Uproar over Taliban official's appearance in Cologne mosque
Following the appearance of a high-ranking Afghan Taliban official in a mosque in Cologne, it is still unclear how the man was able to enter Germany. The Federal Foreign Office (AA) strongly condemned Abdul Bari Omar's appearance on Friday. The trip had not been announced to the AA and the man had not been issued a visa before entering Germany. The North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of the Interior explained on Saturday in response to an inquiry that the man was the head of the food and medicine authorities in Afghanistan.
Omar had appeared on Thursday in Cologne-Chorweiler in a mosque belonging to the umbrella organization Ditib. The Islamic association distanced itself from the appearance, saying that the "Afghan Cultural Association Cologne Meschenich" had organized the event, which was announced as religious. The association had been banned from the premises. The cultural association, on the other hand, had emphasized that it had not been involved in renting the event room, nor had any members of the association been present. The club had filed a complaint for defamation of character, among other things.
The North Rhine-Westphalian State Chancellery had also condemned the appearance of the Taliban functionary. "The fact that members of a radical organization such as the Taliban are spreading their ideologies unfiltered on German soil is an unspeakable act," a spokesperson told the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger newspaper. However, the Düsseldorf Ministry of the Interior referred on Saturday to an assessment by the Federal Prosecutor General: According to this, with the Taliban taking power in Afghanistan and forming a government in September 2021, they were no longer a criminal or terrorist organization "as of this point in time".
The NRW ministry spokesperson referred to the federal authorities for details on entry from Afghanistan. The AA had made it clear that the German government does not recognize the Taliban. "As long as the Taliban in Afghanistan blatantly trample on human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, there will be no normalization with the Taliban regime."
The controversy surrounding the Taliban official's visit highlights concerns about the spread of extremist religious ideologies in Germany. Despite the Taliban being recognized as a government by some, their actions against human rights, particularly women's rights, prevent any normalization with their regime.
Source: www.dpa.com
