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Support for Israel Is Essential Element of German Policy, Interior Minister Tells Muslim Leaders in Berlin
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser addresses the 2023 meeting of the German Islamic Conference (DIK). Photo: Reuters/Bernd Elmenthaler
Germany’s interior minister on Tuesday challenged Muslim associations in Germany to condemn antisemitism without reservation as she reminded the community’s representatives that support for the State of Israel is a German “raison d’etat” — a non-negotiable element of the country’s foreign policy.
“Whoever wants to become a citizen of this country must know that,” Nancy Faeser declared during a speech to the two-day meeting in Berlin of the German Islamic Conference (DIK) on the theme of “combating antisemitism and anti-Muslim hostility in times of social division.”
The issue of antisemitism among the more than 5.5 million Muslims in Germany has become a national focus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in Israel. On Monday, Faeser and Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), revealed that a total of 3,532 crimes related to the Hamas onslaught six weeks ago have been reported, most of them perpetrated by Muslims.
Faeser’s speech to the DIK came as police in the southern state of Bavaria carried out raids on the homes of 17 people accused of spreading antisemitic hate speech and threats targeting Jews online. A statement from the Bavarian police provided details on three of the suspects, two of whom are dual citizens of Turkey and Germany. In an example of the venomous rhetoric pushed by the suspects, a message posted by one of them stated that the “sons of the Jews deserve nothing less than to be slaughtered and wiped out.”
In her speech on Tuesday, Faeser observed that “a spark is often enough for words of hatred to become acts of violence.” Calling on the Muslim associations gathered at the conference to combat antisemitism “even more visibly,” she argued that gestures of solidarity, such as visiting synagogues, were not enough, and that the state needed reassurance that extremist messages would not be spread during sermons in the country’s mosques.
Faeser specifically referenced the recent appearance of Abdul Bari Omar, a senior official of Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, at a mosque in Cologne affiliated with Ditib, a Turkish-German Islamic association controlled by the Turkish government. “Can you guarantee that something like this will not happen again?” she asked pointedly.
The interior minister also emphasized that Israel has an inherent right to defend itself. “There is no ‘but’ when it comes to the terrible terrorist attacks of Hamas,” she said.
Faeser also spoke out against general bigotry targeting Muslims, expressing concern at the finding of a recent interior ministry report that one in two Germans harbors hostility towards Muslims. “We must not give room to those who declare Muslims to be the cause of all evil,” Faeser stated. “Whoever now creates a mood against Muslims under the pretext of combating antisemitism seeks to divide us.”
The post Support for Israel Is Essential Element of German Policy, Interior Minister Tells Muslim Leaders in Berlin first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’
US President Donald Trump attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
i24 News – US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” he posted on social media. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the ceasefire, saying Saudi Arabia and Turkey also played an important role in facilitating the deal.
The ceasefire follows weeks of clashes and cross-border missile and drone strikes triggered by a gun massacre of Indian tourists last month.
New Delhi has blamed jihadists from the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organization. Pakistan denies the charge.
Dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides.
The post Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter
Pro-Palestinian protesters are detained by NYPD after taking part in a demonstration at Butler Library on the Columbia University campus in New York, U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Dana Edwards
i24 News – In the latest antisemitism scandal at the prestigious New York institution, Columbia University suspended dozens of students and barred from campus alumni and others who took part in a chaotic and violent anti-Israel incident inside the school’s main library earlier in the week.
On May 7, the mask-clad mob forced its way into the library, injuring two public safety officers in the process. Once inside, they vandalized property, adorning the premises with Palestinian flags, scrawling “Columbia will burn” on a glass case, and declaring the library a “liberated zone.”
Some 75 protesters were arrested after refusing to comply with police directives, including Ramona Sarsgaard, daughter of Hollywood A-lister Maggie Gyllenhaal and actor Peter Sarsgaard.
The Ivy League university in Manhattan declined to say how long the disciplinary measures would be in place, saying only that the decisions are pending further investigation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said his office will review the visa status of those who participated in the library takeover for possible deportation.
The post Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on before a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – The United States and Iran will hold a fourth round of nuclear talks Sunday in Oman, officials said, just ahead of a visit to the region by President Donald Trump.
Trump, who will visit three other Gulf Arab monarchies next week, has voiced hope for reaching a deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program that would avert an Israeli military strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities that could ignite a wider war. He has refused, however, to rule out military action in the event the talks come to naught.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said that Oman, the mediator in the talks, had proposed Sunday as the date and both sides accepted it.
“Negotiations are moving ahead and naturally, the more we advance, the more consultations we have, and the more time the delegations need to examine the issues,” he was quoted as saying by regime media. “But what’s important is that we are moving forward so that we gradually get into the details.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s personal friend serving as his globe-trotting negotiator, will take part in the talks.
American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.
However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.
The post US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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