Criticism of the Islam Show at Kiel University: Is freedom in danger?

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The University of Kiel is investigating allegations after the controversial IHG Islam Week; The allocation of space and content were controversial.

Die Uni Kiel prüft Vorwürfe nach umstrittener Islamwoche der IHG; Raumvergabe und Inhalte waren umstritten.
The University of Kiel is investigating allegations after the controversial IHG Islam Week; The allocation of space and content were controversial.

Criticism of the Islam Show at Kiel University: Is freedom in danger?

The action week of the Islamic University Group Kiel (IHG), which took place from May 5th to 9th, 2025 at the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel (CAU), caused attentive debates. Loud Executive Board of the University of Kiel The content design was entirely the responsibility of IHG. The CAU was only responsible for approving the use of the room and was not involved in the selection of speakers. This approval is usually done via an online form, which is how it was handled in this case.

Although the topics of the Islamic Week were not considered conspicuous at the time of the application, there was critical feedback regarding the content after the event. According to the university https://nag-news.de/scraper2/article.php?id=225574 reports the CAU Today there is a clear distancing from content that is not compatible with the basic values ​​of the institution. The university has made a clear commitment to democracy and diversity and condemns any form of discrimination or violence.

Intensive examination of the allegations

The CAU has taken the allegations seriously and will carefully examine the content of the event and the feedback from participants. The IHG will also be heard as part of the investigations in order to enable comprehensive clarification.

A proposal from Christopher Vogt, chairman of the FDP state parliamentary group, will further fuel the discussion about these incidents. The FDP has submitted a motion to discuss the matter in the state parliament's education committee; this will be dealt with on July 10th, as NDR reported. Serious allegations are highlighted, including the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution assigning a speaker to Salafism and complaints about gender-segregated seating arrangements during the event.

IHG has rejected the allegations and emphasized that the gender-segregated offers were offered on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, the topic remains vague, as the CAU now wants to examine the content of the event more intensively and, if necessary, revise the current allocation procedure for rooms.

Critical feedback and procedures

Through this incident, the university has identified weaknesses in the space use application process. The university management asks for your understanding that it cannot comment on specific allegations until the investigation has been completed. As the discourse about the content of the action week continues, this could develop into a significant instrument for future decisions within the CAU.

For further background information on the debate surrounding the event, those interested can access the official information from the CAU and the Bundestag at Bundestag access.