Germany confronts new threat of ‘digital Salafism’ as radicalization moves online

Germany is facing the threat of “digital Salafism” rather than radical Salafists “roaming the streets or preaching in mosques,” according to a new government report.

According to a report in WELT, the Islamist movement in Germany has changed in recent years, becoming less visible in the public sphere. “Salafist street missionaries with long beards” are now rarely seen in German cities.

Instead, as the newspaper reports, “Islamist radicalization” today occurs almost entirely in the digital realm. Security agencies detect almost no preliminary signs in the real world.

For example, the importance of the “charismatic imam in a local mosque who captivates the neighborhood’s youth” has rapidly diminished. Today, young people are radicalized by the seamless flow of social networks, between videos from Islamist influencers on Instagram and religious rules for school life on TikTok.

According to WELT, new figures from the German government and specific incidents in recent months illustrate this.

For instance, at the end of May this year, the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court sentenced Deard M. to more than three years in prison. The 28-year-old had transferred approximately 4,000 euros to ISIS supporters in detention camps in Syria. To do this, the individual, who was radicalized during a previous prison sentence, used the organization’s Türkiye-based donation network.

According to police reports, supporters of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria made threats of “murder and rape” against the Druze minority in front of the Berlin city hall in mid-July and welcomed the massacre of religious minorities in Syria.

In Quickborn, Schleswig-Holstein, a 45-year-old Iranian man attacked two colleagues with a knife in a butcher shop at the end of July. The two victims are members of the Yazidi religious minority. The perpetrator has been in custody since the incident. The Schleswig-Holstein State Criminal Police Office is investigating the attempted murder and suspects “religious motives.”

New figures from the federal government, obtained by WELT, also show the scale of the problem: state security authorities currently classify approximately 447 individuals as an “Islamist threat.”

This police category refers to individuals believed capable of committing serious crimes that threaten the state and who are closely monitored by security authorities, often with a large number of personnel.

Another 481 people are considered “relevant persons,” meaning they are leaders, logisticians, or contacts within “extremist” circles.

While the numbers are still high, they show a slight decrease from the previous year: as of April 2024, there were 480 dangerous persons and 504 relevant persons.

In response to a question from Cansu Özdemir, a member of parliament for The Left Party (Die Linke), the Federal Ministry of the Interior stated that the total number of “potential Islamists” in Germany is approximately 28,280. This figure represents a slight increase compared to previous surveys.

The Left Party’s foreign policy spokesperson commented, “A real danger posed by Islamists in Germany continues. It is also extremely worrying that 40 individuals from the spectrum of dangerous and ‘relevant persons’ are currently on trial.”

According to the federal government, in about 25 of these 40 cases, the individuals are accused of membership in a “terrorist organization” abroad. In four cases, extremists are accused of forming a “terrorist group,” and an equal number of cases involve charges of crimes against humanity.

Investigations are underway against 257 individuals in the area of “politically motivated crimes – religious ideology,” with most of these individuals being over 30 years old.

Since 2020, courts have convicted approximately 78 individuals (23 women and 55 men) considered dangerous or “relevant persons,” almost all for membership in a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Of these cases, 51 were related to ISIS membership. This was followed by six cases related to “ISIS and the Nusra Front” and two cases each for membership in Hezbollah and HTS.

The German government writes the following about “Islamist influencers” operating in the digital space:

“They act in a target-oriented manner and adapt to platform-specific requirements. They also link their online incitement with real-world forms of action, such as demonstrations or flash mobs. In doing so, they connect emotionally charged topics related to Islam, framing these ideas with the claim that there is an Islamophobic mood in Germany.”

The Federal Ministry of the Interior does not provide any information about specific individuals or channels. However, according to WELT, this could refer to Islamist groups such as “Generation Islam” or “Muslim Interaktiv.”

These groups are closely associated with the Hizb ut-Tahrir movement, which was banned in 2003.

When asked which groups have become particularly prominent since October 7, 2023, the Federal Ministry of the Interior said that “the amount of information related to sympathizers and supporters of terrorist organizations with connections to the Middle East, especially Hamas and Hezbollah, has generally increased.”

Özdemir of The Left Party asserts that there is “official certainty” that Hamas and Hezbollah have gained more supporters since the Al-Aqsa Flood operation, adding, “In terms of combating radicalization and antisemitism, this connection must be taken seriously.”