In an interview with Sputnik Germany, a Muslim student residing in Germany expressed his anxiety about the threats coming from members of radical groups who fought in the Middle East and later returned to Europe.
As part of their activities, the activists organize catchy campaigns to attract public attention, like staging scenes of executions as a response to the videos of real executions published on YouTube.
According to Geuad, since 2014 many Muslim students in Germany have been expressing their concerns about a possible spillover of terrorism from the Middle East to Europe. This was before the terrorist attacks in Paris and other European cities took place.
"We addressed this issue and warned against it because we saw Salafists walking on the German streets. We said: People, they are the same individuals who carry out terrorist attacks, only here on a different level. They are just waiting for the right time. But nothing has been done until, sadly, the attacks in Paris, then in Belgium and then in Germany took place," Geuad told Sputnik Germany.
Salafists are followers of an ultraconservative movement within Islam who advocate for a return to the original traditions of Islam. Salafism includes various groups ranging from non-violent religious movements to Salafi jihadists, who constitute an extreme minority within the branch and are represented by terrorists belonging to such groups as Daesh and Al-Qaeda.
Last week, German police detained two men under suspicion that they were planning an attack on a shopping center in Oberhausen. In previous months, several other suspects were detained over possible involvement in terrorist activities.
The student admitted that he welcomes the recent detention of several Salafi activists. However, according to him, the German law-enforcement services could have done more to curb terrorist activities on German soil.
"There have already been several examples when we personally knew people who were going to go to Syria to join Daesh. We informed the local authorities about this, but, nevertheless, these people were allowed to go there. And then they returned to Germany and are still on the loose," Geuad explained.
The student believes that activist groups opposing radical Islam and Islamist terrorism need more support. It is important to withstand the radical ideology, he argued.
"Salafists are radical in their ideology and they wait only for the right moment to put this ideology into practice. But they keep silent about this and this is the most dangerous thing. I fear for German society. I see the division into the right and the left camps, and then additionally there are the Salafists, who pursue their activities behind the scenes," Geuad concluded.
