According to a study by the University of Münster, many Muslims in Germany suffer from resentment, which makes them more receptive to radicalisation. Almost 20 per cent of the Muslims surveyed felt offended or rejected, according to the published study results. In combination with other factors, this could encourage radicalisation, explained Mouhanad Khorchide, Director of the Centre for Islamic Theology (ZIT) at the University of Münster. As a consequence, the researchers called for measures to strengthen Muslims’ sense of belonging.
Almost 1,900 Muslims with a migration background aged 18 and over were surveyed for the study between July 2023 and April 2024. The study found that one in five respondents had an entrenched feeling of being offended. This means that positive everyday experiences are downplayed and negative experiences take centre stage, said Khorchide. The result is a feeling of disadvantage for which the majority society is blamed.
However, the authors of the study warned against assuming that the 20 per cent of Muslims with resentment are potentially radicalised. ‘The offence alone is not sufficient for radicalisation,’ emphasised Khorchide. ‘Not every person with resentment has to slide into radicalisation or even become an extremist.’ Nevertheless, the results showed a dangerous proximity to religiously motivated speeches by Islamists who specifically target people with resentment in order to mobilise them against German society.
Arab culture i.e. Muslim culture is a shame culture. Every example they encounter in the West where their home country is shown to be backward, creates resentment. ‘Wern’t we told that Muslims are the perfect people?
A perfect example is the migrant Muslim man who adopts Western dress and drives a late model car, yet expects his wife and daughters to observe Sharia-compliant behaviour. No doubt trying to offset the shame of his buy-in to the West by excessive control of his family.