German Muslims react over anti-Semitism

BERLIN: The head of an umbrella organization for Muslims in Germany rebuffed yesterday a call by a Jewish leader to do more to combat anti-Semitism after a rabbi was brutally attacked in Berlin.
“Muslims do not need lessons on that. Anti-Semitism is not compatible with Islam,” Ali Kizilkaya, chairman of the Coordination Committee of Muslims, told the Berliner Zeitung.
The beating last Tuesday of 53-year-old rabbi Daniel Alter in front of his young daughter, allegedly by a group of Arab youths, has been roundly condemned.
The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dieter Graumann, urged Muslim groups to “finally deal decisively with anti-Semitism in their own ranks”.
He said in Friday’s edition of the Berliner Zeitung that words and sympathy were nice and honestly meant, but actions counted.
Kizilkaya said hostility to Islam also needed to be talked about when discussing anti-Semitism and added that his organization, which represents four German-based Muslim groups, was ready to talk to the Jewish community.
About four million Muslims live in Germany and more than 200,000 Jews.