Source: DAWN
Wire Service: Reuters
http://www.dawn.com/2004/07/09/int11.htm
On July 8, 2004 Reuters reported, "Germany said on Thursday it would create a central database on suspected radical Muslims, provoking concern from the country's large Muslim community. Interior Minister Otto Schily also announced plans to boost the 'fight against terrorism' by pooling intelligence from the three national security agencies in a new joint analysis centre. The moves, announced after two days of talks between Mr. Schily and interior ministers from the 16 states, are designed to strengthen Germany's defences against terrorism by making its complex security structure work more efficiently. Germany has stepped up its guard against Muslim militants since 2001, when three of the suicide hijackers involved in the Sept 11 attacks in the United States turned out to be Arab students from Hamburg. Authorities are investigating about 150 cases involving alleged militants, and have conducted several prominent trials. But a Muslim leader, reacting to news of the database, said innocent Muslims risked falling under suspicion unless the term 'Islamist' was properly defined. 'When you speak about Islamism, you have to clarify what you mean by it. We are concerned that every Muslim could fall under this catch-all term, which is unacceptable,' said Nadeem Elyas, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany."