German Lawmakers, Jewish Leaders Push for Mandatory Imam Certification Amid Rising Antisemitism

German lawmakers and the country’s Jewish community are calling for a mandatory certification process for all imams amid a surging wave of antisemitism, including multiple cases of religious leaders promoting anti-Jewish violence.

“Mosques must not be places where hatred against Jews is spread. It is our responsibility to ensure that Jews in Germany can study, work, celebrate, and pray in safety,” Klaus Holetschek, a member of the Bavarian State Parliament in southern Germany, told the German newspaper Bild.

With more than five million Muslims in Germany, many turn to imams for spiritual guidance. 

Most of these religious leaders are trained abroad — especially in Turkey — and brought to local mosques by large Muslim organizations on multi‑year contracts, shaping the religious education and messaging that reaches the community.

“We must ensure that imams are trained in Germany without the influence of Islamist associations, or that they complete an integration course before assuming their duties,” Holetschek said. 

Amid Germany’s push to train more imams domestically and curb the import of foreign clergy, Holetschek emphasized that the effort is not an attack on Muslims, but “a key measure for effective prevention.”

“Many of the people who have reached out to us over the years come from countries where antisemitism is state-sponsored and children are taught to hate Israel in schools,” the German lawmaker said. 

The Conference of European Rabbis (CER) has joined the new initiative, praising it as a vital step toward combating antisemitism and promoting safe, inclusive communities

“The impact of hate preachers and foreign-controlled extremist networks in Europe has long been underestimated,” CER’s president, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, told Bild. 

“Imams must demonstrate a clear commitment to democracy, the rule of law, equality, religious freedom for all, and social cohesion — and embody these values in their daily practice,” he continued.

Last year, amid a rising wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes, the German government urged the country’s main mosque association to publicly break with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric, citing the association’s close ties to him.

According to local reports, German authorities told the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) — the country’s largest mosque network — to formally break with Erdogan’s hateful statements or risk losing government support and cooperation.

For years, the German government has supported DITIB in training imams, as well as helping to foster community programs and religious initiatives.

In 2023, then-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser signed an agreement with the Turkish government’s Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and DITIB for a new imam training program.

By sending imams from Turkey and paying their salaries, the Diyanet oversees DITIB and its hundreds of communities across Germany, shaping the ideological direction of more than 900 mosques and influencing the training of their imams.

Under a new program, the Diyanet no longer sends imams directly from Turkey. Instead, Turkish students are trained in Germany in cooperation with the German Islam Conference (IKD).

With this new agreement, imams live permanently in German communities and have no formal ties to the Turkish government. Still, experts doubt that this alone would curb the Diyanet’s political influence.

In the past, DITIB has faced multiple controversies, with some members making antisemitic remarks and spreading hateful messages.