Sharp increase of Germans embracing Islam

A new Interior Ministry-sponsored study on Muslim life in Germany has found a noticeable surge in the number of Germans embracing Islam, according to the weekly Der Spiegel.

According to the study, conducted by the Islam-Archive Central Institute, based in the western town of Soest, the number of conversions between July 2004 and June 2005 reached 4,000, four times as many as in the prior period.

Salim Abdullah who heads the institute said that most of those who converted to Islam have been women and well-educated, stressing an interesting point that each time the German media launches a new campaign aimed at defaming Muslims, more people convert to Islam.

Mohammad Herzog, a Berlin-based Muslim leader, couldn’t cite a particular reason behind such increase in the number of Muslim converts, but he said that many of those who newly embraced Islam have been former devout Christians who had cast doubts about their faith.

There are approximately 3.5 million Muslims in Germany, the large majority of which is of Turkish and Yugoslavian origin.

Among the organizations that represent German Muslims, the Central Council on Muslims and the Islamic Council.

Like other Muslim communities in the West, Muslims living in Germany continue to suffer anti-Muslim discrimination that surged noticeably following September 11 attacks on the United States.

--AJP and agencies