Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The situation in Europe after the resonant statements by French President E. Macron about the Islamist threat remains tense. Several high-profile crimes have been committed by Islamic radicals. With this in mind, analysts are paying attention to the development of the situation in other EU countries, in particular in Germany, which has similar security problems.

I. The following main facts stand out.

First, there is a significant number of Islamists. At the end of October 2020, the Federal Office for the Protection of the German Constitution estimated the number of Islamists in the country at about 28 thousand people. At the same time, the department sees the potential of Islamist terror in 2060 people. According to published data, over 100 Islamists in 16 federal states are in detention.

First, the formation of a jihadist underground.

According to the German intelligence services, in recent years, more than 1.1 thousand Islamists from Germany have left for Syria and Iraq to join the jihadists. About a third of these people returned to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, of which 100 people. either directly participated in hostilities on the side of the jihadists, or received special training in their camps.

In addition, more than 12 thousand men and women living in Germany belong to the Salafis - representatives of radical Islam.

Third, there is a significant level of Islamist crimes. In the first half of this year. German law enforcement has conducted nearly 800 investigations into alleged Islamists. Germany’s federal prosecutor’s office has launched 64 investigations against alleged Islamists, most of whom are suspected of joining terrorist groups abroad, including IS.

At the same time, the German police registered 154 crimes committed by Islamists, with more than 60 cases referring to the preparation or conduct of "an act of violence threatening the state." There were also found 1,070 Internet publications "with a jihadist context", mainly propaganda of IS or Al-Qaeda.

Fourth, the penetration of Islamists into the army. It is reported that the German military counterintelligence is conducting an internal investigation into 65 privates and sergeants of the Bundeswehr, suspected of showing sympathy for Islamist ideology. Of these, 29 people suspected of traveling to Syria and Iraq. According to the military counterintelligence, some of them joined the IS militants there. Seventeen of them were dismissed ahead of schedule, five have already completed their full service lives.

The number of former servicemen traveling to the areas of hostilities in Syria and Iraq has quadrupled. A total of 320 German servicemen were suspected of sympathizing with IS.

Against this background, the Bundestag’s special envoy for the Armed Forces, H.-P. Bartels, said that “Islamism is not the main problem of the Bundeswehr, but it represents a real danger that we must take seriously. Just like other types of armed structures, the Bundeswehr is attractive to Islamists, who see military service as an opportunity for training with military weapons. "

II. The attitude of the population and individual groups to the strengthening of Islamism in the country is characterized by the following points:

- according to public opinion polls carried out at the end of October by the Erfurt Institute of Public Opinion commissioned by the Tages Post, more than 70% of German citizens support a tougher policy towards radical Islam;

- about 81% of Protestants and 75% of Catholics share this point of view, while among Muslims, only less than 25% are supporters of decisive action;

- the most uncompromising position in relation to the Islamist threat is taken by the supporters of the Alternative for Germany, in whose ranks the level of support for toughening positions reaches 90%. However, even among the "Lefts" or "Greens" this indicator does not fall below 70%.

Commenting on the results of this poll, CDU Bundestag deputy K. de Vries noted that the country is too liberal in its attitude to political Islam. In his opinion, radical Islamists "can freely spread their anti-democratic, extremist and anti-Semitic ideology."

III. In order to forestall the threats of radical Islamism, the government in Germany is taking measures such as:

- from April 2021, it is planned to implement a new program for the training of local imams. As part of the course, as planned, teaching will be conducted exclusively in German and taking into account the realities of the country;

- isolation of suspected terrorism from the rest of the prisoners to prevent radicalization among prisoners;

- creation of deradicalization centers and development of a risk assessment system RADAR-iTE. The work of the system is based on the analysis of answers to 73 standardized questions about a person’s socialization, his attitude to violence, as well as his family ties, the level of integration and work safety. After analysis, a person is assigned one of three risk categories: moderate, significant, or high;

- widespread use of the law on the deportation of foreign criminals. In 2019, about 40 people were deported from the country, representing a potential terrorist threat;

- monitoring radical Islamists, including as part of the formation of a high-risk group and tracking the activities of Islamic centers and mosques.

IV. In general, it can be assumed that the German authorities fear that too harsh statements about Islamism may entail a negative reaction from Muslims, which increases the risks of an increase in crime, including terrorist attacks and manifestations of anti-Semitism. At the same time, the government is implementing a set of measures aimed at preventing radicalization and ensuring security.

However, despite the measures taken, the risk of terrorist attacks by radical Islamists remains, since today the Salafi environment has completely isolated itself and continues to grow in a parallel society.

As a result, conditions are created for the radicalization of youth, migrants and their recruitment by terrorist groups.