Germany's experiment with multiculturalism is under intense scrutiny, with a recent study from the University of Münster's Research Centre for Islamic Theology sounding alarms about the integration of Muslim migrants. The findings, reported by Die Welt, suggest that one in five Muslim migrants, potentially over a million people, may be susceptible to radicalisation due to anti-Western, anti-Semitic attitudes and resentment toward German societal norms. This has fuelled a broader debate: has Germany inadvertently imported a "conquering army," or is this a stark admission of multiculturalism's failure? Or, both?
The University of Münster's survey of nearly 1,900 Muslims with a "migration background" revealed that 19.9% harbor attitudes conducive to radicalisation. A third of this group reportedly supports violence in response to perceived injustices against Muslims, while many view Sharia law as superior to German legal systems, aspiring for Islam to hold ultimate political authority. These findings paint a troubling picture of a segment of the population feeling alienated from the country they've settled in.
Religious psychologist Sarah Demmrich, speaking to NOZ, highlighted "resentment" as a key driver of radicalisation, urging for stronger critical discourse within Islamic communities to address these tensions. The study's implications are profound, given Germany's 5.5 million-strong Muslim migrant population. If accurate, it suggests a significant challenge to social cohesion, one that cannot be ignored.
The study's release coincides with a seismic shift in German migration policy. Newly elected Chancellor Friedrich Merz, fulfilling campaign promises, has scrapped Angela Merkel's open-border approach from 2015, which saw hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers enter Germany. Merz's interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, has introduced strict border controls, deploying an additional 3,000 officers to bolster the 14,000-strong border force. Undocumented migrants, except for children and pregnant women, are now turned away at the borders.
Merz's rationale is clear: deter illegal immigration and disrupt smuggling networks. "The European Union must send a signal to those who are setting off for Europe without valid entry permits," he stated, emphasising that these routes will become increasingly difficult. The policy also includes plans to deport Syrian migrants following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, a move that underscores Germany's hardening stance.
The Münster study points to a deeper issue: the failure of integration. Multiculturalism, as practiced in Germany, assumed that diverse communities could coexist with minimal friction, preserving their cultural identities while adopting core democratic values. Yet, the resentment identified among a significant minority suggests otherwise. Anti-Western and anti-Semitic attitudes, coupled with a preference for Sharia, indicate a rejection of the very norms that underpin German society.
This isn't to say all Muslim migrants are unintegrated or radicalised. But the numbers are concerning enough to question whether Germany's approach has been too hands-off. The study suggests that fostering critical engagement within Muslim communities could mitigate radicalisation risks, but this requires political will and resources. Without addressing the root causes of alienation, economic marginalisation, cultural isolation, or perceived discrimination, the resentment could fester further.
The phrase "conquering army" is provocative, evoking fears of cultural or ideological takeover, but it resonates with those who see the study's findings as evidence of a fundamental clash of civilisations. Critics of multiculturalism argue that Germany's open-door policies have prioritised humanitarian ideals over pragmatic integration strategies, creating enclaves where parallel societies thrive. The reported support for Sharia and violence among a minority fuels this narrative, raising questions about whether multiculturalism has inadvertently sown division rather than unity. Answer: division, from a program that could only have been a planned demolition.
Germany's response, tighter borders, increased deportations, and a focus on security, reflects a broader European trend. Recent attacks, like the tragic stabbing of a two-year-old in Bavaria by an Afghan asylum seeker, have amplified public demand for action. Former Chancellor Olaf Scholz also faced pressure to curb migration, extending border controls to address security threats. Yet, these measures, while popular, don't address the underlying integration failures highlighted by the study.
The Münster study is a wake-up call exposing the limits of its multicultural model. The resentment and radicalisation risks among an alarming number minority of Muslim migrants underscore the need for a recalibrated approach, one that pairs robust border policies with proactive integration strategies, although it may be far too late for the later. At best now is damage control from Angela Merkel's open-border disaster.
"More than a million Muslims in Germany with a 'migrant background' are at risk of being radicalised, study finds
One in five Muslim migrants living in Germany is susceptible to radicalisation, according to a new study conducted by one of the nation's foremost socio-political research organisations.
Experts at the University of Münster's Research Centre for Islamic Theology last week shared the results of a survey it conducted to gauge socio-political views of Muslims with a 'migration background' across the country.
Their study found that 19.9% of almost 1,900 respondents in the representative survey exhibited an emotional state that is ripe for radicalisation, based on strong anti-Western, anti-Semitic attitudes and a 'resentment' of German politics and societal norms, German media reported.
'Migration background' is a term used in Germany to refer to first-generation migrants and their offspring.
There are more than 5.5 million Muslims in Germany with such a background, suggesting that one million people could be susceptible to being radicalised, according to Die Welt.
Of the nearly 20% of respondents that researchers claimed could be targets for radicalisation, a third reportedly support violence in response to perceived injustices against Muslims.
A majority of these respondents also said they felt that Islamic Sharia law was far superior to German law and want Islam to be the 'sole and final political authority' in Germany, according to media reports.
Speaking to German outlet NOZ, Münster-based religious psychologist Sarah Demmrich said: 'With the emotional state of resentment, we were able to uncover a new and even strong factor in radicalisation.
'The capacity for criticism within Islam must be strengthened in order to promote reflective debates on religious and social issues,' she said.
The emergence of the research by the Centre for Islamic Theology comes weeks after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz scrapped his nation's open border policy and issued orders to turn undocumented migrants away at the frontiers.
Alexander Dobrindt, Merz's new interior minister, rescinded former Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2015 order, which had previously allowed hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers to enter Germany.
The new rules will now see everyone without proper documentation, apart from children and pregnant women, turned away if they try to enter Germany from a neighbouring country.
Merz also moved to initiate a process to allow for the deportation of Syrian migrants following the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime late last year.
The Chancellor, who made the order on his first day in office early May, pledged during the election to crack down on migration.
To implement the new measures, Dobrint ordered a massive increase in border force personnel, with local media reporting that a further 3,000 cops are being brought in for a total of 14,000 border guards.
'It's clear that we want to take stronger steps against illegal immigration and the result must be that we deploy a bigger police presence at the borders for that. The numbers remain significantly too high,' Dobrint said.
Merz defended the policy, saying: 'The European Union must send a signal to those who are setting off for Europe without valid entry permits.
'Above all, we need to send a signal to the smuggling organisations that these routes will become much more difficult in the future - and that at some point, they will be closed altogether. That is the right and strong common signal.'
Merz last month succeeded his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, whose government collapsed six months ago.
Scholz, too, had been under pressure to curb migration as shelters across the country had been filling up for years.
His government tried to speed up asylum procedures and also negotiated agreements for countries to take unsuccessful asylum seekers back in exchange for more opportunities for legal immigration.
In February, Scholz extended strict border controls brought in to tackle migration and Islamist terrorism by a further six months past their planned expiry in March.
According to the EU, member states are allowed to temporarily reintroduce border controls in cases of a serious threat, such as internal security.
But the regulations stipulate that border controls should be time-limited and applied as a last resort in exceptional situations.
Recent attacks on German soil refocused attention on security and immigration ahead of the election earlier this year.
In December, the country was rocked by an attack in Bavaria, when an Afghan asylum seeker allegedly stabbed a two-year-old boy and a passerby to death in a German park."