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German Police Urge Muslim Help in Fighting Radicals
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"We have to ask how information that is available in the Muslim community on radicalization," said Ziercke.
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BERLIN,
September 23, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A German
police chief urged Muslims on Thursday, September 22, to share more
information on potential terrorists with the security agencies in
order to prevent the kind of radicalization that led to the London
bombings.
"We
have to ask how information that is available in the Muslim community
on radicalization can be responsibly shared with the security
authorities...I think that's also in the interests of Muslims in
Germany," Reuters quoted Joerg Ziercke, head of the federal crime
office, as saying.
He
could not rule out the existence of "autonomous cells" in
Germany, but he believed the country was a second-ranking Al-Qaeda
target after countries like the United States, Britain and Israel.
"We
want to prevent the kind of developments in Germany that we've seen in
Britain," Ziercke told reporters after he and domestic
intelligence chief Heinz From met leaders of the country's Muslim
minority.
In
Germany as elsewhere in Europe, concern over how to combat radicals
has intensified since the July 7 suicide bombings in London when four
young British Muslims blew themselves up and killed 52 people.
A
German intelligence report has revealed
that only one percent of Germany’s Muslim population are members of
organizations that pose serious threats to the country’s national
security.
Building
Confidence
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"We've encouraged our people to work closely with the police authorities and to report anything suspicious," said Elyas.
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Nadeem
Elyas, head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, said the
talks were aimed at building confidence.
"We've
encouraged our people to work closely with the police authorities and
to report anything suspicious," he said.
Responding
to anti-immigrants and Muslims comments by right-wing politicians in
the run-up to this month's inconclusive parliamentary elections, he
said they were neither feasible nor necessary to put every mosque in
Germany under surveillance.
"One
shouldn't damage trust and burn bridges with Muslims," Elyas told
Reuters.
Islam
comes third in Germany after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.
There are some 3.4 million Muslims in the country, including 220,000
in Berlin. An estimated two thirds of the minority are of Turkish
origin.
Established
in 1994, the Central Council of Muslims in Germany is an umbrella
organization grouping more than 19 Muslim societies and supervising
500 mosques.
It
further serves as a liaison office with German authorities at all
levels.
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