US embassy cable - 04FRANKFURT6156

C O N F I D E N T I A L FRANKFURT 006156 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/14/2014 
TAGS: PTER, ASEC, KISL, PINS, PHUM, PGOV, GM, MO, BINR 
SUBJECT: SEARCH OF FRANKFURT MOSQUE PROVOKES CONTROVERSY; 
EVIDENCE UNCLEAR 
 
REF: A) FRANKFURT 0567 B) 02 FRANKFURT 10187 
 
Classified By: Consul General Peter W. Bodde, reasons 1.5(b) and (d) 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY: Police searched Frankfurt's Taqwa ("Fear of 
Allah" in Arabic) mosque on July 11 in response to 
allegations that Taqwa's religious curriculum includes 
violent and extremist material.  Justification for the raid 
centered on a 9-year old's statement to police that the 
mosque's school showed images glorifying violence and 
promoting attacks on non-Muslims as well as a videocassette 
allegedly purchased at Taqwa that includes footage of Muslim 
rebels and calls for jihad.  Authorities say they confiscated 
numerous videotapes and digital storage devices as well as 19 
computer hard drives and will need weeks to analyze the 
material.  The raid provoked surprise and controversy, as 
Frankfurt's Office for Foreigners had considered the mosque 
to be relatively progressive.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) Over two hundred Frankfurt police armed with machine 
guns searched the Moroccan mosque Taqwa (located near the 
city's main train station) on July 11 after a statement 
alleging reports of material at the mosque's religious school 
demonizing "non-believers" and glorifying acts of violence 
against non-Muslims.  The school enrolls over 300 students 
and receives partial funding from the Moroccan consulate. 
According to police, a 9-year-old student confided to a 
teacher at her German school that Taqwa was using brutal and 
extremist imagery (including that of a pregnant woman's 
stomach violently slashed) to promote attacks against 
non-Muslims. 
 
3.  (C) A Taqwa spokesman denied police allegations and 
demanded a public apology for the raid.  The spokesman 
explained reports of police seizures of large quantities of 
high-tech equipment from Taqwa premises by noting that the 
material was part of a library that Taqwa kept for use by its 
congregation.  In a subsequent statement, police qualified 
the raid by saying that the Taqwa mosque was not under 
suspicion and that authorities had no plans at present to 
press charges.  Frankfurt's Commissioner for Foreigners, 
Albrecht Magen, called the police statement a contradiction 
and cited Taqwa's reputation as a moderate voice among 
Frankfurt's Muslims and its long record of participation in 
community initiatives such as "Mama lernt Deutsch (Mama 
learns German)", a program to teach German to immigrant 
mothers. 
 
4.  (C) Frankfurt law enforcement revealed on July 15 that 
they possessed a tape allegedly purchased in the Taqwa mosque 
glorifying violence and calling for attacks on non-Muslims. 
Authorities in Cologne discovered the tape and passed it to 
Frankfurt police.  The video opens with footage of a red 
tulip blossoming and then moves to images of Muslim 
insurgencies in Afghanistan and Chechnya accompanied by calls 
for jihad.  Police note that the tape was part of the 
evidence they presented to obtain a search warrant for the 
mosque. 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT: Frankfurt was home to a North African 
Islamic terrorist cell convicted of planning attacks against 
the Strasbourg Christmas Market in 2000 (ref B).  As reported 
in the press, local politicians like city Social Democrat/SPD 
party manager Gregor Amman (who lives next door to the 
mosque) have cited Taqwa's strong community involvement and 
progressive reputation while criticizing the heavyhanded way 
in which police conducted the raid (including bringing a 
camera crew and failing to take their shoes off before 
entering the mosque.)  Law enforcement authorities have 
adopted a cautious tone and say that it will take weeks to 
translate and analyze the material seized.  Meanwhile, the 
incident has sparked a heated debate within Frankfurt on 
Muslim religious schools and their possible use as incubators 
for Islamist extremism.  END COMMENT. 
BODDE