THE STAR ONLINE: BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany on Wednesday banned three ultra-conservative Salafist Muslim groups which the Interior Ministry said wanted to overturn democracy and install a system based on sharia, or Islamic law.
The ban, which took effect in the western states of Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia in the early morning, is the latest step taken by German authorities who have increased surveillance of Salafists who espouse a radical version of Islam.
The ministry said it has banned the organisations "DawaFFM" and "Islamische Audios", as well as "An-Nussrah", which is part of the "Millatu Ibrahim" group that was outlawed in June.
Some 20 people were searched and assets belonging to the organisations were seized, said the ministry.
"Salafism, as represented in the associations that were banned today, is incompatible with our free democratic order," Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement. » | Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Kevin Liffey | Wednesday, March 13, 2013
DIE WELT: Großrazzia gegen Salafisten-Vereine: Hunderte Polizisten sind in Nordrhein-Westfalen und Hessen zu Razzien gegen Salafisten ausgerückt. Sie sollen das Vermögen zweier Vereine beschlagnahmen, die Innenminister Friedrich verboten hatte. » | AFP/dpa/jw/ff | Mittwoch, 13. März 2013
