Extremism expert Ahmad Mansour accuses Berlin Left of downplaying Islamism after CSD attack

Ahmad Mansour takes on the Berlin Left over their stance on Islamism and the police. "Any criticism of Islamism is dismissed as anti-Muslim racism," criticizes the extremism prevention expert.

Extremism expert Ahmad Mansour has leveled serious accusations against the Left in Neukölln following a social media post: After the deadly terrorist attack on the Berlin CSD, the party is downplaying Islamism.

Mansour: "The Left in Berlin follows an ideology"

Extremism expert Ahmad Mansour has accused the Berlin Left of downplaying Islamism for identity-political reasons and rejecting criticism of it wholesale as anti-Muslim racism.

"The Left in Berlin follows an ideology. And that ideology is called identity politics. Any criticism of Islamism is dismissed as anti-Muslim racism."

— Ahmad Mansour in an interview with WELT TV

After the deadly Islamist terror attack on the sidelines of the Berlin CSD over the weekend, the Left in Neukölln expressed their condolences but did not mention the word "Islamism" even once in a statement. The 21-year-old suspected attacker, Abdul Ballout, was known to authorities as a member of the Islamist scene and a potential threat.

In the statement from the Neukölln district association, it said they were resisting the instrumentalization of the act for "racist, anti-Muslim, or other reactionary agitation."

Clarification After Criticism

After critical comments, the Neukölln Left supplemented the post a day later with a "clarification":

"When we speak of the rise of right-wing and anti-feminist forces, then IS and other reactionary Islamist-fundamentalist groups are naturally included for us, whose misogynistic, queer- and trans-hostile, and oppressive worldview we reject and fight."

The statement continued: "We condemn this attack in the strongest possible terms. We stand unequivocally on the side of queer people."

Mansour: Islamist Actors Within the Left

Mansour said about this:

"We must not forget that within the ranks of the Left in Berlin, there are also Islamist actors or those who deliberately want to downplay Islamism."

He does not consider the party a "partner in the fight against Islamism."

Criticism of Police Funding Cuts

The Berlin Left advocates for cutting police funding. "It's simply madness," Mansour said about this. "Resources are lacking everywhere." Who would want to become a police officer in a state where police officers are attacked and demonized almost every day?

Deradicalization Program Misused

Mansour further criticized that Ballout's participation in the deradicalization program was handled as a substitute punishment. He had received his juvenile sentence with the condition of attending deradicalization counseling.

"Deradicalization work is not a substitute punishment," said Mansour.

It works best when these people are in prison and receive intensive support.

"That makes me incredibly angry because the judges made a misjudgment right there. And that cost human lives," Mansour said.

How Should the Decision Have Been Made?

Ballout had German citizenship; his family comes from Lebanon. He could not be deported there. A consistent rule of law is needed, according to Mansour. In prison, one can work on getting extremists to distance themselves from the ideology.

There are many Islamists with German citizenship. "They joined IS ten years ago. And they were almost all Germans," said Mansour. If they are free, the judges must decide differently, the extremism expert believes.

"They must be monitored. And everything must be done to prevent these people from renting a car and driving into a crowd."

Ballout Has Been Radicalizing for Years

According to the assessment of the prevention counseling service that supervised him, Ballout has been radicalizing over several years.

"He had a years-long radicalization process behind him. It was not turbo-radicalization."

— Thomas Mücke from the Violence Prevention Network (VPN)