Hundreds of people took to the streets of Hamburg on Saturday to demonstrate against Islamism and anti-Semitism and for liberal values and the law. Demonstration on Steindamm in St. Georg was planned as a countermeasure to a rally organized by Islamists in Hamburg a week ago, which sparked controversy across Germany with its calls for the creation of a caliphate.
The Muslim Interaktiv group, which called for the creation of a caliphate at the demonstration, was labeled extremist by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Caliphate is a term that comes from the Arabic word “khali’fa” which means “successor”. Historically, it referred to a political institution in the Islamic world where a caliph, or successor to the Prophet Muhammad, led the Muslim community. During early Islamic history, the caliph was not only a political leader, but also a spiritual and religious authority for Muslims. This establishment is of course built on different values and foundations than democracy. Islamic Sharia law is used in the Caliphate.
Last Saturday, approximately 1,100 Muslims demonstrated for the establishment of the caliphate. Around 800 participants gathered for the counter-action this Saturday, the organizers expected between 1,000 and 3,000 demonstrators.
Iranian, Israeli and German flags, rainbow flags, Antifa symbols and emblems of various German parties were seen at the counter-event. Banners and signs carried slogans such as “Against all anti-Semitism”, “No to the Islamic Republic” and “Matriarchy instead of Caliphate”.
Among the speakers were prominent Hamburg politicians, including the chairman of the CDU parliamentary group, Dennis Thering. “Today, Hamburg sent a strong signal against hatred and hate speech. Islamism has no place here,” Thering was quoted as saying by the daily Tagesschau.
“No one harms the Islamic religion and Muslims more than the Islamists themselves,” said Ali Ertan Toprak, federal chairman of the Kurdish Community, which organized the rally together with Kulturbrücke Hamburg and Säkularer Islam.
At the same time, Toprak accused politicians of neglecting the problem of political Islam for too long out of fear of anti-Muslim sentiments and leaving it only to so-called right-wing populists.
A representative of the Muslim Interaktiv group called Toprak a self-proclaimed “small would-be caliph”. He urged them to remove the preachers’ raised index finger: “Put your finger somewhere else,” the newspaper quoted Die Welt his message.
In the meantime, however, the Muslim Interaktiv group is once again calling for another rally in Hamburg’s Steindamm, which should take place next Saturday, May 11, at 4 p.m. Through the social network X, representatives of the group are telling their supporters not to let politicians or the media deter them from the demonstration.
“Next Saturday at 4 p.m. we will defend ourselves verbally against the censorship of our Islamic values. Come in sha Allah in large numbers and don’t be intimidated by politicians and the media!” informs the group Muslim Interaktiv about the demonstration called Demonstration against censorship and dictation of opinion.
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author: Alena Kratochvílova
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