“Anyone who abuses Islam is not a Muslim. “

Being a Muslim in Linz and Austria is not always easy. Especially when an Austro-Islamist from Bosnia is shot and killed while armed in Munich. Sabahudin Alibegovic is a devout Muslim and was responsible for building the Bosnian Cultural Association mosque in Linz with over 1,300 members. “This is a setback and a great pain for Islam and the Bosnian community,” he said in his first comment.

“Farming Living Together”

I have Adis Mahalbasic speaking in his message about responsibility – towards the person himself, towards family and friends, but also “towards the state in which we live”. Our duty here is to protect institutions in Austria and to maintain good coexistence, says the club chairman Demir Alagic.

The bomb threat against the Linz Academic High School infuriated Alibegovich – as there was indiscriminate talk of an “Islamic background”. Which immediately puts all believing Muslims under general suspicion. And that’s what he and his friends want from him Nur Muslim cultural association don’t leave it like that anymore.

He often feels the hatred that flows so indiscriminately on Islam. “Where does the hatred come from?” he asked, only to give himself the answer: “Because not many people know him.”

Taliban do not represent Islam

It is the responsibility of the education system to reduce this divide by providing much more knowledge about Islam. But that young people become radicalized in the name of Islam and make propaganda for the Islamic terrorist group IS in the name of Allah, like the young man who was just convicted in Linz – with the responsibility that he to spread true Islam?

“These people do not know about Islam,” Alibegovich makes clear, “we know that IS terrorists are criminals, the Taliban group can never be a representative of Islam.”

And by the way, the punishment for the young man and his IS propaganda (15 months in prison, five of them without conditions, but with a back-up for a de-radicalization program) was far too low, says Alibegovic and makes it clear : “There is no God who can beat when you kill innocent people.”

It is also important that this man did not particularly feel as if he belonged to any mosque or religious community. “We also have a responsibility to reach out to young people to connect them to mosques and our traditions,” Alibegovic and Alagic agree “If we recognize radicalism in a young person, we would talk to them and shut out. ”

The mosque on Glimpfingerstrasse is financed by membership fees and donations from around 1,350 members. The new cultural center opened in 2021.

A large dome allows the prayer room to shine in bright light, the mosque is unobstructed, and the extensive library contains Anton Zeilinger’s “Einstein’s Spuk” along with works on Islam and German grammar.

Bosniaks want a central mosque for Linz

The imam, the chairman of the club and Alibegovic agree on one thing: Linz should get a central mosque for around 1,500 people to pray together there. Why? “Then the small alley mosques would disappear,” they are sure, “and there would be more visibility immediately.” ” In addition, it is very difficult to confirm what is actually being preached in these small mosques.

And the mosque of the Linz Bosniaks is an example of transparency. Alibegovic: “Our mosque is open, we are transparent, anyone who wants can get a picture of it.” And he affirms: “We believe honestly, but not strictly. “

The chairman of the club Alagic agrees: “We are part of this society here, we are building a future for our children here.” And he ends by emphasizing: “Yes Islam exists to make us better as people. Anyone who abuses Islam is not a Muslim.”