Ministry of the Interior: Imam posting from Turkey to be gradually terminated
Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) called the agreement "an important milestone for the integration and participation of Muslim communities in Germany". Germany needs "preachers who speak our language, know our country and stand up for our values", she emphasized. "We want imams to get involved in the dialogue between religions and discuss questions of faith in our society."
According to the ministry, the agreement was concluded with the Turkish religious authority Diyanet and the Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion e.V. (Ditib), which runs numerous mosques in Germany.
According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the training of the 100 imams in Germany each year is to take place as part of the existing Ditib training program in Dahlem, North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as through an additional program. To this end, "cooperation with the Islam College Germany (IKD) is being sought".
According to the Ministry of the Interior, Ditib is the largest Islamic association in Germany with around 900 mosque communities. To date, the imams working in the communities have been sent from Turkey and are Turkish civil servants from the Diyanet religious authority there.
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- The decision to gradually terminate imam posting from Turkey to Germany was made by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, with Nancy Faeser (SPD) hailing it as an important step for the integration of Muslim communities.
- Germany seeks preachers who can speak the language, understand the country, and promote its values, fareser highlighted, and she wants imams to be active in discussions about religion and faith in society.
- The agreement to terminate imam posting was reached with the Turkish religious authority, Diyanet, and the Turkish-Islamic Union, Ditib, which operates many mosques in Germany.
- Under the new arrangement, the 100 imams trained annually in Germany will pursue their education through the existing Ditib program in Dahlem, North Rhine-Westphalia, and an additional program.
- According to Faeser, the Ministry of the Interior is looking to cooperate with the Islam College Germany (IKD) for this training, which represents a significant departure from the past, when imams were primarily sent from Turkey and were Turkish civil servants of the Diyanet.
- The Ministry of the Interior has noted that Ditib is the largest Islamic association in Germany, with around 900 mosque communities, the majority of whose imams have hitherto been posted from Turkey.
- From now on, the process of integrating imams into German society will progress step by step, requiring a new approach that places a stronger emphasis on language skills, cultural knowledge, and a commitment to German values.
Source: www.stern.de
