If one does not name the Islamist background of the Würzburg crime, the problem becomes greater. Journalist and war correspondent Düzen Tekkal is certain of that. But how do you report extremist hostility without fueling it?
The knife attack by a 24-year-old asylum seeker in Würzburg, in which three women died and seven people were injured, also exposed a media and political problem. Despite clear indications of a possibly Islamist-motivated act, many media and politicians remained conspicuously covered. It was already known on the day of the crime that the alleged murderer Abdirahman J. “Jihad” had designated. Nevertheless, government spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted that the horrific act was over “directed against every humanity and every religion”.
In the “daily News” was mentioned that the authorities “Islamist attitudes” the perpetrator would check, but not that it was the seized “Written material with hate messages” was Islamist hatred. And the “Southgerman newspaper” has titled: “Difficult search for motive”. There is “no convincing evidence of Islamism”, speak instead “quite a bit for a psychological pre-stress”.
Out of false caution
Is that the caution that we need when dealing with criminal offenses that are allegedly Islamist? Or are politics and the media overly cautious and in the end only play the right-wing extremists in the cards? Moderator Michel Abdollahi speaks about this in the current issue “important today”-Podcast episode with journalist, activist and war correspondent Düzen Tekkal.
She criticizes the fact that many media out of fear of stirring up xenophobia would withhold relevant information – which in the end only plays the right-wing extremists in the cards. Tekkal is the founder of the education initiative “German Dream”, for which politicians, celebrities and also lesser known people tell about their résumés in front of school classes and inspire young people. So she knows very well how important and momentous the right narrative can be – in both directions.
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