German security officials are expressing concerns regarding potential attacks by Arabic Islamist groups targeting individuals perceived as heretics. Individuals of Syrian Sunni background are reportedly threatening Druze, Kurds and Alawites within Germany, as evidenced by recent demonstrations in Berlin and Düsseldorf.
Dirk Peglow, Chairman of the Federal Association of German Criminal Investigators, stated to “Tagesspiegel” that Islamist individuals residing in Germany are currently inciting violence against minority groups fleeing the Middle East, specifically targeting Druze communities. He characterized the glorification of violence and incitement to criminal acts as a serious threat to public safety, adding that there is a concrete fear that public statements from the Islamist spectrum could motivate individuals to commit serious crimes.
The heightened alert stems from ongoing conflicts in the Druze region of southern Syria. Druze forces recently retook Suwaida, following massacres perpetrated by Islamist groups aligned with a transitional government. Following the overthrow of the Assad regime last winter, Alawites-whose religious affiliation the former leader also shared-had previously experienced threats within Germany.
Ali Toprak, Federal Chairman of the Kurdish Community Germany, commented that it is unsurprising for minorities originating from the Middle East that Syrian Islamists are now attempting to target individuals on German streets, a pattern observed since 2015 when similar incidents occurred within asylum seeker accommodations.
“Those who have fled persecution must not fear for their lives in Germany” Toprak emphasized. “Anyone who becomes a perpetrator here has forfeited their right to asylum”. He urged German authorities to consistently enforce the principles of a liberal legal state, stressing that German asylum law is intended for individuals facing political and religious persecution, not for their tormentors and murderers.
