A German Islamic scholar has had his teaching license rejected because of his “liberal theological convictions,” one of his peers told a newspaper on Saturday.

Islam expert Susanne Schröter spoke out in support of Abdel-Hakim Ourghi, who headed the Islamic Theology department at the University of Freiburg for nearly a decade.

Last month, the 53-year-old Ourghi had his “ijaza” (license to train Islamic teachers) denied by the Stiftung Sunnitischer Schulrat (Sunni School Board Foundation), based in Stuttgart.

The foundation was set up in 2019 with the responsibility for the teaching of Islam in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg.

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The decision sparked accusations that the application process was being used to intimidate theology professors with liberal beliefs.

“Mr. Ourghi has a doctorate in Islamic theology and has been teaching Islamic religious education for years,” Schröter told the tabloid Bild. “The assumption that he is technically unsuitable therefore has no basis whatsoever.”

It is therefore clear that “the lecturer was removed from the university because of his liberal theological convictions,” she added.

Read more: DW