Susanne Pickel, a political scientist from Duisburg, Germany, warns of a “radicalization spiral” that is occurring in the country, where anti-Muslim sentiment and Islamism are mutually reinforcing each other. In an interview with the “Rheinische Post” Pickel explains that radical Islam can easily take root in Germany if there is a counter-movement that believes the Islam has no place in the country. She adds, “This leads to a radicalization spiral: Muslims fear discrimination and a threat from right-wing extremists, while radical right-wing groups fear a threat from Islam. This creates a vicious cycle.”
Pickel leads a four-year project (2020-2024) funded by the federal government, which focuses on the relationship between radical Islam and radical anti-Islam sentiments. A team of eight professors from various fields, including psychology, sociology, education and Islamic studies, conducted research at four German universities on this topic.
According to Pickel, “Right-wing extremism finds a convenient counterpart in radical Islam, which can easily be exploited. Right-wing extremists can always say that they are the bad guys and they should be expelled. On the other hand, radical Islam hardly needs right-wing extremism, but can also use it to tell Muslims that Germans do not want you. You represent an enemy image and this society remains closed to you. So, they rely on each other without resorting to violence.