Allegation of incitement to hatred

Public prosecutor’s office investigates Viennese imam

One imam

(Bild: APA/Hans Klaus Techt)

The Vienna public prosecutor's office is now officially investigating an imam for incitement to hatred. Following several Facebook postings, the man resigned from his position in mid-February. A house search was carried out last Monday, as confirmed by Nina Bussek, spokesperson for the authorities.

It was not yet clear on Wednesday what was seized. The corresponding report was not yet available, it was said. The imam of the Assalam mosque at Schöpfwerk in Vienna-Meidling had attracted the attention of the law enforcement agency with anti-Semitism. "Oh Allah, defeat the Jews and support the Mujaheddin who are fighting for Allah in Palestine", he wrote on Facebook, for example. In another post, he even said that Jews are a "despicable people", "criminals" and "bloodthirsty people" who only understand "the language of blood and murder". The man's Facebook profile can no longer be found.

This is an unacceptable reaction to the Middle East conflict.

Islamische Glaubensgemeinschaft über die Aussagen des Mannes

Religious community: "Unacceptable"
The Islamic Religious Community (IGGÖ) described the statements as an "unacceptable reaction to the Middle East conflict" and imposed an activity ban on the imam. This is independent of the criminal investigation, said a spokeswoman for the IGGÖ on Wednesday. However, the Muslim remains a simple member. Expulsion is only possible in the event of a final conviction with a prison sentence of more than one year.

The Assalam Mosque is mainly attended by people with Egyptian roots. It has been part of the IGGÖ since 2016. No problematic content was found in the sermons held there. In addition to the man who is now under investigation by the public prosecutor's office, two other imams preached there and are still active.