Scapegoating Muslims: Germany and the Rise of the AfD with Marcel Krass
Donate to the critical aid campaign at http://btml.us/thinkingmuslimAt the time of recording, the German election results have just been announced, revealing an extraordinary outcome for the far-right AFD party, which came second in the Bundestag (parliamentary) elections with 20% of the popular vote, primarily from the country's East but also among some younger voters in the West. The opposition CDU party, led by Friedrich Merz, is on track for victory but will need to negotiate with either its traditional adversaries, the SDP, led by former Chancellor Scholz, or the minority parties. The AFD openly calls for the repatriation of ‘non-Germans,’ wherein ‘German’ is defined through a cultural and racial lens. Elon Musk has expressed support for the AFD, having spoken at one of its rallies. The party is avowedly anti-Islam and aims for a Germany free of Muslims. So, how do Muslims in Germany respond to these unprecedented and potentially challenging times ahead? We are pleased to have Marcel Krass with us today. Marcel Krass converted to Islam in 1995 at the age of 18. Since 2007, he has been active in German Dawah and, alhamdulillah, is well known throughout the country. His specialty is Quranic Arabic, which he studied and now teaches at his institute, Deen Akademie, founded in 2020. Since 2018, he has been the spokesman for the Muslim civil rights organisation, Federal Islamic Union.For the past 16 months, we all know how difficult it has been for food and essential supplies to reach the beleaguered people of Gaza. This, Insha'Allah, is changing. We have partnered with a charity, Baitulmaal, because now, more than ever, there is a need not only in Gaza but also in Turkish controlled Northern Syria and in all the places we routinely talk about in this program where our ummah is subject to abject poverty. We have chosen this charity because Baitulmaal is a non-profit with people on the ground who organize well-thought-out projects and serve the most needy.To donate to their Critical Aid campaign, please visit the link on our screen now and in the description. Please do remember that charity never reduces our risk and gives Barakah to our wealth.You can find Marcel Krass here:X: https://x.com/marcelkrass?lang=en-GBIG: https://www.instagram.com/marcelkrass/?hl=enLet me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merchFind us on:Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimTwitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslimBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thinkingmuslim.bsky.socialHost: https://twitter.com/jalalaynHost IG: https://www.instagram.com/jalalayns/Website Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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