Green Party human rights spokesman: “The Left’s ability to connect with Islamism scares me”
Bundestag member Max Lucks criticizes the increasing alliances between progressives and Islamists. He also argues that problematic actors exist within the Left Party. An interview.
In France, the term "Islamogauchisme" (meaning "Islam-Left") emerged in the early 2000s. It is intended to describe alliances between Islamists and leftists who find common ground, particularly in their anti-Zionism and anti-colonialism. Such alliances also frequently emerge in Germany. In the course of the Gaza War, which followed the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023 , there were repeated joint demonstrations and expressions of solidarity between Islamist and left-wing actors. Apparently, the reservations about contact are diminishing.
Max Lucks, human rights spokesperson for the Green Party in the Bundestag, is a declared opponent of Islamism. As a representative of the party's left wing, the 28-year-old also takes a look at his own camp. He says it is too often exploited by Islamists. Not least because he himself has been subjected to hostility and threats for his positions, he discusses the dangerous trivialization of Islamism in an interview with the Berliner Zeitung.
Mr. Lucks, the week before last, 15,000 people demonstrated for Gaza in Berlin. Leftists marched under the flags of the Taliban and the Iranian regime. Does the political left have an Islamist problem?
I believe the left-wing movement has a problem with Islamism—and also with anti-Semitism, by the way. I was shocked that people at this demonstration displayed symbols of the mullah regime, while an entire population is being brutally oppressed by a regime that is contemptuous of humanity and, in particular, of women.
How do you explain this?
Let's take Gaza as an example. After my last speech in the Bundestag, I received an incredible shitstorm from the Islamist camp. Not despite , but because, I harshly criticized the right-wing extremist government of Benjamin Netanyahu. The Islamist camp seems to be downright afraid of voices in the discourse that describe Israel as a democracy and side with the voices critical of Netanyahu within this democracy. My impression was that the people who reacted to me with hatred wanted to stigmatize someone. Islamists exploit certain issues for their own purposes. They are not seriously concerned about Gaza, but about inhumane ideology and destruction.
How did you experience this shitstorm?
I've received threats of violence. I've been told to be careful where I go. I've been accused of being responsible for the Israeli government's war crimes. This makes you wonder whether you shouldn't withdraw from certain discourses. But the humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and the threat to Israel's existence hasn't been averted. We, as nuanced voices, cannot withdraw from the discourse.
You say Islamists are abusing noble goals for their own ends. Why are left-wing issues even relevant to them?
This connectivity is something that seriously frightens me. As someone from the left wing of the Green Party, The Left is a friendly party for me. I am convinced that a left-wing alliance would be the best future for this country, and I value many colleagues in the Left Party. But when I see a member of the state executive committee of The Left Party forced to resign because of their work against anti-Semitism, or when Israel is applauded at a party conference to describe it as a genocidal apartheid state, that seriously worries me. I fear that there are some politicians who want to profit from this Islamist trend in society.
The women's movement in Iran received strong support from the global left in 2022 when it was brutally suppressed. What changed the situation that led leftists to now express solidarity with the Iranian regime?
This shift is nothing new. With regard to Iran , it was publicly stated three or four years ago that European solidarity with the Iranian women's movement contained a form of Eurocentrism. The root cause of the alliances between some leftists and Islamists lies in cultural relativism. It is assumed that women in Iran do not deserve the same rights as women in Germany because they are part of a different culture. This is incompatible with my universalism in human rights policy.
What you're describing sounds almost like the ethnopluralism of the New Right. It says cultures should make their own rules and not mix.
It is indeed a form of ethnonationalism, even a form of racism, to claim that a woman in Iran does not deserve the same rights as one in Germany.
Your party, when it was still part of the government and served as Foreign Minister, was also criticized for its stance on the Middle East. For example, a secret dinner Annalena Baerbock held with anti-Zionist activists became a bone of contention toward the end of her term in office.
My party is completely united when it comes to our human rights policy compass. Annalena Baerbock has also been absolutely clear on this. No EU foreign minister has championed the Iranian women's movement as much as she has. That is one of my party's strengths. We must succeed in radiating this out into the political left. Regarding the dinner: I believe it's not a bad thing to talk to people even if you don't share their opinions or basic assumptions.
Your parliamentary colleague Lamya Kaddor recently told this newspaper that the traffic light coalition government had approached its Islam policy "half-heartedly." Do you think the Greens in opposition should correct their course?
I agree with Lamya Kaddor's assessment and am glad that we have her as a liberal Muslim voice in our parliamentary group. Of course, a clear stance on these issues is needed—because, unfortunately, there are problems with Islamic associations like Ditib, Milli Görüs , and others. At the same time, we must see how we can give space and honor the many liberal Muslims in Germany.
Lamya Kaddor is not the only migrant voice critical of Islamism. Ahmad Mansour and Seyran Ateş are other examples. Despite their backgrounds, they are repeatedly accused of Islamophobia. Are those affected by Islamism left alone in Germany?
There is rampant Islamophobia in Germany, but unfortunately, the term is also being exploited by Islamists. How often have I been accused of anti-Muslim racism because I advocate for the persecuted Yazidi minority? It infuriates me to hear such terms used in connection with courageous human rights activists like Düzen Tekkal , who are an incredible asset to our society. Anyone who so vehemently hurls accusations of Islamophobia just to defend their own position in the discourse isn't really concerned about Muslims or Gaza. They're concerned about the destruction of our democracy.
Who do you mean by that?
Unfortunately, there are a few actors in the Left Party's parliamentary group in the Bundestag where I perceive tendencies toward authoritarianism – such as deliberately singling out and labeling individuals as enemies. I have experienced this myself, and it worries me greatly. I sincerely hope that the many reasonable forces within the parliamentary group can find a clear line here – against anti-Semitism and against the adoption of Islamist methods.
The Gaza War that followed the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, led to enormous politicization and emotionalization among the younger generation. The Left Party was able to capitalize on this. It has now replaced the Greens as the most popular party among young people. How do you address these people?
There are individual voices in our country who are conducting the debate on Gaza on the backs of the Jews. It is intolerable that Jewish students no longer feel safe in this country. Unfortunately, some in the Left Party are also contributing to this climate. We Greens are consciously opposing the toxicity of the discourse. For us, this isn't a football match where you're for Israel or Gaza: It's about resolving the situation on the ground. I don't know whether this approach pays off for us. But it's the right thing to do. We will never resort to Islamist methods—that's what sets us apart from others.
Why have young people turned away from the Greens?
For a variety of reasons. We need to be self-critical. One of the reasons, of course, is the issue of Gaza. We should have made it clear earlier in the federal government that Netanyahu's conduct of the war is closely linked to the global shift to the right. Furthermore, we lost voters from the progressive spectrum over our migration policy. They wanted humanity, not tightened asylum laws. Finally, we must recognize that social injustice in the country has worsened in the wake of inflation. This particularly affects young people.
You mention migration policy: Does the rise of Islamism also have something to do with migration?
Islamism cannot be combated with migration policy – that distorts the facts. Those who deport people fleeing Islamism, such as Yazidis, are not hurting the perpetrators, but the victims. This is exactly what is happening in Germany right now, and it's a disgrace. Islamism is an ideological problem, not a problem of origin – many Islamists have a purely German background. Therefore, we need a clear, ideologically critical stance instead of right-wing reflexes.
One could argue that immigration from Islamic countries, even if only a small proportion of immigrants are susceptible to Islamism, exacerbates the problem.
As a society, we tend to externalize Islamism. It's much easier for politicians to pretend the problem has arrived from outside. Yet this problem is rooted here in Germany – people are radicalizing themselves here every day via the internet, in schoolyards, on the streets, and sometimes even in mosque communities. We should finally understand that we must actively involve migrant forces in the fight against Islamism. Islamism in Germany is a German problem that we must address here.
How could one specifically counter Islamism?
Through a massive strengthening of educational and awareness-raising work and a clear governmental stance on certain issues. When teachers are confronted with homophobia from the Islamist spectrum, the state must take a stand. That's why it's so hypocritical when such cases are singled out by the far-right AfD , which wants to scrap action plans for diversity in schools. This is pure instrumentalization. The most effective measures may not be popular or populist, but they would be helpful.
At the same time, a recent investigation by Welt am Sonntag revealed that the "Democracy Life" program of the Ministry of Family Affairs under Green Party leader Lisa Paus supported some anti-Semitic and Islamist actors. Are such programs still an effective tool against Islamism?
Projects with Islamist or anti-Semitic tendencies must not receive funding—this is a prerequisite for genuine democracy promotion. But the debate must be conducted comprehensively: We have problems in civil society with Islamism and anti-Semitism, but also with right-wing extremism, homophobia, and sexism. We can only effectively combat these problems if we resolutely oppose all forms of misanthropy.
Your party now acts as an opposition force. Is the new federal government taking decisive enough action against anti-Semitism and Islamism?
There were more than 6,000 anti-Semitic crimes in Germany in 2024. Given the country's approximately 200,000 Jewish population, this is a shameful indictment of human rights policy. The vulnerability of the Jewish community in Germany is currently the central national human rights issue. I think it's good that the federal government is addressing this, but it's lagging behind in taking concrete measures. And anti-Semitism is often only discussed when it comes from the Islamist or left-wing spectrum. Germany also has to contend with anti-Semitism from both the right and the center. The federal government should take a clear stance on this. Domestically, security measures for Jewish institutions must be increased, and foreign policy-wise, it's finally time to list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.
Berliner-zeitung
