Germany’s Central Council of Muslims reacted with dismay on Monday to last week’s knife attack at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.
A 19-year-old Syrian refugee allegedly attacked a Spanish tourist with a knife at the memorial to Jews murdered by the Nazis on Friday, seriously injuring him. The suspect is now in custody after being arrested nearby having been spotted with bloodied hands.
“Such an attack has nothing to do with solidarity with the Palestinians,” the council said in a statement.
Violence against innocent people cannot be justified by anything and contradicts the values of the Muslim religious community, the statement added.
“Anyone who mixes the legitimate rights of Palestinians with anti-Semitism harms the cause and contributes to division.”
The Jewish state of Israel and Palestinians – who are majority Muslim – have been locked in a decades-long conflict over land.
The Berlin public prosecutor’s office said of Friday’s attack: “There are suspected links to the Middle East conflict.”
The Central Council of Muslims called on the Islamic and Jewish communities in Germany to stand together.
“Jews and Muslims must not allow themselves to be played off against each other – our common goal is a society that is free of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism,” the statement said.
