Cologne rally: As many as 10,000 Muslims to protest Islamic extremismOne of the largest Muslim associations in Germany has refused to take part
Chantal Da Silva @chantaladasilva 5 hours ago
‘Islam means peace,’ one sign reads as Muslim girls join a crowd paying tribute to those killed in the attack on Westminster Bridge in London ReutersAs many as 10,000 Muslims are set to protest in a rally against extremism in
Cologne on Saturday.
The protest comes in the wake of recent terror attacks in the UK and around the world.
“The attacks by people who justify their acts by invoking Islam, without justification, are becoming more frequent,” protest organisers write on a
website for the rally called NichtMitUns, or Not With Us.
“Our faith is being abused, defiled, insulted and distorted into something unrecognisable by this. Let us put a powerful sign against violence and terror."
Dozens of organisations have backed the protest. However, one of the largest Muslim associations in Germany has refused to take part.
The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (Ditib), which represents more than 900 Muslim communities across the country, rejected the event
in a statement accusing organisers of “hijacking and exploiting” the anti-terrorist agenda during the holy month of
Ramadan.
“Calls for ‘Muslim’ anti-terror demos fall short, stigmatise Muslims, and confine international terrorism to being just among them and within their communities and mosques,” Ditib said.
It also suggested the event was “not well thought through”, saying it was unreasonable for organisers to expect fasting Muslims to march through Cologne on a day that’s expected to see temperatures of 25°C.
Instead, Ditib said it would be collecting signatures under a joint petition against terrorism and for peace during a Friday prayer.
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Earlier this week, around 300 imams in Austria signed a declaration calling Isis the “black sheep” of the Islamic faith.
The declaration signed by the Islamic Religious Community of Austria (IGGÖ) in Vienna condemns extremism, quoting a passage from the Quaran, which states: “When a man kills a man, it is as if he had killed all mankind.”
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Excerpt. Read more at
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/cologne-rally-muslims-protest-islamic-extremism-germany-terror-attacks-uk-nichtmituns-not-with-us-a7792876.html
