Taliban official gives speech in Cologne mosque
The radical Islamic Taliban are classified as a terrorist organization in Germany. Nevertheless, one of its functionaries can apparently solicit donations in a mosque in Cologne without being bothered. The Ditib association says it made the rooms available without knowing which guests would be appearing.
A high-ranking member of the Taliban from Afghanistan appeared at a mosque in Cologne on Thursday. Videos on Platform X show Abdul Bari Omar, head of the country's food and medicine authority, giving a speech in front of an audience. A sign with the inscription "Ditib Chorweiler e.V." can be clearly seen in the background. The radical Islamic Taliban seized power in Afghanistan by force in 2021. They are classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the USA. It is unclear how a member of the Taliban was able to enter Germany. The Turkish-Islamic Union (Ditib) distanced itself from the event. They had only rented the rooms to an association and did not know that the Taliban representative had been invited.
The Taliban's press spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed the man's appearance in Cologne on X. "The head of the Food and Drug Authority, Dr. Abdul Bari Omar, spoke at a meeting of Afghans in Germany and answered their questions," he writes. It was about security in Afghanistan, reconstruction and the use of "capital for the development of the country". The latter probably means collecting donations.
"A new level of escalation"
Civan Akbulut, member of the Integration Council of the City of Essen, writes about the video on X: "Taliban functionary Dr. Abdulbari Omar was invited by the Ditib Cologne Chorweiler. There he campaigned for the Taliban." This is a new level of escalation. "The Ditib association should now be smashed once and for all, the ringleaders arrested and the Turkish religious attachés expelled," said Akbulut.
The Turkish-Islamic Union (Ditib) is the largest Sunni Islamic organization in Germany and reports directly to the Turkish government. More than 900 local chapters belong to the organization. In a statement, Ditib Chorweiler wrote that the premises had been rented by the "Afghan Cultural Association Cologne Meschenich" for religious purposes. "Contrary to the contractual agreement, this became a political event to which a speaker unknown to us was invited," it says. This constituted a "blatant breach of contract".
Ditib had "learned from the press" that the speaker was "a former member of the Taliban government in Afghanistan". "We distance ourselves resolutely from the 'Afghanischer Kulturverein Köln Meschenich e.V.' association, the speakers and the content of this event," it said. The association has been banned from the premises.
- Despite being classified as a terrorist organization in Germany due to their ties with Taliban, the Ditib association in Cologne [allowed] a Taliban official to give a speech in one of their mosques.
- The presence of Abdul Bari Omar, a high-level Taliban figure, at a Cologne mosque sparked controversy, as he is the head of Afghanistan's food and medicine authority and is associated with Islam and terrorism.
- The Taliban's involvement in terrorism activities in Afghanistan, where they seized power in 2021, is a major concern for many countries, including Germany, which classifies them as a terrorist organization.
Source: www.ntv.de
