
Orders
The
Bavarian interior minister also maintained that there are new 19
deportation orders being prepared against what he termed
"extremist Islamists".
The
southern state of Bavaria has been the scene of crackdown measures
against Muslims due to policies adopted by Beckstein, known for his
anti-Muslim stances, according to IslamOnline.net correspondent.
Following
the London bombings, Beckstein had called for drawing up a
"double strategy" to tighten up monitoring what he termed
"extremists".
He
had also proposed planting spies inside mosques, censoring sermons and
monitoring Muslim organizations using tiny cameras.
Since
a new immigration law was put into force in January, the deportation
drive has been given an impetus, primarily targeting tens of Muslims.
Days
after the law went into effect, German states hurriedly prepared lists
of thousands of Muslim immigrants -- whom the German authorities
dubbed as suspects -- for immediate deportation.
In
March, Berlin's Federal Administrative Supreme Court has upheld a
district court ruling that ordered the expulsion of an imam for
“inciting violence.”
