C O N F I D E N T I A L FRANKFURT 006156

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2014
TAGS: PTER ASEC KISL PINS PHUM PGOV GM MO BINR
SUBJECT: SEARCH OF FRANKFURT MOSQUE PROVOKES CONTROVERSY;
EVIDENCE UNCLEAR

REF: A) FRANKFURT 0567 B) 02 FRANKFURT 10187

Classified By: Consul General Peter W. Bodde, reasons 1.5(b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY: Police searched Frankfurt's Taqwa ("Fear of
Allah" in Arabic) mosque on July 11 in response to
allegations that Taqwa's religious curriculum includes
violent and extremist material. Justification for the raid
centered on a 9-year old's statement to police that the
mosque's school showed images glorifying violence and
promoting attacks on non-Muslims as well as a videocassette
allegedly purchased at Taqwa that includes footage of Muslim
rebels and calls for jihad. Authorities say they confiscated
numerous videotapes and digital storage devices as well as 19
computer hard drives and will need weeks to analyze the
material. The raid provoked surprise and controversy, as
Frankfurt's Office for Foreigners had considered the mosque
to be relatively progressive. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Over two hundred Frankfurt police armed with machine
guns searched the Moroccan mosque Taqwa (located near the
city's main train station) on July 11 after a statement
alleging reports of material at the mosque's religious school
demonizing "non-believers" and glorifying acts of violence
against non-Muslims. The school enrolls over 300 students
and receives partial funding from the Moroccan consulate.
According to police, a 9-year-old student confided to a
teacher at her German school that Taqwa was using brutal and
extremist imagery (including that of a pregnant woman's
stomach violently slashed) to promote attacks against
non-Muslims.


3. (C) A Taqwa spokesman denied police allegations and
demanded a public apology for the raid. The spokesman
explained reports of police seizures of large quantities of
high-tech equipment from Taqwa premises by noting that the
material was part of a library that Taqwa kept for use by its
congregation. In a subsequent statement, police qualified
the raid by saying that the Taqwa mosque was not under
suspicion and that authorities had no plans at present to
press charges. Frankfurt's Commissioner for Foreigners,
Albrecht Magen, called the police statement a contradiction
and cited Taqwa's reputation as a moderate voice among
Frankfurt's Muslims and its long record of participation in
community initiatives such as "Mama lernt Deutsch (Mama
learns German)", a program to teach German to immigrant
mothers.


4. (C) Frankfurt law enforcement revealed on July 15 that
they possessed a tape allegedly purchased in the Taqwa mosque
glorifying violence and calling for attacks on non-Muslims.
Authorities in Cologne discovered the tape and passed it to
Frankfurt police. The video opens with footage of a red
tulip blossoming and then moves to images of Muslim
insurgencies in Afghanistan and Chechnya accompanied by calls
for jihad. Police note that the tape was part of the
evidence they presented to obtain a search warrant for the
mosque.


5. (C) COMMENT: Frankfurt was home to a North African
Islamic terrorist cell convicted of planning attacks against
the Strasbourg Christmas Market in 2000 (ref B). As reported
in the press, local politicians like city Social Democrat/SPD
party manager Gregor Amman (who lives next door to the
mosque) have cited Taqwa's strong community involvement and
progressive reputation while criticizing the heavyhanded way
in which police conducted the raid (including bringing a
camera crew and failing to take their shoes off before
entering the mosque.) Law enforcement authorities have
adopted a cautious tone and say that it will take weeks to
translate and analyze the material seized. Meanwhile, the
incident has sparked a heated debate within Frankfurt on
Muslim religious schools and their possible use as incubators
for Islamist extremism. END COMMENT.
BODDE