2024-07-17 16:04:11
The Documentation Center of Political Islam hopes that Salafists and their ideas will spread in Austria. Add to this the “trendy Salafis” who appear modern and preachy on YouTube and have gained influence in the wake of the Middle East conflict, to which they will contribute significantly. The agency also noted the activities of Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is banned in many countries, and influence from Turkey in a report submitted on Wednesday.
The number of followers of Salafi Islam in Austria has increased since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Documentation Center, young and sometimes even teenage supporters are characterized by displaying Salafi habits, such as through clothing or particularly strict rules of conduct, which may also serve to irritate them and put them at odds with the majority Social distinction.
In addition, the shift towards “fashionable Salafism” has been evident in recent years. These appear less visible and more accommodating, but represent the same school of thought: ultra-conservative interpretations of Islam. Strict Salafis reject other interpretations of Islam, but there are various currents within Salafism. Lisa Fellhofer, director of the Documentation Center, sees similarities between this change and changes in identity in right-wing extremist contexts.
In Austria, two groups, “FITRAH” and “IMAN”, are particularly active in missionary work. Unlike the “Read!” movement, which a few years ago relied mainly on street preaching and distribution of Qurans and was banned in Germany in 2016, these two groups rely on the Internet: Christians and atheists “show” Maria in videos of passers-by Mariahilfer Strasse were inspected and asked what they knew regarding Islam. In his speech, Verhofer stressed that the two groups would spread “backward images of society”, such as in terms of gender equality or the treatment of certain minority groups, and warned that the two groups have been proselytizing since 2014 , might serve as an introductory course to radical environments.
Fellhofer said FITRAH and IMAN have been integrated into a large multinational network. Particularly the association with the Institute of Islamic Education and Research (the UK-based Missionaries of Charity). Both organizations also maintain ties with prominent Salafist activists in Germany, such as Marcel Krass and Stef Keris. In the past, there have been concerns that the Salafi missionary movement – and through its international connections – might be the first step on the path to jihadist militancy for individual militants. Contact with jihadists, both within the “Read!” movement and the “True Religion” association behind it, has led individual young activists to travel to the Syrian war zone. Verhofer said that while the extremist force in Austria is small, “it is very good at spreading its content and influencing speech.”
Another focus of the report is the political influence of Islamic third countries. For example, the Popular Movement, which is classified as “anti-democratic” by the German Constitutional Protection Agency, is the second largest mosque association in Austria and the Islamic Federation, following Turkey’s ATIB. Although the movement was organized independently in Europe, strong influence from Turkey can be identified. Since Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party facilitated overseas Turkish people’s participation in elections in 2014, campaign events such as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Austria have also increased. Ferdinand Haber, Verhofer’s deputy, stressed at a press conference: “Iran is also a central player in political Islam in Austria and will continue to be so.” The Imam Ali Center appears to be an “offshoot” of Iran, personnel There is overlap with the highest levels of the Iranian government.
The Documentation Center considers influence from Turkey to be problematic, especially in light of attacks on Israel by radical Islamist Hamas. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ali Elbas, chairman of Turkey’s religious institution Diyanet (of which ATIB is considered an extended arm), have both made repeated anti-Semitic remarks. The latter called Israel “a rusty dagger in the heart of the Muslim world”.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are a “model” of how social polarization occurs. In some cases, the State of Israel has been repeatedly denied its right to exist, and Austria’s Jews have been subject to numerous Islamist-motivated threats and attacks – however, among the participants were those with and without Muslim backgrounds people.
“The conflicts in the Middle East are vectors for Islamism,” said Hubbell, who is part of an “alliance” of associations such as “Dar al Janub,” the Association for Anti-Racism and Peace Policy Initiative, which has attracted attention in the Middle East. In the past, the relationship “between left-wing extremism and Islamism” became stronger due to a certain distance from Hamas. The biggest “victim” here is the middle class of society or “Muslim middle class society”. Afghan society is also “divided”: one faction opposes the Taliban and the other supports the Taliban. The documentation center also identifies events in Austria in 2023 from the surrounding environment.
Last year, the agency also documented the activities of the Hizb ut-Tahrir movement, which is banned in Germany and aims to establish a global caliphate. Although the organization’s symbols have been banned in the country since 2021, Austria has become “the new center of the German-speaking region”. For example, their German “media spokesperson” Shaker Assem runs this German-language website from Austria. In his now-deleted online sermon, he called Israel a “disease” and called for violence to “kill any aggressor you encounter.”
In order to take state action once morest radicalization that might eventually lead to violence, “the Austrian constitution already contains all the elements. It is just a matter of continuing to implement them,” Verhofer stressed. Integration Minister Suzanne Raab (ÖVP) thanked the Documentation Center established under her department four years ago, which has published 26 reports since its inception. “We must not turn a blind eye when it comes to defending our fundamental rights and fundamental values. The Documentation Center on Political Islam makes a significant contribution by exposing anti-democratic networks, structures, ideologies and actors on a scientific basis so that Take action once morest them,” the minister said in a statement to APA.
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