Shared hatred draws groups closer
Authorities eyeing neo-Nazis, Islamists
By Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 1/19/2003
BERLIN - They are unlikely allies, but right-wing extremists and Islamic
militants share a hatred for Israel and the United States that has drawn
the attention of German authorities.
Since 2001, when Islamic extremists and neo-Nazis cheered the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks, the two camps have echoed each other's abhorrence of
what they view as a world controlled by Jews and enforced by Washington's
military power. There are no links suggesting that right-wing and Islamic
groups are collaborating on terrorism-related strategies, but law
enforcement officials are concerned over the growing attraction between the
two.
''The common ground they share is deep on two issues,'' said one Western
diplomat. ''They cannot tolerate the existence of Israel, and they share a
conspiracy theory that the US wants to control the Middle East and the
world's energy supply. It's a very paranoid world view, but they share it
deeply.''
On Wednesday, the government outlawed Hizb ut-Tahrir, or the Party of
Liberation, an Islamic group accused of spreading violent anti-Semitism on
university campuses and establishing contacts with neo-Nazis.
Though extremists in both camps have been eyeing one another for decades,
many are skeptical that such an alliance can advance very far, given broad
religious and philosophical differences. Neo-Nazis and skinheads
historically have accused immigrant Muslims and other foreigners for
spoiling their dream of a pure German state. Street thugs of the right
wing, according to some officials, will not easily abandon antiforeigner
sentiments in favor of joining Islamists in a campaign against the United
States and Israel.
''Right-wing extremists are so xenophobic that we can't imagine a deep
structural connection between these groups,'' said Isabelle Kalbitzer, a
spokesperson for Berlin's Office for the Protection of the Constitution,
which prosecutes offenses against the state. ''But we are keeping a close
eye on this.''
Although neo-Nazi followers may not be embracing Islamic rebels, right-wing
leaders and ideologues have come to admire the tenacity of Muslim
militants. This was heightened after the Sept. 11 attacks, when right-wing
extremists were awed by the Al Qaeda network's dedication and patient
planning in striking the icons of US capitalism and military prowess.
''Islamic militants are strange heroes for the right wing,'' said Herbert
Mueller, a government analyst of political extremism in Baden-Wuerttemberg
state. ''The right wing detests Islam, but that kind of commitment shows
what they are lacking.''
Udo Voigt, chairman of Germany's main right-wing political force, the
National Democratic Party, surprised the mostly Muslim audience in a
university lecture hall late last year when he attended a speech by Shakir
Aasim, a representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir. Voigt also supports Ahmed Huber,
a Swiss right-wing leader who espouses closer ties with Muslim radicals and
is under investigation by US authorities for possible financial links to Al
Qaeda.
Voigt was quoted by German television as telling the university crowd, ''I
think I speak in the name of all German nationalists when I say, if it
comes to a great clash [between civilizations], we will not stand at the
side of America.''
Aasim said he was unaware Voigt was in attendance. ''I was astonished,'' he
said. ''I didn't know who he was until someone told me.''
Aasim, whose group is being investigated by Germany for alleged ties to
terrorist networks, said he doubts right-wing and Islamic movements will
merge. ''We have very different ideas,'' he said.
But there is evidence of attraction between the radical views of East and
West. Islamic fashion has even added a dash of color to the drab skinhead
uniform of high boots and jeans. Neo-Nazis have been appearing at German
rallies wearing Palestinian scarves and calling for worldwide intifada.
And last summer, members of the right-wing fringe group Fighting Union of
German Socialists attended a ceremony at the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin to
receive an award from Saddam Hussein's regime.
Groups such as the Fighting Union of German Socialists are considered
absurd by law enforcement and intelligence officials. But more mainstream
right-wing leaders, such as Austria's Joerg Haider, the unofficial head of
the Freedom Party, have made overtures to the radical Arab world. Haider
visited Libya and Iraq several times in recent years.
One of the most troubling figures on the right is Huber, a Swiss
businessman and right-wing leader who travels throughout Europe and the
United States promoting radical views and closer ties with Islamic groups.
Huber converted to Islam in the 1960s. He denies that the Holocaust
happened, and he supports jihad, or Islamic holy struggle.
He was a member of the board of Nada Management, a financial services
subsidiary of the international Al Taqwa group. US law enforcement agencies
allege that Al Taqwa served as a financial adviser to Osama bin Laden.
This story ran on page A6 of the Boston Globe on 1/19/2003.
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/019/nation/Shared_hatred_draws_groups_closer+.shtml
