Germany: Minister wants Muslims to root out Islamists

Germany: Minister wants Muslims to root out Islamists



Via the Local:

German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said on Tuesday Muslims should help root out Islamists in their community, announcing a new initiative targeting extremists like the one responsible for a recent deadly attack on US soldiers in Frankfurt.

The conservative minister, presenting his plans to Muslim groups at the government's so-called Islam Conference in Berlin, said he planned to promote closer cooperation between security officials and the Muslim community.

After the recent murder of two US airmen at the Frankfurt Airport by an allegedly freshly radicalized Islamist, Friedrich said more should be done to understand the hidden world of jihadists. On Tuesday he said the government and Muslims should work together to fight violent extremism.

But Muslim leaders and members of the socialist Left party accused Friedrich of misusing the Islam Conference, which was initiated in 2006 as an attempt to open a healthier dialogue with some four million Muslims living in Germany to improve their integration into society.

(source)