14. April 2025 | BAG RelEx
policy:brief no. 2 | Addressing Root Causes, Not Just Symptoms
The Impact of the Middle East Conflict on the Prevention of Islamism
Download the policy:brief no. 2 here.
The attacks by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the resulting war between Israel and Hamas have led to a significant rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism in Germany. As both phenomena represent key elements of Islamist extremism, they are of particular relevance in a prevention context: On the one hand, anti-Semitism – also in the shape of Israel-related anti-Semitism – is a core component of Islamist ideology; on the other hand, anti-Muslim racism is an important pull factor for Islamist propaganda and radicalization. Efforts to promote democracy, in order to effectively prevent Islamism, must be targeted at both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism and address both phenomena jointly rather than separately.
Recommendations for action
To prevent Islamism, one must engage in democracy promotion and focus on both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism at the same time. In the Middle East conflict, anti-Semitism is often seen as a factor in the suffering of the Jewish side, while anti-Muslim racism is seen as a factor in the suffering of the Palestinian side. Nevertheless, these phenomena are not to be viewed in isolation. Any analysis of the conflict must focus on the whole in order to understand and overcome the complex and reciprocal dynamics of prejudice, exclusion, and violence.
To be able to deal with the challenges appropriately and effectively:
- Systematic efforts are needed to enable public service structures such as the education system to counter the impact of the Middle East conflict. This requires training and further education. At the same time, public service structures need to engage with qualified civil society institutions that offer support in crisis situations. It must be recognized that teachers and other actors in democracy promotion cannot address all the challenges alone, and that each institution involved fulfills a specific role. This includes prevention work carried out by the security authorities, which is a central part of a holistic approach to the prevention of Islamism.
- Dialogue between Jewish and Muslim communities must be actively promoted and strengthened. Given the impact of the Middle East conflict, partnerships between religious communities, which have been talked about for years, need to be implemented now. These partnerships help the prevention of Islamism by providing role models and figures of respect and authority, who can strongly influence their communities. Such initiatives help to reduce tensions, build trust, and break down stereotypes on the ground. A particular focus should be on working together to address the Middle East conflict and its influence on German society.
- The experience of the Middle East conflict must lead to a holistic approach to the prevention of Islamism, in which the roles and responsibilities of the actors become more clearly defined. Instead of playing blame games or debating responsibilities, different actors must work more closely to together. This requires close cooperation between educational institutions, civil society organizations, religious communities, and security authorities to provide an effective response to the challenges linked to the conflict and to safeguard social cohesion.
Download the policy:brief no. 2 here.
Your contact persons
For content-related inquiries: Miriam Katharina Heß
For press inquiries: Charlotte Leikert
The Authors
Miriam Katharina Heß has been an Advisor for International Cooperation and Counter-Terrorism Analysis at BAG RelEx since 2025. Until December 2024, she was serving as an Expert on Religiously Motivated Extremism at BAG RelEx. She studied National and International Administration and Policy at the University of Potsdam, as well as Political Science at the University of Hamburg. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD at the University of Leipzig, where she examines the security rhetoric surrounding terrorism in the context of securitization in Germany.
Rüdiger José Hamm serves as the Head of Political Education and Research at BAG RelEx. He holds a degree in Political Science from the Otto Suhr Institute of Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin and has been active in political education since 2003. His academic expertise includes racism and antisemitism, with a particular focus on identity constructions, self-perception, and external perceptions of individuals with bi- and multiethnic backgrounds. He has also researched intersections and differences between racist discrimination and antisemitism
About policy:brief
The BAG RelEx policy:brief summarizes positions and insights from our work, with a particular focus on current socio-political issues and challenges. On the one hand, the policy:brief takes a step back to explain connections; on the other, it moves a step forward by providing target-group-oriented and appropriate policy recommendations. This ensures that our work, as well as that of our approximately 40 member organizations, is communicated effectively to the relevant audiences and supports exchanges with external stakeholders and actors from academia, politics, administration, and business.
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