Islamist attitudes among young Muslims in Germany (English Version)

There is no justification for any kind of terrorism.

[Es gibt keine Rechtfertigung für jede Art von Terrorismus.]

No changes recommended.

All test persons reject terrorism and, with one exception, respond with "fully agree" or "rather agree". Only one test person answered with "do not agree at all" (DE03). However, one learns from the explanatory statement that she was mistaken in the direction of the scale and should actually have indicated "fully agree". She does not notice the error even during the inquiries and leaves her answer. Some stress that terrorism has nothing to do with religion and that Islam does not justify terrorism (DE04, TR07).
The understanding of terrorism was not systematically investigated, but the answers of the test persons show that they sometimes have different views on what is covered by it. Associations include attacking another country (DE01), taking a stand against a state (TR06), but also terror against civilians (DE02), killing innocent people without reason (DE04), "injustice and murders" (TR08) and taking human lives (TR10).

Religion & Kultur/ Weltanschauungen & Religiosität

Extremist attitudes

Killing is justified if it is an act of revenge.

[Das Töten ist gerechtfertigt, wenn es ein Akt der Rache ist.]

No changes recommended.

With the exception of two test persons, all test persons state that they do not agree with this statement at all ("Killing is never justified." ;DE05).
Some test persons refer to the laws and that only courts decide on punishment. Some point out that Islam also prohibits killing. Several explain that revenge only creates a cycle of violence.
Two test persons indicate "medium approval". One respondent argues that killing can be justified when it is about one's own family (AR12). Another test person "does not see that the people who have killed are not punished" (TR06). In all cases the answer and the justification are the same.

Religion & Kultur/ Weltanschauungen & Religiosität

Extremist attitudes

We should answer terror with terror.

[Wir sollten Terror mit Terror beantworten.]

No changes recommended.

All respondents to the German questionnaire fully disagreed with the statement. In the Turkish questionnaire, three out of five test persons do so, in the Arabic questionnaire one in four. These people justify their response by saying that terror is never a solution, but rather reinforces the cycle of violence:

• „Terror plus terror equals terror again.“ (AR13)
• „Leads to a vicious circle.“ (DE02)

Two Arabic test persons state "rather not agree". One test person explains: "Only if no other solution can be found, is that the case" (AR11). The other explains that she thinks war is bad, and that she knows war from her own experience (AR12).
Only two test subjects argued that it is difficult to talk rationally with terrorists. In these cases too, the justification fits the answer given:

• „You can't talk to people like that.“ (AR14, „medium approval“)
• „If you tried to talk to terrorists, you would hardly or not at all reach them. You can only com- municate with them through violence.“ (TR06, „rather agree“)

Religion & Kultur/ Weltanschauungen & Religiosität

Extremist attitudes

War is the beginning of salvation.

[Krieg ist der Beginn der Erlösung.]

The Turkish and Arabic translations should be checked with regard to the German word "Erlösung". The test persons interpret the words heterogeneously in both languages. Alternatively, the fourth item could be deleted.

The last item is the only one that causes confusion in terms of content and, in part, language. None of the test persons interpreted the term "salvation" in a religious sense.
TR10 reads the item in Turkish with astonishment. She asks to hear the German version of the question, but then confirms that the two versions are identical in content. After she reads the item again, she asks, "Well, if I start a war, let that be the one for my salvation" and finally chooses "don't agree at all". Another Turkish test person says that the Turkish translation does not speak of salvation but of freedom (TR09).
An Arabic test person says that in Arabic there is not salvation but peace (AR14).

Religion & Kultur/ Weltanschauungen & Religiosität

Extremist attitudes