He was one of the most prominent preachers of the German Salafist scene. Since the prohibition of the Association “The true Religion”, it became quiet around Abu Dujana. Active he is today. Naomi Conrad met him.
At first glance, the young man with the long black Beard, gray hoodie and Jeans. Between children sliding car, parents and students, he fits seamlessly in the cityscape at the busy intersection in the city of Bonn, which he had suggested as a meeting place for the interview with Deutsche Welle.
But the fact is, it is the polite and friendly man “rather” a supporter of the jihadist spectrum within the Salafist scene, according to a secret service source to the DW. An assessment, based on the statements of the man in the past, and his contacts in the scene. The Salafism is an extremely conservative stream of Islam, its followers do not live the Koran literally, secular laws you accept.
A preacher in the inner cities
Said El E. calls it “the only true Religion, the only truth there is.” To his followers he is better known under the name Abu Dujana. The Salafi movement to which he belongs and which has become his purpose in life, spread in the last 15 years in Germany and then in other European countries. A particularly strong, you developed during the ascent phase of the self-proclaimed “Islamic state” in the years 2014 to 2016.
Open advertising to young: for years, the Salafists built nationwide in the inner cities, your Info stands
A few years ago, might have been Abu Dujana openly in the city of Bonn meeting. Together with other, often bearded young men in kaftans and bloomers, gathered nationwide in the pedestrian zones and public spaces to Info-booths. They tried to passersby to attract and to come into conversation with them. And they distributed free copies of the Koran in German Translation. “Read! In the name of thy Lord,” as your Motto. By 2016, this was a common, almost an everyday occurrence, especially on Sunny weekends.
They called themselves “The true Religion”.
Was founded the Salafist movement in 2005 by the Palestinian businessman Ibrahim Abu dramatic pug that lived at that time in Cologne. His declared aim was to spread Islam and to distribute millions of copies of the Koran.
Headquarters of his organization was a huge warehouse on the outskirts of Cologne, which also served as the production site of the movement. From there, the members invited sermons and Video Clips and published on Youtube or on other Social Media channels.
It was his dream that every German convert to Islam, said Abu dramatic pug the DW already in the year 2014, in an Interview in his warehouse, in the Koran-copies stacked on pallets. One day would emerge in Germany in a very natural way, a God of the state, “from below”.
With Abu dramatic pug, the founder of the “Read!”-Campaign, worked Dujana temporarily closely together
For a time, his strategy seemed to be working: The Salafist movement attracted droves of young people. Not least thanks to their cleverly inserted the presence and the easy-to-understand language, with the help of which you addressed the young people put Online. The fact that all of a sudden in German was preached to came. A novelty in Germany, where imams sermons traditionally, in Arabic and Turkish, which is why many young Muslims who are born and raised here, alienated from the mosque communities.
“I’m proud of what we have done”
Abu Dujana is sitting in the Café, that he has selected for the Interview with the DW spontaneously, and remembers the glorious times of the movement “The True Religion”. During the time of the “Read!”-Campaign were daily converted one or two people to Islam, he reports proudly.
Even though this is probably exaggerated: The movement of many young people, attracted, no doubt, to Muslims and Non-Muslims seeking a sense of belonging, and then, accepted.
At the time, so Dujana, said he had traveled every weekend all across Germany and Europe and preached in mosques. “I am very proud of what we have done,” he says and smiles at the thought of the camaraderie that prevailed among the young men. This very special “Aura”, as he puts it. Because they, the Chosen were on the one hand, the “true Muslims”. Want to spread a relentless of Islam that interprets the Koran to the letter. And on the other side the unbelievers. There is nothing in between.
Moderate Muslims hold the Salafist interpretation of the Koran, in many points, for too radical. Salafists divide anything forbidden in the two categories, “haram” and “halal” or allowed. Listen to music are considered “haram”. And the women should cover in Public. Many Salafist women wear the Niqab, the Full face veil.
For the “Read!”-Campaign
Only a minority within the Salafist movement supports violence, and an even smaller number willing to actually use violence to their own religious goals. As, however, after the proclamation of the self-proclaimed Islamic state in 2014, hundreds of young German to Syria and Iraq sufficient, to fight for the construction of the so-called Caliphate state, the German authorities began to monitor the movement in more detail.
According to the statements of Abu dramatic pug about 3.5 Germans were by mid-2016 Free copies of the Koran in the German language distributed
In November 2016, and finally, the Federal ban on the Ministry of the interior, the movement is “The True Religion” and the accompanying “Read!”-Campaign. The reason given was that the Association support the armed Jihad, is unconstitutional and provides a breeding ground for violent Islamists to travel to Syria or Iraq.
The ban as a turning point
The decision of the Ministry was a clear turning point. Since then, she’s practically off the grid and largely out of the Public disappeared. Salafist preacher Abu dramatic pug, the founder of the “True Religion”, was sentenced to since been the district court of Cologne because of social welfare fraud to a suspended sentence of 13 months, dipped briefly after the ban. Presumptions that he should have stayed in Malaysia.
Many leading personalities from the scene retreated from the limelight, others were killed in Syria and Iraq. The movement had dispersed and no longer operate openly in the mosque communities, but only in private homes, sources said, within the safety authorities and de-radicalisation experts, compared to the DW. All activities would be limited now to places that are beyond observation by the security authorities to a large extent.
All of this doesn’t seem to bother Abu Dujana. He insists that prohibited Association “The True Religion” have nothing to hide. For hours, he points Time and again. The authorities had acted against the movement, because “they know that it is the truth.” And that else more people would accept Islam.
Exclusion of feeling as a constant companion
Abu Dujana is articulate, he can Express himself well. It is obvious that he is used to speaking in front of an audience, and to blame a company public, in the people how he feel discriminated against. The 36-year-old grew up in Germany in a Moroccan home. He studied computer science, dropped out of the study but, in order to, as he says, to focus on the “True Religion.”
Today, he sells used cars, especially to Morocco. And he preached in private houses, because most of the mosques reject out of fear of the authorities: “I’m on a black list,” he says, and adds with a Smile: “A fat black list.”
Bonn has long been regarded as a stronghold of the scene: After this prayer in the spring of 2012, there were violent clashes with the right splinter party PRO NRW
Again and again he comes back in an Interview on the topics of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims. Both of which he had experienced at a young age. If you live in a society, the Muslims will refuse, he says, “you wonder, why some people commit through the turn, and a silly act.”
But he insists that he or the Association “should not be made The True Religion” for the Actions of others. He does not deny the fact that members of the Salafist’s left of Germany to fight for IS in Syria and Iraq. And he also admits that he knew several of them personally. But: “they all had pure intentions.” You would only want to help the oppressed Syrian people, he explains.
But, he adds quickly, these people had been led by the so-called “Islamic state” is misleading and manipulated. The “Caliphate” is referred to it disparagingly as “ridiculous”. It was not just the right way, he says.
To the repeated question of whether you could call the extremist Organisation as “terrorist”, he explains: If one defines terrorism “as: to kill the wrong people, and injustice spread, Yes, then it is Terrorsimus.”
He had actually – he places value – a number of young people prevented from leaving Germany and the IS to join. During the entire conversation, Dujana chooses his words carefully. He never exceeds the limit of what is allowed in Germany: He doesn’t like Homosexuals, he says, but did many Christians. His eight-year-old daughter had put on the hijab, however. Shiites he is regarded not as a Muslims, he is quick to add that he wanted to start with anyone in a fight.
“There is no room for interpretation in the Religion”
On the question of the extent to which Muslims should be in the German society to adapt, his answer clearly. “There is no Negotiate in the Religion, especially for the basic stuff, because there is no Negotiating. A Millimeter, no matter what the cost.”
Today, he says he receives numerous requests from the Muslim “brothers and sisters”, who are looking to him for religious advice: marital problems, or in the education of children. He was regarded as a “person of confidence”, he explains.
It is precisely this kind of private Meeting, what worries the German security authorities. Because you are restricted in location to keep track of the Meetings and what is discussed. “There’s your title-Story,” says Abu Dujana, grinning. “The Muslims live in a parallel society and follow their own laws.” But he does not give actually the only “advice” is put behind it.
When the Interview is over and the dark clouds, which hang to this day in Bonn, became a drizzle, he pulls the hood of his sweater back over his head and disappears in the crowd of commuters on the way home from work.
Collaboration: Esther Felden and Matthias von Hein