Honoring a Muslim Brotherhood-linked imam sparks a storm of criticism in Germany
A planned ceremony to honor a figure linked to the Muslim Brotherhood at an event organized by the Thomas Dehler Foundation, affiliated with Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP), has triggered widespread criticism across the country.
The Thomas Dehler Foundation traditionally recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions to freedom, tolerance, and the fight against extremism. However, according to several German media reports, these values do not apply to Imam Benjamin Idris, who is known for his alleged ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Imam Benjamin Idris, based in the state of Bavaria, was set to receive the award on Wednesday. Since the early 2000s, his activities have been monitored by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution (domestic intelligence), which has reported his links to organizations associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The agency describes the Brotherhood as a movement seeking to undermine the democratic order and ultimately establish a state governed by Islamic law.
“A major threat”
In 2010, Der Spiegel reported that “the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has been convinced since at least 2007 that Idris was placed in Penzberg by extremists to prepare, under the guise of a tolerant preacher, for the Islamization of Germany.” Idris currently serves as imam of the Muslim Community Association in Penzberg, Bavaria.
In response to questions from the German newspaper Bild, the Thomas Dehler Foundation stated: “Of course, some of Imam Idris’s statements can and should be criticized. But the foundation’s criterion is whether the person, in thought and in behavior, upholds the principles of liberal democracy and respects law and justice.”
Prominent politician Volker Beck described the award ceremony as “a major disappointment.” He told Bild: “It has long been known that Idris studied at institutions linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. His public actions still suggest that he operates according to their strategies. And now they want to encourage that? I simply can’t understand it.”
