The Muslim call to prayer, the muezzin call, is now permitted in Cologne. Cologne’s Lord Mayor Henriette Reker calls this a “symbol of diversity”. For me it’s the opposite – a sign of discrimination. The muezzin call reminds me of torture, agitation and blood. He scares me.
In 2015, I had to flee from Bangladeshi Islamists because I publicly criticized Islamism. When I have to hear “Allahu Akbar” from loudspeakers in Germany, I think of a lot, just not diversity.
The muezzin call reminds me of the killing of my six blogger friends by Islamists and the brutal repression of minorities. The muezzin call says: “Allah is great, there is no other god but Allah”. For me, this reputation stands for the fact that diversity is NOT tolerated, that people of different faiths are NOT respected. This call from the speakers of conservative mosques is above all a show of power.
The fact that the city of Cologne now allows the muezzin call with reference to tolerance is a sign of false tolerance for me.
When it comes to Muslim anti-Semitism or Islamism, the Muslim associations in Germany are far too often silent. In Cologne, of all places, the muezzin can now call to prayer – in the city where the DITIB central mosque is located. The association DITIB reports to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and does not stand for freedom or democracy, but for Islamism, nationalism and hatred of Jews.
Cologne’s Lord Mayor Reker should also think of the large community of ex-Muslims who associate the “Allahu Akbar” call with oppression and persecution, where the muezzin call brings back the worst memories. Cologne is already a diverse city – and it should remain so.
Photo: Wolf Lux
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/bild-reporterin-shammi-haque-ist-absolventin-der-axel-springer-akademie-in-bangladesch-kaempfte-sie-f- e687f14226124694964b6041565ba352-77934304 / image / 7.bild.jpg “/> BILD reporter Shammi Haque is a graduate of the Axel Springer Academy. In Bangladesh, she fought for women’s rights and against Islamism, and fled the country after numerous death threatsPhoto: Wolf Lux
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