The director of the Jewish NGO American Jewish Committee Berlin (AJC), Remko Leemhuis, has called for more determined action against Islamic anti-Semitism in Germany. The government in Hamburg is “fundamentally naive” in dealing with the issue, he criticised in an interview with the newspaper Die Welt on Friday.
For example, the Hanseatic city cooperates with the Islamic Centre Hamburg (IZH), which is classified as extremist. Certain factions of Islamism, which try to influence politics and society in a non-violent way, appear moderate on the outside, but pursue an “anti-Semitic and anti-democratic doctrine”. In the case of the IZH, this is dictated from Tehran, as the organisation functions as an outpost of the Iranian government bound by instructions.
The state does not have to negotiate with everyone. Working with organisations like the IZH underestimates its own agenda and fails to recognise the political mandate of the Federal Republic. The AJC does not demand the abolition of the state treaty with the Islamic associations, but appeals to the Hamburg government to exclude the IZH from it.
He also expects “all democratic parties” to denounce Islamic anti-Semitism. In this way, one would ” no longer have an open flank to offer to the AfD”. The opposition party had criticised the cooperation of the Red-Green Senate with the IZH in the past.
https://jungefreiheit.de/politik/deutschland/2022/antisemitismus-ajc-hamburg/