MOSCOW (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov – Out of at least 20,000 foreign fighters estimated to have joined ISIL ranks in Iraq and Syria, up to 600 German citizens are thought to be in the region.
Alexander Neu, member of the German parliament (Bundestag) from the left-wing Die Linke party and member of the Bundestag Defense Committee, says "Islamism seems to be attractive" for alienated German Muslims.
"One reason [why German citizens join ISIL] is that many young people from Islamic background don’t have a future in Germany."
The integration of Muslims living in Germany has largely failed, he stressed, exemplified in social and educational imbalance with the general public.
Although the German secret service is adopting countermeasures, Neu warned they are not enough without tackling the origins of radicalism.
"We need to integrate people and this means language, work, projects for young people, and so on."
A recent report by the UK-based reinsurance company Aon warned that several EU members, including Germany, faced increased terror threats in 2015. The claim appears to be founded in an influx of European-born ISIL fighters returning home.
Germany’s Muslim population is estimated by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life at over 4 million, or 5 percent of its general population. An additional study compiled by Germany’s Friedrich Ebert Foundation showed more deeply-held religious beliefs among young German Muslims in comparison to the older generation.
