Turkey anxious at attacks on mosques in Germany

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey has expressed concern at the recent hoax bomb scares and racist threats targeting Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs’ (DITIB) headquarters and mosques in Germany.

In a written statement issued on Friday, Turkish Foreign Ministry said such threats were aimed at disrupting the peace of Turkish community living in Germany.

The statement urged German authorities to conduct necessary investigations.

The ministry, however, also appreciated quick efforts of local German security agencies for taking security measures against such attacks.

Noting that Islamophobia and xenophobic tendencies were on the rise, the statement said such threats and attacks posed a threat to not only Muslims but also to the whole humankind.

Germany’s largest mosque in the western city of Cologne had also received a hoax bomb threat on Tuesday.

“If perpetrators are not brought to justice, if they are not held accountable, it would not be possible to stop such attacks,” Kazim Turkmen, chairman of the DITIB, told Anadolu Agency, earlier on Tuesday.

The country is witnessing increasing cases of Islamophobia in recent years, triggered by the propaganda of far-right parties.

More than 100 mosques and religious institutions were attacked in 2018.

Police have recorded 813 hate crimes against Muslims last year, including insults, threatening letters and physical assaults. At least 54 Muslims were injured in those attacks.

Germany, with a population of 81 million, has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.