New Islam study: More than one million Muslims in Germany show emotional vulnerability to radicalization

Osnabrück (ots) - One in five Muslims with a migration background living in Germany exhibits an emotional state that favors radicalization. This is the result of a previously unpublished study by the Research Center for Islam and Politics at the University of Münster, led by Islamic theologian Mouhanad Khorchide, which was made available to the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung" (NOZ). With a total of 5.3 to 5.6 million Muslims in Germany, this would be more than one million people. Those affected are Muslims who feel particularly offended in their personal worldview, who harbor strong anti-Western or anti-Semitic enemy stereotypes, and who simultaneously demonstrate a lack of critical thinking. The Münster researchers summarize this combination of attitudes under the term "resentment." In a representative survey conducted between July 2023 and April 2024 among Muslims with a migration background in Germany, 19.9 percent of the 1,887 respondents identified with this sentiment. A majority of this "resentful" group affirmed questions such as whether Islam should be "the sole and final political authority" or whether Islamic Sharia law is "much better than German law." One in three of the "resentful" group supports violence in response to perceived injustice, which would correspond to more than 300,000 people across Germany. One in ten of the "resentful" group said they would also use violence themselves to "advocate for the interests of Muslims." That would correspond to around 100,000 people. "With the affective state of resentment, we were able to uncover a new and even strong radicalization factor," said Münster-based religious psychologist Sarah Demmrich in an interview with the NOZ. Now, among other things, "the ability to criticize within Islam must be strengthened in order to promote reflective debates on religious and social issues." Press contact: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung Editorial Office Telephone: +49(0)541/310 207 Original content from: Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, transmitted by news aktuell Original report: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/58964/6046057