Germany to Deport Hundreds of “Islamists”

The authorities have dubbed the blacklisting operation “Aktion Kehraus” (“Action Sweep Out”), said Der Spiegel in its new issue, to hit news stands on Monday, January 24.

The new immigration law, which went into effect with the beginning of the year, specifically includes a provision to expel foreigners posing a threat to national security, a policy forcefully argued by both Interior Minister Otto Schily and the conservative Christian Democratic opposition party during debates in parliament.

Schily “welcomes all efforts by the regional states to apply the new regulations,” an interior ministry spokesman said.

No Appeal

Under the new legislation, a special panel of the Federal Administrative Court will take charge of handling potential deportation cases, estimated to number 2,000 a year.

Once a verdict is made, the deportees will not be able to legally challenge the expulsion order, Der Spiegel said.

The deportation can be sought by authorities in the 16 regional states or by federal authorities in the capital Berlin if Germany’s domestic intelligence agency provides evidence causing strong suspicion of terrorist links, the weekly added.

The new immigration law will also make it easier to expel leaders of banned organizations, terrorist sympathizers and persons deemed to be preaching hate.

Citizenships Withdrawn
Der Spiegel’s article followed press reports that many foreigners in the country had their German citizenship withdrawn in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

Seven citizenship were withdrawn in Hessen state by the Interior Ministry, which accused their holders of being linked to “anti-constitution” groups.

In Saarland, the citizenship of two foreigners were annulled over security considerations.

Furthermore, citizenship withdrawals have regularly occurred in the Rhein and Baden-Wuerttemberg states.

Immigration and citizenship departments in the 16 states have asked domestic intelligence services to draw up detailed reports on every foreigner applying for the German citizenship.

MPs of the Christian Democratic and Christian Socialist parties have also pressed for withdrawing the citizenship of any foreigner posting a threat to national security.

They urged the government to follow the Dutch lead in planning to annul the citizenships of “Islamists” allegedly associated with organizations preaching violence.

A spokesman for the Christian Democratic party has further warned that terrorists may pursue their activities on the German mainland under the guise of citizenship.

A study conducted by the University of Bielefeld’s Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence had shown that Islamophobia was on the rise in Germany.

Anti-Muslim voices spoke louder than ever in 2004 as dealing with the Muslim community became the overriding concern of German officials and the right-wing parties.

Interior Minister in the state of Bavaria Guenter Beekstein was in the vanguard of officials attacking Muslims, accusing the sizable Turkish community of living in “parallel societies” with their own cultural and social activities.

Germany’s mass-circulation Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported in August that Germans reverting to Islam have risen dramatically in the past few years and were keen on leaving their indelible marks on their society.