Germany Bans Islamist Group Muslim Interaktiv for Promoting Caliphate and Undermining Democratic Values

The German government enacted a ban on Wednesday against Muslim Interaktiv, a Muslim organization accused of violating human rights and democratic values, while simultaneously conducting raids on two other Muslim groups across the country.

According to the Interior Ministry, Muslim Interaktiv posed a threat to Germany's constitutional order through its promotion of antisemitism and discrimination against women and sexual minorities.

The group was known for its sophisticated online presence that particularly appealed to young Muslims who might feel marginalized within Germany's predominantly Christian society.

Government officials argued that the organization presented a significant danger because it advocated for Islam as the exclusive model for social organization and maintained that Islamic law should supersede German law in governing Muslim community life, especially regarding women's treatment.

In recent years, the German government has taken increasingly decisive action against extremism by banning multiple extremist organizations, including both far-right and Muslim groups. This intensified enforcement follows a series of attacks perpetrated by both Muslim extremists and far-right groups plotting to overthrow the established order.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt stated, "We will respond with the full force of the law to anyone who aggressively calls for a caliphate on our streets, incites hatred against the state of Israel and Jews in an intolerable manner, and despises the rights of women and minorities."

The ministry also announced ongoing investigations into two additional Muslim organizations: Generation Islam and Reality Islam.

"We will not allow organisations such as Muslim Interaktiv to undermine our free society with their hatred, despise our democracy, and attack our country from within," the minister added.

In its statement, the ministry emphasized that the banned group "is particularly opposed to gender equality and freedom of sexual orientation and gender identity," adding that "this expresses an intolerance that is incompatible with democracy and human rights."

On Wednesday, authorities searched seven locations in Hamburg and conducted additional searches at 12 premises in Berlin and the central German state of Hesse in connection with the other two groups under investigation.

The government alleged that Muslim Interaktiv attempted to indoctrinate as many people as possible to "thus create permanent enemies of the constitution in order to continuously undermine the constitutional order."

Andy Grote, interior state minister of Hamburg where the group was especially active, welcomed the ban and described it as a blow against "modern TikTok Islamism," according to German news agency dpa.

A recent report from Hamburg's domestic intelligence service noted that Muslim Interaktiv's leaders addressed socially relevant topics in their online content to exploit them "to portray a supposedly ongoing attitude of rejection by politics and society in Germany towards the entire Muslim community," as reported by dpa.

Ahmad Mansour, a prominent activist against Muslim extremism in Germany, wrote on X that "it is right and necessary that Interior Minister Dobrindt has banned this group."

He added that Muslim Interaktiv "is part of an Islamist network that has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous in recent months. They carry out intimidation campaigns, specifically mobilise young people, and attempt to indoctrinate them with Islamist ideology."

By Wednesday morning, Muslim Interaktiv's online presence appeared to have been removed, and the group could not be reached for comment.