The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) in Germany is the official arm of the Diyanet, the Turkish government’s Presidency of Religious Affairs, which operates 900 mosques and employs 970 imams and religious officials. DITIB represents 70 percent of Germany’s Muslim community and serves the more than three million German nationals of Turkish origin or Turkish citizens who live in Germany.
But investigations into the DITIB in recent months have revealed that the Turkish government-controlled mosques have been used extensively as part of the spy network of the Turkish intelligence agency, the Milli Istihbarat Teskilati (MIT).
The Turkish intelligence service MIT has allegedly built up an extensive spy network in #Germany with thousands of informants. pic.twitter.com/wbQ8rSa2DA
— DW News (@dwnews) February 4, 2017
Through a network of 6,000 informants in Germany, they have spied on the German-Turkish community and reported back to the MIT on activities seen as contrary to the increasingly dictatorial rule of Turkish President Recep Erdogan.
In response, German authorities have conducted raids on the homes of DITIB imams and suspended any government funding to the organization.
The spying affair has also prompted German media to investigate claims that the DITIB mosques are preaching extremism and openly hindering integration.
These reports have so far culminated today in a report that German authorities are investigating one of the top DITIB authorities who called on Turkish diplomatic missions to increase spying on the followers of U.S.-based Turkish Islamist Fethullah Gulen.
According to Deutsche Welle, this includes two members of the German Parliament:
Report: German authorities investigate high Turkish religious official https://t.co/zzEUUFgLNa pic.twitter.com/m7A4bTybo2
— DW News (@dwnews) April 1, 2017
Erdogan and the Turkish government have accused Gulen and his followers of complicity in the attempted coup in Turkey this past July. More than 40,000 people have been arrested in a purge of accused Gulenists.
In Turkey, more than 125,000 people have been fired or suspended and at least 40,000 detained since the coup. https://t.co/SqHv8MIJQF
— Foreign Affairs (@ForeignAffairs) January 8, 2017
Global Spying Network: Turkey's Worldwide Monitoring of Suspected Gülen Supporters https://t.co/IE9NV6SoRi pic.twitter.com/0EAICy3Qqj
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 31, 2017
The aborted coup in Turkey and the response by Erdogan have caused problems beyond the Turkish state, particularly in Germany with its large German-Turkish community.
Tensions in Turkey are spilling over to Germany https://t.co/nZMNXpdvbp pic.twitter.com/9HVmVUXuxz
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) August 2, 2016
The coup also prompted the MIT to begin to harass perceived opponents in Germany, which prompted media investigations beginning just a few weeks later:
Report: Turkey's MIT agency menacing 'German Turks': Germans of Turkish origin are being "menaced" in Germany… https://t.co/YttQG8851W
— DW Europe (@dw_europe) August 21, 2016
Turkey after the coup: Erdogan's hunt for Gülen supporters. https://t.co/JJYtdPD5hg pic.twitter.com/qjm8HM9vFz
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) August 3, 2016
In December, a DITIB official outright denied that their mosques were spying in Germany in an interview with the German Catholic news agency KNA.
Ditib Turkish Muslim network in #Germany denies spying for #Turkey https://t.co/Ra1iESygnU pic.twitter.com/8YWRHdS5qO
— DW News (@dwnews) December 14, 2016
And yet not even a month later the DITIB admitted that, in fact, their mosques were conducting spying:
Turkish Islamic organization #DITIB admits preachers spied in Germany https://t.co/rOauYk6pKM pic.twitter.com/i85vi0PVWn
— DW News (@dwnews) January 12, 2017
The DITIB claimed that the spying was the result of a “breakdown”:
Der Islamverband DITIB hat Spionage eingestanden – und bezeichnet die Vorgänge als "Panne". https://t.co/7CIMYPzokE
— Deutschlandfunk (@DLF) January 12, 2017
German authorities apparently were not convinced with the “breakdown” explanation and launched an investigation into the spying affair
Ditib unter Spionage-Verdacht: Bundesanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen Islamverband https://t.co/UdX24ERPnf pic.twitter.com/jnfw1zsqFc
— SPIEGEL ONLINE (@spiegelonline) January 18, 2017
#Germany: Federal prosecutor general probes into alleged espionage by #Turkey influenced organization #DITIB. https://t.co/Ccc39yb0Tz
— Daniel H. Heinke (@daniel_heinke) January 18, 2017
So far that investigation has resulted in a series of raids targeting DITIB imams (who, again, are employed by the Turkish government).
Germany raids apartments of four Turkish imams suspected of spying https://t.co/9LABrm9Qs6
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) February 15, 2017
Germany Poised to Mount More Raids on Turkish Imams Accused of Spying https://t.co/WXx7cfVSoO pic.twitter.com/EN4MktW0cd
— The Voice of America (@VOANews) March 1, 2017
And the German government stopped support for DITIB-sponsored social projects:
Förderung für Ditib-Sozialprojekte gestoppt https://t.co/i7I42A4UA2 pic.twitter.com/P6IVBsTuv4
— WELT (@welt) March 15, 2017
This week it was announced that there is an official probe into the spying by MIT, described by German authorities as “intolerable,” through the DITIB mosques:
#UPDATE Germany launches probe into claims that Turkish agents are spying on alleged followers of exiled preacher https://t.co/6SN6eArLxU
— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 28, 2017
Remarkably, Turkish intelligence handed German authorities a list of 300 suspected Gulenists that they asked for help spying on:
Germany rebuffs Turkey's requests for surveillance of Turkish government's foes in Germany. https://t.co/qGCLEjqoXP pic.twitter.com/mXOaRmCGVS
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) March 28, 2017
The spying affair and the resultant government investigations and media exposure have also revealed that DITIB mosques have been hubs of extremism and imams openly calling for followers to not integrate into German society.
In the North Rhine-Westphalia district — the federal region with the largest population in Germany — Interior Ministry officials had to stop their involvement in a joint program with DITIB, “Project Signposts,” intended to prevent extremism.
What they discovered is that in March 2016, the DITIB published a comic glorifying martyrdom:
North Rhine-Westphalia distances itself from Islamic group DITIB https://t.co/fLyDwvqHzB pic.twitter.com/6fLrzYYqns
— DW News (@dwnews) September 6, 2016
Turkish #Diyanet runs 2000+ mosques abroad & spreads Islamist ideology! Source: https://t.co/486OL2FPTP (turk) pic.twitter.com/jHwdVZwdNj
— Islamism Map (@IslamismMap) August 30, 2016
And in December, DITIB published anti-Christmas propaganda and incitement against Christians:
Hass-Postings: Türkischer Verband soll gegen Christen hetzen https://t.co/Ui6ztDdBA6 pic.twitter.com/3uLJgy3724
— WELT (@welt) January 6, 2017
One media investigation by a TV magazine program found that DITIB imams were encouraging anti-Semitism, preaching that “the cannibal Jew brings death to Palestine” and “to describe the barbarism of the Jews, you will not be able to find the right words.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMMnj_Z2LHI
Imams also directed their followers not to make friends with Christians, Jews, or atheists.
In February, the Panorama 3 program discovered Facebook posts by DITIB imams discouraging integration. An example: “Democracy is not for us. The Quran binds us.”
Even more menacing, one DITIB imam addressed Erdogan, saying, “Sir, give us the order and we’ll destroy Germany.”
Spalten statt integrieren: "Demokratie ist für uns nicht bindend. Uns bindet der Koran." Einblick bei #DITIB #Türkei https://t.co/UbKQDPlbBq
— Stephan Mock (@StephanMock) February 23, 2017
The German investigations into MIT spying through DITIB mosques and imams have several larger ramifications.
First, it’s not just German authorities who are investigating spying from Diyanet mosques. Investigations in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland into the same spying problem are underway:
DW has obtained several documents revealing Turkish imam spy affair in Germany extends across Europe https://t.co/KMfAHI2Wxp pic.twitter.com/4zdzumSPtm
— DW News (@dwnews) February 16, 2017
Second, Erdogan is leveraging Turkish communities in Europe in support of the constitutional referendum in Turkey later this month that if passed will increase his dictatorial powers.
Erdogan and His Followers: Turkish Referendum Casts Dark Shadow over Germany https://t.co/JzGzJWJFWz pic.twitter.com/OYYt6mUv5x
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 14, 2017
As I reported here at PJ Media a few weeks ago, Turkish government officials instigated a diplomatic crisis with the Netherlands by drumming up support for Erdogan’s referendum, prompting riots in Rotterdam:
Turkish Riots in Rotterdam Overnight Threaten Dutch Political Stability Ahead of Elections This Week https://t.co/1u078kcHUP @PJMedia_com pic.twitter.com/a2WvM92Xw9
— Patrick Poole (@pspoole) March 12, 2017
Thirdly, Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials are making threatening statements with respect to Europe:
Erdogan warns Europeans 'will not walk safely' if current attitude persists https://t.co/9CGj4jvpQe pic.twitter.com/SFskQGBWJC
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 22, 2017
'Holy wars will soon begin in Europe', Turkish minister claims https://t.co/z4MTWtTpTT
— The Independent (@Independent) March 16, 2017
In particular, Erdogan has threatened to unleash more waves of refugees if Germany and the EU don’t concede to his demands:
Let's End the Submission: Refugee Crisis Prevents Honest Dealings with Turkey https://t.co/wh0NDsY7zd pic.twitter.com/43bSQK19vW
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 6, 2017
Turkey threatens to send Europe 15,000 refugees a month https://t.co/aFY2Sc8zsa
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) March 17, 2017
One of his chief demands is for more visas for Turkish citizens to relocate in Europe:
Let's End the Submission: Refugee Crisis Prevents Honest Dealings with Turkey https://t.co/wh0NDsY7zd pic.twitter.com/43bSQK19vW
— SPIEGEL English (@SPIEGEL_English) March 6, 2017
Europe must not be blackmailed by Turkey overs visas: Merkel's deputy https://t.co/QQ3nPqqsSW
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) August 1, 2016
But there are clear signs even from Erdogan that more Turkish citizens means more trouble for Europe:
Erdogan urges Turks in Europe: "Make not three, but five children," as revenge on the West. https://t.co/uqXsAxysr5 pic.twitter.com/PmmIEwWmKe
— New York Times World (@nytimesworld) March 19, 2017
Fourth, Erdogan’s hated rival, Fethullah Gulen, currently resides in the U.S. — and Turkey has made demands to extradite the cleric:
'Freedom' for Turkish cleric #Gulen at #Pennsylvania hide-out https://t.co/xFOtNAy34R pic.twitter.com/zjcF2nERSR
— DW News (@dwnews) December 29, 2016
With Michael Flynn gone as Trump adviser, Turkey is still pressing U.S. to extradite "cult leader" Fethullah Gulen https://t.co/d5WhkxXGo4 pic.twitter.com/HLgRfkjsYo
— McClatchyDC (@McClatchyDC) March 12, 2017
To leverage against the U.S. for Gulen’s extradition, many believe that Erdogan is holding American pastor Andrew Brunson as a negotiating chip. Secretary of State Tillerson met with Brunson’s wife this week:
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has met with the wife of a jailed American pastor in Turkey https://t.co/Ef6Kfzm0gB pic.twitter.com/4MWNsCZ5IO
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 31, 2017
Fifth, amidst the allegations by multiple European governments that Diyanet mosques are being used by the MIT for spying and promoting extremism, the Diyanet last year opened a $100 million facility right outside Washington, D.C.
Diyanet İşleri Başkanı: 'Diyanet Center of America' 100 milyon dolara yapıldıhttps://t.co/fRA9iKtCgz pic.twitter.com/uGCb6ZOw4E
— T24 (@t24comtr) April 3, 2016
In my next article I’ll look at the spying from Diyanet mosques and imams in other European countries and what that might mean for the U.S.
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