The provocation is clear, the inscription irrefutable: ‘Achtung! Politischer Islam in deiner Naehe ‘which translated into Italian means, ‘Attention! Political Islam Near You: in Austria the installation of signs indicating the presence of an Islamic site nearby are likely to lead to a new wave of hatred and controversy.
This is a consequence of the recent presentation by the Minister of Integration Susanne Raab (OeVP) of the map of places of Islam (Islamlandkarte) throughout the Austrian territory: they were surveyed and indicated about 620 places where are Islamic organizations between mosques and cultural centers.
The places where it is practiced are also indicated on the map ‘political Islam’. Austrian Muslims have risen: an important group, ‘Muslim Youth Austria’, has already threatened to denounce the government by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz: “The publication of all the names, functions and addresses of Muslim institutions and institutions that have been considered as Muslim represents an unprecedented overcoming of limits”.
But after the initiative of the government and the protest of the Austrian Muslims, Sunday in Vienna in front of several mosques – including the ‘Tewhid’ located at number 61 in Murlingen alley where the terrorist Kujtim F., author of the attack, was also radicalized of 2 November last in the Austrian capital- warning signs have appeared with the inscription ‘Attention! Political Islam Near You and next to it the caricature of a menacing-looking imam. Other signs appeared in Leopoldstadt and Meidling.
The perpetrators of the provocative action are not officially known, but the initiative turned immediately on social networks: among the first to share the photos of the cartels was the leader of the right-wing extremists, Martin Sellner.
The horrified university professor Ali Rami asked: “Is this the dialogue that Raab (the minister, ed) wanted to initiate?”. Minister Raab herself condemned the action stating that “the fact that the legitimate struggle against political Islam being abused by extremist groups is completely unacceptable and must be clearly condemned “.” We as a society – he continued – must continue to fight extremism on all sides “.
The Islamic Religious Community in Austria, which identifies groups of right-wing extremists, argues that “Muslim institutions are in grave danger“And, through its president Vural, added that”the map of Islam does not create transparency, but arouses hatred“.
Austria, after the controversy the map of Islam is offline
After the controversy aroused in recent days and the protest action that took place yesterday in some districts of central Vienna with the installation of signs warning the population of being in the vicinity of an Islamic place (‘Attention! Political Islam near you’ ), from this morning, June 3, the website www.islam-landkarte.at is no longer available.
A photomontage that combines one of the anti-Islam signs that have appeared in Austria these days with one of the Nazi signs from 1940
On the first page of the site, a statement by the scientific director of the project Ednan Aslan appeared in which he explained what prompted him to make the site no longer available. “I am very sorry that there has been one in the last few days political exploitation and that a wide variety of right-wing extremists are now sharply opposing the purpose of this project, “wrote Professor Aslan, a lecturer at the University of Vienna and the Institute for Islamic Theological Studies.”The warning signs that have appeared in various places in Vienna are shocking and disturbing and I condemn such actions with the utmost firmness ”.
As Aslan argues, “the map of Islam wanted to allow a differentiated discussion on Islamic life in Austria and make a positive contribution because the aim was to show the diversity of Islamic life in Austria, in all its nuances “. The professor urges “all parties to return to an objective and scientifically founded discussion because there is an urgent need for a debate on Islam in Austria”.