Germany to stop accepting imams from Turkey, train clerics at home

Germany is set to halt the acceptance of imams sent from Turkey and, instead, intends to train Muslim clerics within its own borders to foster better integration, announced the interior ministry on Thursday.

According to a statement from the ministry, an agreement has been established with the Turkish-Islamic umbrella group DITIB to gradually phase out foreign imams.

The plan is to train 100 imams annually in Germany to replace the current ones.

DITIB, the largest Islamic association in Germany managing 900 mosque communities, has faced criticism for being perceived as an extension of the Turkish government in Germany, as it is a branch of the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Ankara.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the agreement was “an important milestone for the integration and participation of Muslim communities in Germany”.

“We need religious leaders who speak our language, know our country and uphold our values,” Faeser said.

“We want imams to get involved in the dialogue between religions and discuss questions of faith in our society.”

With approximately 5.5 million Muslims residing in Germany, constituting around 6.6 per cent of the population, the country boasts about 2,500 mosque communities.

Historically, the majority of imams in Germany were trained abroad, primarily in Turkey.

Former Chancellor Angela Merkel advocated for domestic imam training in 2018, emphasising its necessity for the nation’s independence.

In 2016, DITIB faced allegations of espionage on members of the Turkish diaspora in Germany following a failed coup against Erdogan’s government.

However, the case was later dropped due to insufficient evidence. The association initiated an imam training program in Germany in 2020.

In addition to DITIB’s existing program, the interior ministry revealed that the training of 100 imams per year in Germany will also involve cooperation with the German College of Islam (IKD), which was established in 2021 in the city of Osnabrueck as a state-backed training center for imams.

With inputs from AFP