The average age of Islamic State militants in Germany is getting younger while their radicalization is accelerating in speed says the Federal Criminal Office (BKA), Germany’s intelligence service. German authorities state that there are currently 43,000 jihadists in Germany today. In some cases, just a few weeks are needed for someone to be transported from Germany to Syria. BKA President Holger Munch told Deutsche Welle that there seem to be ever more potential fighters to be recruited for Jihad or “holy war”. She states that the jihadists living in Germany want to elevate Islam to the status of a binding societal order.
The number of Salafists – a group of extremists that live by a particularly strict interpretation of the Islamic faith – are also continuing to rise. Germany security authorities estimated that there are roughly 7,900 salafists in Germany today. They are ready to use violence and put their ideas into practice. Munch says that their number is growing with their leaders contributing to the radicalization process and the growth of extremism on the fringes of German society.
DW noted the influential parts of Germany’s Islamist scene.
Daesh – ‘Islamic State’
Propaganda of the so-called “Islamic State” (IS), or Daesh in Arabic, reaches Germany primarily through the Internet. Though banned in Germany, several hundred of the tens of thousands of fighters that have joined the Jihadi organization come from Germany. Former Berlin rapper Denis Cuspert (aka Deso Dogg) is said to have joined the Daesh movement in 2012 and has appeared in videos calling for attacks in German as well as in beheading videos. A poster child for Daesh, Deso Dogg was reportedly killed in October 2015 during a US air attack. This, of course, has not stopped radical Muslims keep traveling from Germany to Syria and Iraq to fight for IS.
Hassan Dabbagh
Hassan Dabbagh is a German of Syrian background that is considered one of the most important leaders of Salafism in Germany. He divides people into “Muslims” and “infidels” and, as head and Imam of the Al-Rahman-Mosque in Leipzig, he hosts seminars and gatherings. The state of Saxony’s domestic intelligence service warned in 2014 that his aggressive presentations served to radicalize the young.
Ibrahim Abou-Nagie
Born in a Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza, 51-year-old Abou-Nagie became a German citizen in 1994. Considered an influential Salafist preacher though he has no formal theological schooling, he distributes his texts online and runs the website “The true religion.” Members of the network distribute Korans in German cities. The German intelligence service sees a trend that shows that a majority of the people who start out handing Korans progress to joining the ranks of jihadists in Syria.
Islamic Community Milli Görüs (IGMG)
The “Islamic Community Milli Görüs” (“National View”) has about 31,000 members and even more people who have close ties to the organization. Turkish politician Necmettin Erbakan founded the group in the late 1960s. The group leaders advise their members to avoid friendships with “infidels”, they call the EU a “Christian club” and “Union of Crusaders”. One motto is: “It’s heresy to put man-made laws above God’s law.”
Lohberger Brigade
Founded by 20 young men from the Lohberg district who left to fight in Syria and returned in 2013. The group gathered around self-appointed preacher Mustafa T. before their radicalization. Four of the Jihadists in this group died in Syria, and at least one was a suicide bomber. Another, Nils D, is set for trial in January 2016.
Pierre Vogel
The confert has been an active Islamist preacher since 2006. His controversial ideas include condoning violence against innocents and honor killings. His world view is based on the strict division of Islamic (good) and un-Islamic (evil) behavior.
Sven Lau
The son of Catholic parents converted to Islam around 2000, and embraced Salafism a few years later. He quit his job as a firefighter to run a store selling Islamic merchandise, and also headed the association “Invitation to Paradise” for a while. He traveled to Syria a few times but rose to prominence when he created the “Sharia police” with other salafists. They tried to keep Muslim youth from entering casinos, restaurants or clubs. The prosecutor’s office instituted proceedings against him for violating the right of assembly.
Wolfburg Cell
20 Jihadists of which two members are now in court looking at sentences of up to ten years in prison for involvement in terrorist activities. They traveled to Syria via Turkey in 2014. Ebrahim H. B. said in court that the group was radicalized by IS preacher Yassin O., who has fled to Syria in the meantime.
