PROPOSED BAVARIAN ISLAMIC ACADEMY HIGHLIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MUNICH 000646

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2022
TAGS: GE KCRM KISL PGOV PREL PTER SOCI
SUBJECT: PROPOSED BAVARIAN ISLAMIC ACADEMY HIGHLIGHTS
CHALLENGES OF MUSLIM INTEGRATION

REF: MUNICH 218

MUNICH 00000646 001.4 OF 003


Classified By: Consul General Eric G. Nelson. Reasons: 1.4(b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) A controversial proposal for an Islamic academy in
Munich illustrates some of the challenges of balancing
integration and security concerns in a conservative German
state. The academy, to be funded by the UAE, would be a
first-of-its-kind proposal by IVLP grantee Imam Benjamin
Idriz of the Penzberg Islamic Community to educate imams in
Munich in the German language. The academy, says Idriz,
would help integrate Muslims into German society. Bavarian
Ministry of Interior (MOI) officials, however, have raised
misgivings, arguing that the Penzberg Community has been
associated with the Turkish Islamic organization Milli Gorus
(MG),which is under observation by the Federal and Bavarian
Offices for the Protection of the Constitution as a threat to
the constitutional order. Some local officials and clergy
have rushed to support the Penzberg Congregation, and various
opposition state legislators have alleged a smear campaign by
some Bavarian politicians. Although the MOI is not formally
able to block the project, the future of the academy remains
unclear, in part because the UAE funding may not be
forthcoming if Bavarian officials remain politically opposed.
End Summary.

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AN ISLAMIC ACADEMY IN CATHOLIC BAVARIA?
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2. (U) Benjamin Idriz, Imam of the rural Islamic
Congregation of Penzberg (south of Munich) and IVLP grantee
in 2007, has proposed an academy called the "Center for Islam
in Europe, Munich" (ZIEM) aimed at educating imams in
Germany, in the German language. At present, the Turkish
umbrella organization in Germany, "DITIB" (Turkish Islamic
Union for Religious Affairs),in cooperation with "DIYANET,"
the office for religious affairs in Turkey, brings in imams
from abroad, mainly from Turkey or Morocco, to serve in
Germany. Most speak little or no German and often depart the
country after four years. While it is estimated that there
are currently 3.3 million Muslims who visit some 2,600
mosques and prayer rooms throughout Germany, there is
virtually no indigenous education of Islamic clerics in
German universities.


3. (U) Advocates for Muslim integration, including the
Protestant Church of Bavaria, have welcomed the ZIEM project,
asserting the education of imams born and raised in Germany
would be an ideal tool for better integration, as these imams
would understand German society and the needs of the German
Islamic community. Idriz presented a paper outlining his
ideas, including Bachelor and Masters level courses designed
to give students a solid religious education in cooperation
with the Bavarian Ministry of Culture. Idriz stated the idea
was to train tolerant, open-minded, highly-qualified and
engaged imams who would "naturally" preach in German. The
Emir of Sharjah in the UAE, already a benefactor of the
Penzberg Community, reportedly has promised financial support
to the new Islamic center, provided authorities approve the
project.

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BAVARIAN AUTHORITIES CONCERNED
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4. (U) Former Bavarian MOI State Secretary Georg Schmid (he
has recently taken a new post) had publicly called into
question the claimed integration aims of the Academy. Schmid
referred to alleged MG membership not by Idriz, but by
leading Penzberg Community members, including Community
Chairman Bayram Yerli and his wife and Vice Director of the
Forum, Goenuel Yerli. MG is under observation by the Federal
and Bavarian Offices for the Protection of the Constitution
(OPC) as an extremist organization that represents a threat
to the constitutional order. Schmid also pointed to an
internal concept paper for the Academy that appeared to
propose a more fundamentalist goal than the one announced
publicly. The paper reportedly referred to the need for
children to be educated in "pure Islam," and criticized the
way European Muslims were being "to a certain extent
compelled" to co-exist with a non-Muslim majority in society.
Idriz acknowledged the concept paper existed, but dismissed
it as one of various concept papers submitted by European

MUNICH 00000646 002.2 OF 003


counterparts and not adopted for the ZIEM academy.


5. (C) Separately, newly-elected Bavarian Minister-President
Guenther Beckstein, who has not taken a public position on
the matter, confided to the Consul General (while Beckstein
was still Bavarian Interior Minister) that he supported
Schmid's stance on Penzberg and the Academy, while
acknowledging that Schmid may have also used the controversy
to bolster his political profile. The CG noted Idriz's
advocacy of a moderate form of pro-integration Islam, and
Beckstein countered that "Idriz plays two different pianos."
Beckstein also expressed discomfort with funding from the
Emir of Sharjah.


6. (C) ConGen Munich met November 28 with Schmid's
successor, Juergen Heike, and Wolfgang Remmele, the OPC
liaison officer to the MOI, to learn their views on Penzberg.
Heike essentially echoed Schmid's and Beckstein's views,
expressing a general distrust of Idriz and his congregation.
Heike stressed the alleged MG connection, saying that Idriz
had delivered a speech in 2005 praising MG's social net for
its members. Heike continued that the MOI still considered
Yerli to be an MG member, since he had yet to submit proof of
his leaving MG, as he had promised to do.


7. (C) When asked what specific things Idriz could do to
mitigate the MOI's concerns, Heike said Idriz needed to not
only make statements distancing himself from terrorism, but
from Islamic fundamentalism in general. Additionally, Idriz
needed to publicly condemn MG and oust its members from his
community. Heike told the CG: "They lie to us. Since they
are convinced it's totally right to lie, to betray, and even
kill unbelievers, this does not build confidence." When
asked if there were any specific threats emanating from
Penzberg, Heike said there were none. Remmele added without
elaboration, that there were indications of links between the
Penzberg Congregation and a Bosnian terrorist group which was
attempting to expand its influence in Bavaria. We have
scheduled a follow-on meeting with Remmele for more
information.

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DISSENTING VIEWS
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8. (C) Some working-level contacts in the Bavarian law
enforcement community have confided to the Consulate that
they view the Penzberg controversy as essentially a
"political" issue that is being used by Bavarian officials to
appeal to their conservative, largely Catholic, constituency.
Additionally, several Bavarian SPD and Green political
figures have come to the defense of Idriz, criticizing the
MOI's role in the controversy. While politicians from the
governing CSU party have been largely silent on the issue,
Bavarian Landtag (state legislature) President and CSU member
Alois Glueck has warned against general suspicion of Muslims,
and said that cooperation with the moderate forces of Islam
is a top priority.


9. (U) Glueck met with Idriz at his Landtag office on
October 16, and had what he described in a subsequent media
interview as a "constructive" conversation. At the end of
October, Glueck traveled to the UAE, where he met with the
Emir of Sharjah (Glueck said the trip was planned well before
the ZIEM controversy). Glueck told the press he had come
away from his meeting with a positive impression of the Emir,
whom he described as open, and as having distanced himself
from fundamentalist Islam. Glueck added that he had no
reason to believe the Emir had intentions that were contrary
to Bavarian interests. Glueck, while generally supportive of
Idriz and the Penzberg Congregation, has stopped short of
publicly endorsing the ZIEM project, saying too many
questions, particularly regarding public input, remain open.

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WHAT'S NEXT?
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10. (U) At this point, the Academy's fate is uncertain --
Idriz is planning meetings with Munich officials to seek
necessary approvals from the city. He will also need the
approval from the district government of Upper Bavaria.
Technically, he does not need permission as such from the MOI
to move ahead with the academy. However, the Emir of Sharjah
reportedly has told him funding is contingent upon the
support of the Bavarian government -- including the MOI.

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COMMENT
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11. (C) The Penzberg Congregation has many attributes of a
moderate Islamic community; however, misgivings persist among
MOI politicians about whether the community's private
messages are consistent with their public statements.
ConGen Munich has engaged Idriz and his congregation since
2005 with the MOI's clearance, and sent Idriz to the U.S. on
an IVLP this year. Our dialogue with the Penzberg community
has won significant attention from the media and praise from
opposition political figures. To expand our understanding of
the community and the MOI's concerns, we continue to seek
official information from local authorities at various
levels. We suspect that the MOI's reaction reflects the
conservative Bavarian government's general discomfort with
any initiatives that, in Heike's own words, could "impact
German politics and eventually transform German society." We
will continue, however, to follow the Penzberg saga closely
while continuing our cautious engagement with Idriz and his
congregation for now.


12. (U) This report has been coordinated with Embassy Berlin.


13. (U) Previous reporting from Munich is available on our
SIPRNET website at www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/munich/ .
NELSON