| It's not the Good Humor truck that's making all that noise in some German neighborhoods. Read the story. 
Allah's Mobile Information Point
By Jochen-Martin Gutsch in Dortmund
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The Islamobil in action.
Concerned about Islam's image problem in much of the Western world, some Muslims in Germany have come up with a solution -- The Islamobile. But the mobile information station also raises new questions.
The Islamobile stands next to the local Catholic church. The stand is "a mobile multimedia information point in the form of a semi-trailer," according to the information leaflet. You could also say the Islamobile is a cross between a mosque and a motorhome -- perhaps a motormosque.
It has two retractable minarets, complete with crescent moon, and a cupola. The Islamobile is 13.60 meters (45 feet) long and 8 meters (26 feet) wide with minarets extended. It's a specially designed vehicle, built to educate and clarify, to clear up misunderstandings and combat prejudice -- a kind of holy information point on wheels. The Islamobile is meant to spread the true image of Islam throughout Germany, according to its builders.
"With the help of Allah and thanks to the work of our volunteers, the Islamobile is an effective educational tool, whose purpose is to familiarize Western society with Islam," the information leaflet explains.
Under Surveillance
The Islamobile was built by the registered association "Islam-Info," but none of the association's members are here in the Ruhr Valley city Dortmund today. Özcan Kuri has come instead. Kuri is 35 years old and has lived in Germany for the past 15 years. He used to earn his living in the meat and kebab trade; now he's unemployed and the unpaid chairman of the "Islamic Community Milli Görus" in Dortmund. Milli Görus is Germany's largest Islamic association -- it also happens to be under observation by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
Özcan Kuri has rented the Islamobile for the Münsterstrassen-Fest, a street festival in Dortmund. Anyone can rent the Islamobile, he says. Kuri -- that is, Milli Görus -- is paying "500 ($636) or 600 ($763) a day, which includes setting everything up in the morning and packing up in the evening."
In a post-9/11 world, the times are perfect for educating people about Islam, really. The question is just whether the Islamobile is the right educationals tool, and whether Özcan Kuri is the right educator.
Seen from the West, Islam often looks like a problem. It seems angry and anachronistic. Terrorists invoke it, as do dictatorial regimes and fanatics. You have Islamic fundamentalists, Hamas, Hezbollah, jihad and al-Qaeda -- all of them very media savvy. Osama bin Laden is probably the most well-known Muslim today. You could say the perception of Islam is in crisis: the religion has an image problem. It's perceived as an enemy. Islam is a faith about which virtually nothing is known, but which is nonetheless feared -- at least here in the West. Just the time for an Islamobile, one might think.
Keep on Truckin'
The Islamobile has existed since 2001. It had just taken to the road when the twin towers of the World Trade Center collapsed on September 11 of that year. The Islamobile drove on. September 11, 2001 changed the world, but nothing changed inside the Islamobile. Outside, Islam is perceived as an enemy. Inside the Islamobile, Islam is idealized.
The Islamobile is thought to have cost 250,000 ($317,500). It was paid for by donations to the registered association Islam-Info. The chairman of Islam-Info describes the organization as an independent association for Muslims. German domestic intelligence says the association is under the influence of Milli Görus.
Özcan Kuri stands by the door of the Islamomobiile, smiling. He's a friendly, helpful man -- but for some reason, that's not helping much today. The Islamobile remains empty -- all day. People are enjoying themselves at the street festival right next door. Music and food are on offer there. The Islamobile has nothing to offer besides information screens and panels -- facts about Mohammed, Muslims, the mosque, the family, and the five pillars of Islam. Some of Kuri's acquaintances show up, and some Muslim women and girls stop to look at the picture panels. | |
