Germany's latest initiative of launching a state-backed training center for imams has been shunned by leading Turkish groups in the country, as they argue that it conflicts with the principle that religious communities alone are entitled to train their leaders. Milli Görüş believes that the training of imams should be "free from external influences, especially political ones," according to general secretary Bekir Altaş. The DITIB last year launched an education program to train imams in Germany. The new state-backed center's two-year imam training program will be taught with the help of some 12,000 books imported from Egypt. Chancellor Angela Merkel first spoke in favor of training imams on German soil in 2018, telling parliament it "will make us more independent and is necessary for the future."

Source: The North Africa Journal June 16, 2021 10:28 UTC