Holetschek: Imams should be trained in Germany

The CSU faction in the Bavarian state parliament wants to limit foreign influence on the imams in German mosques. “In the future, only imams who have completed their training in the Federal Republic should be allowed to work in Germany,” said faction leader Klaus Holetschek to the German Press Agency. At present, almost exclusively Islamic pastors who have not been trained in Germany are working in mosques in Germany.

Aside from various further training and advanced courses, there is a basic imam training course nationwide, currently only at the Islamkolleg in Osnabrück. The first 26 students completed their training there last year. In Bavaria, the University of Erlangen has a bachelor’s degree course in “Islamic Religious Studies”, which, however, does not end with proven imam training. However, the university says that there is talk of expanding this course.

“Currently, the majority of imams working in Germany are sent from abroad. “We need training transparency and standards that are aligned with our values!” demands Holetschek. It must be ensured that preachers and Muslim pastors stand on the basis of the constitution. Critics believe that the imams sent from Turkey, for example, are primarily used to consolidate Turkish state Islam. The federal government has therefore already concluded an agreement with Turkey, after which 100 imams are to be trained in Germany every year, who will then gradually replace the state-sent pastors.

“The federal government has so far reacted haphazardly to political Islamism.” “One thing is certain: while preserving religious freedom and the separation of state and religious communities, we must direct all state efforts towards providing academic and spiritual training for imams in Germany,” said the CSU parliamentary group leader. “An imam who wants to work as such in Germany must have completed his training with us.”

Imam training in Germany has been a bone of contention for decades and is extremely difficult. Many Islamic organizations insist that the state should stay out of the training of pastors. Muslim communities can hardly afford to pay imams if they are not financed from abroad.

Unlike the Roman Catholic Church, for example, Islam worldwide is not hierarchically organized; there are no officially binding, overarching contacts for Germans who would be able to negotiate beyond their own region or religious movement. For example, Turkish Islam is structured completely differently than Islam in Afghanistan or in countries in North and East Africa.