A new study reveals a worrying trend among young Muslims: violence increases with growing attachment to Islam. With increasing religiosity, the acceptance of “macho cultures” and the use of violent media also rise.
The study was conducted by the Interior Ministry and the Criminological Research Institute of Niedersachsen (KFN). Not Islam as such is the reason for this trend, but the way it is taught. Professor for Religious Studies Rauf Ceylan, whose research on imams in Germany is mentioned in the study, says that many factors have to be taken into consideration. The role of imams, who are raised and trained abroad and who have no connection to Germany, may be one factor, as they act as a role model for young male Muslims. If the imams consider male domination normal or positive, this attitude is likely to be reproduced by the younger.
