As interior minister, Horst Seehofer is responsible for defending both Germany’s constitution and its religious freedom. However, his recent remarks show he may not understand those tasks, says Michel Friedman.
Horst Seehofer did not say that “political Islam” does not belong in Germany. Nor did he say that “Islamism” does not belong in Germany. His words were clear and unequivocal: “Islam” does not belong in Germany. This is no coincidence. The interior minister knows what he’s doing. And he is choosing to do this. It’s called intent.
Millions of Germans who practice the Islamic faith live here. But this is not the only reason why Islam is a fact of life in Germany. This fact of life is also based on principle. And someone who is interior minister — the position that protects the constitution — should be familiar with Article 4 of Germany’s Basic Law. This article defines religious freedom: Every person is allowed to believe what he or she wants. Every religion is accepted, every faith is possible, as long as it does not violate the Basic Law. A politician who denies a world religion its place as a part of Germany’s religious and social reality is showing a questionable understanding of religious freedom.
Western Christianity’s bloody history
This exclusion of Islam is neither historically nor sociopolitically comprehensible. No one disputes that Christianity has been Europe’s dominant religion for centuries. But this Christian West that so many rave about has not always had a modern view of religion. On the contrary, religious and secular powers have partnered up here, too. There have been religious wars and aggressive missions. Anti-Semitism has been present from the beginning. Martin Luther, the reformer, was a rabid anti-Semite.
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