Islamification of Germany Lurches On

The Islamification of Germany - and indeed of Western Europe as a whole - has just taken a big lurch forward.

Bowing to demands from Islamic organisations sponsored by the Turkish government, the city of Cologne, once a stronghold of Christendom in Germany, has authorised mosques in the city to begin sounding Muslim calls to prayer over outdoor loudspeakers. The move, ostensibly aimed at promoting multicultural diversity and inclusion, represents a significant step toward the cultural normalisation of Islam in Germany. 

Observers believe that Cologne — famous for its cathedral, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe — is establishing a national precedent, and that many of the more than 3,000 mosques in Germany will soon also begin publicly calling Muslims to prayer. They say that German towns and cities will evoke the sounds and images of the Islamic Middle East.

Effective immediately, all mosques and Islamic centres in Cologne may apply for a permit to call the Muslim faithful to prayer for five minutes every Friday. The prayer calls (known as adhan in Arabic) can be heard from great distances when amplified through outdoor loudspeakers atop minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques.

Critics say that comparing Islamic prayer calls to church bells is a false equivalence because the muezzin proclaims absolutist religious slogans such as "there is no god but Allah" and "Allahu Akbar" ("Allah is the Greatest"). The standard adhan can be translated as:

"Allah is most great. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the prophet of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation. Allah is most great. There is no god but Allah."

 

Turkish-born German Islam expert Necla Kelek, in an essay for the Berlin-based magazine Cicero, wrote that the adhan reflects the ideology of Islamism:

"At the request of Islamic associations such as the mosque operator Ditib, which is managed by the Turkish government, the Islamist Milli Görüs or the Central Council of Muslims representing the Muslim Brotherhood, the Cologne city administration has agreed that from now on the 35 mosques in Cologne may broadcast every Friday by loudspeaker the following call to prayer: 'Allahu Akbar. I testify that there is no god but Allah. I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. Come to prayer! Come to salvation! Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar."

"The Muslim call to prayer is not like the ringing of church bells, which are a reminder of a scheduled worship service. Instead, it is a creed and a statement of political Islam, which has unfortunately been abused in many ways in recent years. The call 'Allahu Akbar' is not only a call to prayer, but it has also become the battle cry of jihad by Islamist terrorists.

Keep up to date!

Optional email code

Sign up to our newsletter today!

Send me email updates