German minister dismisses Islamist claims ahead of Hamburg demo

German Justice Minister Marco Buschmann has dismissed Islamist support for the caliphate as a form of rule as absurd, but does not necessarily consider it a judicial issue in Germany.

His comments came ahead of an Islamist demonstration in Hamburg later on Saturday, called by the organization Muslim Interaktiv, and in the wake of controversy following a similar rally last month.

"Purely expressing sympathy for a caliphate is something that I consider politically absurd," Buschmann told dpa.

But, he said, Germany's Constitutional Court had found that as long as people simply express an absurd opinion - even one that runs counter to the country's Basic Law - this must be tolerated as part of the intellectual battle of opinions, so long as no efforts are made to overthrow the legal order or violate legal interests.

A caliphate is a religious state under a spiritual leader, a caliph, who claims succession from the Muslim prophet Mohammed. There have been several historic examples in the Islamic world, but the most recent and controversial one was created by the terrorist organization Islamic State in large parts of Syria and Iraq. It was widely condemned, including by Muslim scholars.

Buschmann said it would be different if a terrorist group or an extremist organization were to adopt a slogan such as "The caliphate is the solution."

"We would then ban such an organization or take action against it if the relevant legal requirements were met," he said. "But that is not - or not yet - the case today."

At the Hamburg rally last month, some people carried signs saying "Caliphate is the solution" and others gave speeches touting a caliphate as an answer to social problems in Islamic states.

The protest sparked nationwide outrage in Germany and denunciations from leading politicians.

After the rally, some campaigned for the law to be changed so anyone publicly calling for the establishment of a caliphate in Germany could be punished.

The authorities have permitted Saturday's demonstration to go ahead but imposed a ban on inciting hatred or violence. Israel's right to exist may not be denied and Israeli flags may not be burnt or damaged, police said on Friday.

The police are expecting around 1,000 participants at the demonstration being held under the motto "Against censorship and the dictatorship of opinion."

Germany is a steadfast supporter of Israel and has been wrestling with how to handle demonstrations against the war in Gaza and support for people in Palestine.

Israel has been fighting the Palestinian Islamist organization Hamas in Gaza since Hamas militants and other extremist groups launched a bloody raid on Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 and kidnapping around 240.

Israel responded to the massacre with massive airstrikes and launched a ground offensive into the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 35,000 people according to the Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza.

Leaders around the world have become increasingly critical of Israel's devastating attacks on Gaza where famine looms, according to humanitarian organizatons and the United Nations.

Buschmann said he took a different view of the slogan "From the river to the sea," which some have called out at pro-Palestinian rallies.

The slogan is taken to mean that there should be a free Palestine in an area reaching from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea - which includes the area where Israel is located.

This was a slogan of Hamas, which is banned from operating in Germany, Buschmann said. Depending on the individual case, the use of the slogan could therefore constitute the use of propaganda by a banned organization - which is punishable by law.