Berlin mosque

Islam in Germany

  • 1060

    Seljuk's Empire

    Seljuk's Empire
    The Seljuk's Empire territory at the end of their reign.
  • Period: 1060 to 1307

    The Seljuk Empire

    The Seljuk Empire began the Islamic period in Turkey. What they are most noted for:
    1. Defending the Islamic world against the Crusaders in the Middle Ages. The Seljuk's conquered large parts of the Byzantine Empire.
    2. The Seljuk's provided a service to Europe by providing a barrier between them and the raiding Mongol's.
    3. The Seljuk's did the groundwork for the Ottoman's Turks.
  • Period: 1300 to

    The Ottoman Empire

    1. One of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history.
    2. Inspired and sustained by Islam.
    3. Replaced the Byzantine Empire as the major power in Eastern Mediterranean.
  • Success of the Ottoman Empire

    Success of the Ottoman Empire
    1. Highly centralized.
    2. Power transferred to one person. The empire was ran by a single family for 7 centuries.
    3. State ran educational and judicial systems.
    4. United by Islamic ideology.
    5. Encouraged loyalty from other faiths.
    6. Strong military.
  • First Muslims in Germany

    The first Muslim's arrived in Germany as prisoners of war from the Siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Empire in 1683.
  • Period: to

    Russo-Turkish War

    Muslim prisoners of war came into Germany from the Siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Empire in 1683. But many were either baptized or eventually returned to their homelands, according to the German Islam Conference (DIK).
  • First Islamic Cemetery in Germany

    In 1798 when the third envoy died, Prussian King Frederick William III created a burial site for him, and with it the first Islamic cemetery in Germany, which still stands today along Columbiadamm in Berlin.
  • Germany uses Jihad to fight in the WWI

    Germany uses Jihad to fight in the WWI
    In 1914, Oppenheim wrote: "In the battle against England ... Islam will become one of our most important weapons." This lead to the opening of Halbmondlage POW camp. Newspapers (propaganda) was distributed to all the Muslim men (4,000-5,000) in various languages to encourage them to fight for their "holy war".
  • First Mosque built in Germany

    First Mosque built in Germany
    The Wunsdorf Mosque was built in 1915 in Halbmondlager, a POW camp in Germany during the First World War. The detainees lived in relative luxury and were given everything they needed to practice their faith. Spiritual texts, Ramadan observed, and sermons by visiting spiritual leaders.The camp was intended to convince the prisoners (4,000-5,000 men) to wage jihad against the United Kingdom and France. This attempt was not fruitful and so the mosque was torn down in 1925-26.
  • How Islam was used in WWII

    How Islam was used in WWII
    Once Hitler heard Mohammad Amin Al-Husseini calling for Arabs to“kill the jews wherever you find them,” they knew they had found an ally in their terrible ideology. Heinrich Himmler, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust, said he had nothing against Islam because it promises followers “heaven if they fight and are killed in action” and that is was “a very practical religion for soldiers.” He saw an opportunity to manipulate that belief.
  • Germany expands

    Germany expands
    Germany recruits migrant labor workers from Turkey. Many of the workers thought they would work there for a few years and return home. It worked like that for about 15-20 years until they started to ask their families to join them in Germany. Once they did this it continued the labor migration and more people from Turkey came. Keep in mind the majority of people from Turkey were Islam.
  • Islam in Germany, 1980's

    "Germany will only rely on the Turkish government for mosques, imams and teachers until it can remove Turkey from the equation." As you can see the migrants from Turkey are establishing themselves in Germany as well as their religion. The look of Germany is starting to change.
  • Cologne Mosque (still under construction)

    Cologne Mosque (still under construction)
    The calogne Mosque started construction in November 2009 and it is still being constructed today. It is being built with glass, concrete, and wood. The Mosque is located in Whrenfeld. The Cologne Mosque is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means city planners are obliged to protect its visual integrity. This is the largest Mosque in Germany.
  • Islam in Germany

    Muslims want to participate, and to be accepted as Muslims — as German Muslims, and the majority of them have a strong connection to our country. Some are children of third generation migrant workers. They just want to live along side and be treated like anyone else.
  • Germany/Muslim population timeline

    1950 68,376,002 0.03% are Muslim 20,513
    1980 78,288,577 2.2% are Muslim 1,722,349
    2000 82,074,780 3.9% are Muslim 3,200,916
    2015 82,175,700 5.7% are Muslim 4,700,000
    after the refugees arrived in Germany
    2017 82,425,000 6.6% are Muslim 5,448,000