Salafism in Germany

“Not all Salafists are terrorists, but all known Islamic terror suspects do have a Salafist background.”

It’s in these terms that German interior ministers choose to describe a growing problem – a number of young people are leaving Germany in order to play their role in the wars in Syria or in Iraq. Some of these young people commit atrocities before proudly posting the evidence in internet forums. A majority, however, remain in Germany where they reject the use of violence and live their lives according to some of the strictest of religious rules. Who exactly are these Salafists, what do they want and to whom do they pose a threat?

Thorsten Gerald Schneiders is a researcher in the areas of Islamic and Political Cultural Studies. He is a social pedagogue and a trained copy editor. His most recent teaching post was at the Centre for Religious Studies at the University of Münster.

Language: German