GULF BETWEEN KEY MUSLIM ORGANIZATION AND HESSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FRANKFURT 008965

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/AGS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/14/2015
TAGS: PHUM PTER KISL KPAO GM
SUBJECT: GULF BETWEEN KEY MUSLIM ORGANIZATION AND HESSE
STATE GOVERNMENT HIGHLIGHTS INTEGRATION CHALLENGE


Classified By: Consul General Peter Bodde for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Tensions between the Hesse state government
and the IRH (Islamische Religionsgemeinschaft Hessen, the
state's largest Muslim umbrella organization) have simmered
since the state listed the IRH in its annual report on
extremism. The dispute came to the forefront again at IRH's
high-profile Iftaar dinner, when IRH Chairman Ramazan
Kuruyuez again threatened to leave Germany. Despite
Minister-President Koch's efforts to improve ties to
prominent Muslims, integration in the state is hampered by a
fragmented Muslim community and by political disagreement on
how best to approach the issue. END SUMMARY.

IRH: Background
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2. (U) The roughly 300,000 Muslims living in Hesse are
politically and socially fragmented, lacking a clear and
organized voice in their interactions with the state. As the
largest Muslim organization in the state, the IRH has sought
to fill this role and considers itself the leading Muslim
organization in Hesse (a claim rejected by some government
representatives who say that the IRH cannot speak for all
Muslims). Established in 1997, the IRH claims 12,000 members
(mostly Turkish). Unlike most Muslim organizations, seventy
percent of IRH executive board members have German
citizenship. IRH's stated goals include integrating Muslims
into German society, Islamic religious education in public
schools, the free practice of Islam, intercultural dialogue,
and promoting the interests of Muslims in Hesse.

Strained Relations
--------------


3. (SBU) During the past year, tensions have arisen between
the Hesse state government and the IRH. The major point of
contention is IRH's listing as an extremist organization in
the 2004 report by the Hesse State Office for the Protection
of the Constitution (LfV, which tracks domestic extremists;
report available at
http://www.verfassungsschutz-hessen.de/downlo ads/
vsbericht2004.pdf). The Hesse Interior Ministry (which
coordinates the report) says that the IRH advocates
introducing Shariah law in Germany and maintains ties to
organizations and individuals who oppose the German
constitution. The IRH challenged the report in court.
Ministry contacts have confided that IRH's ties to the listed
organization Milli Goerues (IGMG) were a main factor in
listing IRH as extremist (although that is not specifically
stated in the report itself). IGMG itself purports to be the
largest Turkish organization in Germany (membership estimates
vary widely),while a recent report cosponsored by the
Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
characterizes the group as the largest radical "Islamicist"
organization in Germany with 26,000 members. IRH does not
deny that some of its members are also belong to Milli
Goerues, but claims the IGMG faction is marginal and that
IGMG's extremist tendencies are "grossly exaggerated."


4. (U) IRH also failed to convince Hesse to establish Islamic
religious instruction in public schools (as recently
introduced in neighboring Baden-Wuerttemberg). Hesse State
Education Minister Karin Wolff (CDU) rejected the
IRH-proposed curriculum as not representative of the diverse
Muslim community in Hesse. She also pointed to optional
ethics courses that Muslim students can take in lieu of
Christian religious instruction. The IRH appealed the
Ministry of Education's decision and continues to work on the
issue. Bogged down in multiple and expensive court
proceedings, Chairman and founder Ramazan Kuruyuez first
announced in June 2005 that he would leave Germany in
protest.

Mixed Messages, Mixed Reactions
--------------


5. (U) The IRH Iftaar dinner underscored the IRH's mixed
messages and varied reactions from mainstream politicians
(Social Democrat, Green Party, and Free Democrat state caucus
chiefs attended, while Christian Democrats were noticeably
absent). During his hour-long speech, Kuruyuez condemned the
Iranian president's remarks on Israel as "irresponsible" and
intolerable, noting that "Israel has the right to exist as a
state." He condemned "all terrorist acts" and said the IRH
would "fight all hate preachers" and would not tolerate
anti-Semitism. Kuruyuez expressed hope that Turkey could
play a role in normalizing relations between the west and the
Islamic world, calling the EU to apply the same membership
criteria to Turkey that apply to all other applicants. At
the same time, Kuruyuez made thinly-veiled criticisms of the
United States and the West, decrying "unjust wars" and the
use of violence to spread democracy. Kuruyuez again called
on Hesse Minister-President Roland Koch (CDU) to personally
intervene and take the IRH off the LfV watch list. In
exchange, Kuruyuez pledged to leave Germany to avoid
"standing in the way of a normalization of relations" between
the IRH and the Hesse government. Some of the approximately
150 guests at the Iftaar expressed unease with Kuruyuez's
remarks, some leaving the event following the speech and
others evincing disagreement.


6. (C) Politicians and state officials are divided in their
assessments of IRH. SPD Caucus Chief Juergen Walter said
publicly that by ostracizing the IRH, the state is severing
its last remaining channel of communication with Muslims in
Hessen. Others, including Greens State Caucus Chief Tarek
Al-Wazir (who is of Yemeni descent),privately expressed
frustration with Kuruyuez's grandstanding. Helga Nagel, head
of the Frankfurt Office for Multicultural Affairs,
characterized the speech as counterproductive and opined that
playing the role of victim does not advance the IRH's cause.
Hesse state government representatives later told us they
question the IRH's sincerity and motives, moderate public
statements notwithstanding. Frankfurt officials active on
the issue echoed this sentiment, reporting that despite its
calls for open-mindedness and inter-religious dialogue, the
IRH remains a conservative Islamic organization rather than a
modernizing force. Hesse Interior State Secretary Oda
Scheibelhuber (CDU) downplayed the dispute, telling us that
Kuruyuez is angry in part because the state rejected his
application for German citizenship.

COMMENT
--------------


7. (C) Kuruyuez is a key figure within the Muslim community
in Hesse. His departure would probably do little to change
the IRH's listing as an extremist organization and might
further complicate the troubled dialogue between Muslims and
the state (some observers consider his current deputy a
hard-liner). Some IRH members and opposition politicians
blame the current tension on the Koch administration's
perceived hard line towards Muslims (raids on mosques and
Muslim neighborhoods, the closure of some Muslim boarding
schools, and Germany's strictest law on headscarves are all
cited as evidence). In reality, Minister-President Koch has
made strides towards integration and even served as keynote
speaker at IRH events prior to its listing as extremist.
Koch is a proponent of dialogue (more so than other
conservative politicians in the state),but also faces
increased security concerns and political constraints.
Integration and dialogue are important considering Hesse's
sizable foreign population (in Frankfurt, for example, one
out of every four persons is foreign born). The stalled
dialogue in Hesse underlines the complex challenges Germany
faces in reaching out to a fragmented Muslim community while
isolating extremists. END COMMENT.
BODDE