Mosque in Germany receives threat with Nazi signs

BERLIN, Germany – A mosque in Germany received a threatening letter with Nazi signs on Thursday.

Authorities said a mosque in the central German city of Goettingen received the letter with the Nazi symbol swastika and other neo-Nazi signs.

Mehmet Ibrahimbaş, chairman of the mosque association, said the letter contained racist and Islamophobic phrases.

He said the mosque community and Muslims in Goettingen were concerned because of the ongoing threats of violence.

He said it was the second threatening letter they had received within a few months.

“Our mosque community and Muslims in Goettingen are worried due to the continued threats of violence,” he said, adding that it was the second threatening letter they received in several months,” he added. 

In September last year, unknown persons had also painted a swastika on the wall of the mosque.

A neo-Nazi terror group uncovered in 2011 called the National Socialist Underground uses the NSU 2.0 sign.

The group has murdered 10 people and carried out bombings against immigrants.

In Germany, racism and Islamophobia have increased in recent years, fueled by propaganda from far-right groups.

They have exploited the refugee crisis and sought to stoke fear of immigrants.

According to recent data, police recorded at least 610 Islamophobic hate crimes in the central European country in 2022.

Last year, 62 mosques were attacked, and at least 39 people were injured by anti-Muslim violence.

Germany, a country of more than 84 million people, is home to nearly 5 million Muslims. 

This is the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France.