Does Islam belong in Germany? Since when did Islam enter Germany? What is the place of Islam in today’s Germany? What is life like for Muslims in Germany now?
These are questions that have been raised many times in recent years about Islam and Muslims. Hence, Hanoverian photographer Julius Matuschik sought to answer these questions by publishing old and new photographs of Muslim life in Germany. Every day, he publishes pictures of the life of German Muslims on a blog called “Moin und Salam”, to acquaint the citizens of this country with true Islam, and on the other hand, to provide a reliable source for students and professors of Islamic studies.
It all started when Hanoverian photographer Julius Matuschik found a black-and-white image from the 1930s showing a group of Muslims, Christians and Jews in Germany in front of the Berlin Mosque in the Wilmersdorf district. The Berlin Mosque is the oldest mosque in Germany, dating back to ancient times.
After finding the photo, Matuschik went to the archives of the German Islamic Institute to find more images of the social and political history of Muslims in Germany. He later decided to publish the images on a blog so that all interested citizens could learn more about the history of Muslim life in Germany.
“I would like to show my audience the religious and ethnic diversity in Germany. It is important for me that domestic and foreign citizens become familiar with these features of our country,” Matuschik said about the motivation for launching the blog.
However, as mentioned earlier, the blog is not only intended to raise public awareness about the history of Islam and the life of Muslims in Germany, but is also to be used in scientific research. In this regard, Raida Chbib, director of the Islamic Academy in the field of science and society, collaborates with Matuschik and writes a complete description of the images in the blog. She wants to show that Islam existed in Germany even before the arrival of Muslim workers in Germany, based on images and information about them.
“These images clearly show that Islam has belonged to Germany for many years. Muslims have been part of the country, and even Islamic organizations have been active in the country since time immemorial,” Chbib said.
According to her, among the available pictures are some from the trip of Wilhelm II, the last king of Prussia to Istanbul, as well as logbook related to Iran, which show that the Germans were very interested in establishing relations with Islamic countries.
The blog also provides a comprehensive description of the history of Islam in Germany, Congregational Imams, writers and Islamic scholars, and more sections will be added soon.
“I hope this blog can largely dispel the stereotypical image of Islam,” Chbib said of the blog.
SOURCE: shafaqna.com