Prayers for the war of Turkish soldiers in Syria even at mosques in Germany?

Turkish military offensive against Kurdish militia in northern Syria is being accompanied by a lot of reactions in Germany. The news of use during this tank offensive produced in Germany has influenced them on one side. And on the other hand, reports that mosques of the DiiB Association have called for believers to gather and pray for a successful military offensive. By “Spiegel Online” on Facebook pages of Islamic clergymen can read such calls and prayers. An imam from Baden-Wertemberg, for example. has written, please, that our heroic <x2, and our heroic soldiers come off victorious”.

Is the war in Germany an apology?

The DITIB Islamic Association, which is said to have close ties to the state religious authority of Diyant in Turkey, dropped the charges officially and said no central call had been made. A statement by the headquarters at Kiln said that the decision on what prayers are read by the very communities of all religious communities. The statement contained no sign of distance.

Lawyer Seyran Ates, former German Islamic Conference member, is not surprised by this. It views the statement as having no central order, as “justification” pure. In an interview with DW, she says: “The fact that Turkey's president communicates through the Daynet this war as religious, so he uses the mosque institution, in my opinion, a scandal. ”

Turkish politician Mustafa Yeneroğlu opposed these sayings in an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio: “Prayers are for not the war, but for Turkish soldiers and their allies to survive, as well as for the security of the country, and that is probably the most natural thing there can be. ” Turkish ruling AKP party member notes, referring to his personal experiences in Germany that even in Christian churches “prayers are prayed for defence and as for fallen German soldiers”.

Seyran Ates, who has been one of the founding members of a liberal mosque in Berlin, considers these comparisons to be deliberate. There is another cootation, when people as believers are drawn to a long-made strategic war aimed at hiding domestic political things. ”

Turkey's Attempt to Influence

After the coup effort in July 2016 in Turkey, German authorities have repeatedly ascertained efforts to influence Turkey. The Ministry of Internal Affairs wrote in clarification for the parliament in December 2017 that the government in Ankara is trying to influence government-related organisations, interest groups and religious communities.

Discussions about political influence over Muslims have had in the past even prior to the controversial constitutional referendum, through which the Turkish president provided more competencies in the state camera. Following the images and opponents of Erdogan from the ranks of the Gylen movement were under surveillance.

DW's requests to receive any pronomation or interview at various Islamic theology institutes at German universities for the occasion of prayer for war at mosques, their representatives responded with reluctance to speak publicly. One possible reason is that DiTIB representatives are also permanent members of the advisory group of many programmes for Islamic theology studies. / DW