A leftist German political party has equated evangelical Christians with Islamic jihadists.
In their official election platform, The Left Party in Saxony-Anhalt states: “The Left is committed to resolutely combating religious fundamentalism – whether of a Christian evangelical or jihadist nature – through intervention, educational efforts, prevention, and civil society initiatives.”
The Left is the legal successor to the SED (Socialist Unity Party of Germany), which ruled communist East Germany from 1946 until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989.
“Equating so-called ‘evangelical’ Christianity with the inhuman and anti-Semitic terror of Islamist jihadism is an outrageous defamation of this branch of the Christian faith – which remains so diverse and vibrant to this day – in our country,” Christian Democratic Union (CDU) parliamentarian Thomas Rachel said in response to The Left’s program.
Rachel said that Pietism is characterized by “the Jesus-based commandment of absolute peacefulness, serious examination of conscience, and the spirit of consistent personal discipleship of Jesus Christ.”
Rachel is a member of the German Bundestag, the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), and the Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion and Belief.
“It is outrageous to accuse evangelical Christians and church congregations – precisely in Germany, where, historically speaking, Pietism and the Enlightenment flourished side by side – of espousing a violent and anti-democratic fundamentalism that must be ‘resolutely combated,’” Rachel continued.
He argued that the Left is downplaying the danger of Islamism and seeks to divert attention from its “extremely problematic ties to Islamist individuals and circles, both within its own ranks and among its own electorate.”
As the successor to the SED, which, during its rule in East Germany, “discriminated against, spied on, and persecuted” Christians, dissidents, and civil rights activists, the party “obviously still has a great deal to come to terms with,” according to a CDU politician.