Posted by
InchDeep on Monday, June 30, 2008 3:23:02 PM
From www.spiegel.de
Here is the story from www.spiegel.de
A study on Islamic preachers in Germany has found that most imams are
unable to help Muslim immigrants integrate into mainstream German
society because they are insufficiently prepared for their stay in
Germany.
According to the study "Imams in Germany," up to 20 percent of
preachers belong to the more conservative, fundamentalist strand of
Islam. The study also discovered that only one fifth of imam's possess
academic qualifications.
The research is the work of a Duisburg social scientist, Rauf
Ceylan, the son of Turkish immigrants. To conduct the study he attended
religious services in mosques and carried out interviews with Muslim
preachers.
According to Ceylan, the religious groups running mosques in Germany
were mainly interested in their preachers correctly reciting the Koran.
"An examination of the content of the holy book," he said was "not the
primary goal."
Ceylan also found that many imams were susceptible to "superficial
interpretations" of the Koran, because they lacked a proper academic
education. It was not uncommon, Ceylan said, for these lay preachers to
be drawn from the ranks of extremists.
Among the preachers who do have an academic qualification, the majority
are employed in mosques run by a Turkish umbrella organization, DITIB.
According to the study, these elite preachers are the only imams who
are in a position to help members of their congregations to integrate.
However, these imams only come to Germany for four years. In the
abscence of any exchange of knowledge between those preachers who have
considerable experience of Germany and the newcomers, new imams have to
start from scratch, the study concluded.
I disagree with the studies conclusion that these Imams Quranic interpretations are "superficial." I believe they are spot on. It's people who want to bury their heads in the sand who say things like that. It's these give peace a chance types that will be the death of us all.
I also think these preachers are well trained in their mission. That being the re-taking of Europe for Islam. They are the first wave of "troops" their to establish the an Islamic beach head in Germany and other countries.