How seriously do German authorities really take the fight against radical Islam? This question inevitably arises when you consider the case in Hamburg, in which the medical doctor Dr Omar S. is suspected of having links to the extremist Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT). This group is in favour of a ‘caliphate’, Sharia law and the rejection of all Western values such as freedom of expression and equal rights. Particularly explosive: Dr S. runs his practice in a socially deprived district with a high proportion of migrants, which makes the risk of radicalisation there particularly sensitive.
As reported by the newspaper Bild, S., who specialises in circumcisions according to Muslim rites, is said to be a secret cadre of the radical Islamic Hizb ut-Tahrir according to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. This group, which was founded in 1953, has been banned in Germany since 2003, but it appears that suspected members can still work publicly as GPs. This makes it all the more astonishing that the red-green governed city of Hamburg operates S.’s practice on a municipal property and that the authorities would even have had a right of veto. Yet despite evidence and public statements by the doctor glorifying radical Islam, he was allowed to practise.
Back in 2020, S. made it clear his stance on Facebook: ‘We hope that Islam will soon replace the corrupt secular capitalist system as the world’s guiding principle.’ Such statements should have been reason enough to carry out an in-depth investigation into his activities and connections. But nothing happened.
The case clearly shows how inadequate the authorities’ approach is in the fight against radical Islam. While there is growing unease among the population about increasing radicalisation, no clear steps are being taken. The fact that S.’s practice will now not be reviewed until the end of 2024 casts a poor light on the ability of the responsible institutions to act. What is particularly worrying is that the practice is located in Steilshoop, a neighbourhood that is already characterised by social tensions and a high proportion of people with a migrant background. A GP who presumably also acts as a recruiter for extremist ideologies could gain dangerous influence in this neighbourhood.
Islamisten unter uns: Bekennender radikaler Moslem in Hamburg als Hausarzt toleriert – Unzensuriert