German police have launched dawn raids on about 190 mosques, flats and offices linked to an Islamic group as the government bans the organisation, accusing it of radicalising young people.
The interior minister, Thomas de Maizière, said the DWR “True Religion” organisation had contacted young people as it distributed Qur’ans and other religious material, and had persuaded about 140 of them to join militants in Iraq and Syria.
.... The chancellor, Angela Merkel, has been under pressure to harden her line on security after Islamic State claimed responsibility for a string of attacks across Europe and she faced criticism for her decision to let in about 900,000 migrants last year.
“Today’s ban is not directed against the distribution of the Qur’an or translations of the Qur’an,” De Maizière told reporters.
“Today’s ban is rather directed against the abuse of religion by people propagating extremist ideologies and supporting terrorist organisations under the pretext of Islam.” [The Guardian] Read more
