Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul presented the Islamism situation report on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. On 60 pages, the North Rhine-Westphalian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has described the developments and dangers in the phenomenon of Islamism as of January 2024.
Minister Herbert Reul: "This situation report is part of the intelligence work of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. The fact that it is ready today is good. Because it comes at the right time. Islamism is still on the rise."
In several chapters, the situation report provides an insight into the various Islamist movements and how they are characterized in North Rhine-Westphalia. The geographical focus of the Islamist spectrum in North Rhine-Westphalia is primarily on the urban areas in and around Bonn, Cologne, Düren, Aachen, Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Mönchengladbach, the Ruhr region with the conurbations around Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg, the Münsterland, Siegen and East Westphalia-Lippe.
The different actors have one thing in common. They all share an aggressive rejection of Israel. 7 October 2023 and the situation in the Middle East are triggering a high level of emotionalization in some cases. Events abroad have a concrete impact on the development of Islamism in Germany and therefore also in North Rhine-Westphalia. Interior Minister Reul warns: "Islamists are instrumentalizing the bloody conflict not only to appeal to their core clientele, but also to promote solidarity with Palestine in the middle of society. In many cases, however, the cloak of solidarity hides nothing other than hatred of Jews."
North Rhine-Westphalia continues to be a focus for jihadists. There is a high abstract risk of terrorist attacks by Islamist-motivated extremists. The greatest threat comes from the Islamic State Province of Khorasan (ISPK) and self-radicalized individual perpetrators.
In addition, extremist Salafism is becoming increasingly popular among young people who are influenced by online preachers. "The internet is increasingly becoming a high-performance engine for radicalization. Hate preachers have perfected online propaganda on TikTok, Instagram or Telegram. Extremists present themselves as influencers with simple, reactionary patriarchal values. With a gangster image and experience in martial arts, these lifestyle Islamists vie for the attention of young people," said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul.
The Islamism situation report is the first of several on various areas of extremism and is part of the state government's coalition agreement.
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