Glorification of Islam

Güngör: “Muslims should also be self-critical”

(Bild: krone.tv )

The threat posed by political Islam is real and, according to integration expert Kenan Güngör in an interview with krone.tv, requires a clear distinction between religion and ideology: "What I would like to see is much greater self-reflection within the Turkish community," says Güngör and calls for a clearer stance against extremist movements.

 "The Turkish community must not tolerate everything that happens in the name of Islam," says the integration expert. A clear distancing from such groups and ideologies is necessary in order to promote social integration and minimize the dangers of radicalization. Güngör also criticizes the tendency to portray Islam as infallible. "The problem is that the refinement of Islam is often not recognized as a problem," he says, referring to the growing support for jihadist groups.

"If jihadists who kill people are acting in the name of Islam, then the Muslim community must ask itself whether this is really in line with the true values of Islam," emphasizes Güngör.

New trends: Arabization and Turkification
The Muslim community in Austria is anything but homogeneous, emphasizes Kenan Güngör. "Just like everywhere else, the bear is raging - even among them," explains the expert. Different currents and conflicts characterize the relationship between the groups, especially since the sharp increase in people with a Muslim background in 2015 and 2016.

One exciting trend is the mutual influence between Arab and Turkish Muslims. "We are seeing an Arabization of Turkish Islam because people of Turkish origin are the largest group here in the country. At the same time, we are seeing a Turkification of Arab Islam because many Arab Muslims do not yet have their own mosques and go to Turkish mosques."

This mixing also brings with it new dynamics: "That's interesting and there will be a differentiation at some point. But we are also observing this in school classes, how it mixes," explains the expert. The expert warns that a clear line must be drawn between private faith and political ideology. "Islam as a religion is broad and diverse - but political Islam is a claim to power that can divide our societies."

Islam is not the religion of violence
The expert responds to the widespread prejudice that Islam is a religion of violence: "If that were really the case, we would have a very different world with 1.3 or 1.4 billion Muslims," he says, emphasizing that "thank God" the majority of Muslims do not tend in this direction.

At the same time, he admits that there are problematic currents within Islam. But these must be viewed in a differentiated way. "If we don't take a precise look, we are part of the problem and not a contribution to the solution," concludes Güngör.

Watch the full interview in the video above!