German Muslim groups had organized the event with the support of Germany’s Jewish community, representatives of other churches, as well as all parties that are represented in the German Parliament, the Bundestag.
German President Joachim Gauck held a speech at the rally in which he said that the fight against religious extremism should be the responsibility of all Germans — and not only of Muslims or Jews. Directly addressing religious extremists, Gauck said: “We don’t fear you. Your hatred motivates us. We stand by our country and our values. … The terrorists (in Paris) wanted to divide us, but they have achieved the opposite: They have united us.”
Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of her Cabinet attended the demonstration without making public remarks. Merkel is scheduled to comment on the Parisian attacks on Thursday in a governmental address in the German Bundestag.
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“We know the value of unity in our country,” she said. “It is the foundation of our success.”
On Monday, Merkel re-emphasized her opinion by saying that Islam belonged to Germany — a remark which had already caused criticism in the predominantly Christian country when former President Christian Wulff took a similar stance in 2010.
Some representatives of Germany’s Muslim community have voiced their agreement with Merkel for trying to bridge divides between Muslims, Christians and Jews.
