Growing Support for Islamism in Germany
A new report on radicalization in Germany has revealed that nearly half of all Muslims under 40 years of age in the country are sympathetic to Islamism, the belief that all social and political systems should be guided by Islam.
Growing Support for Islamism in Germany
Soeren Kern | Ideological Defense Institute | March 5, 2026
A new report on radicalization in Germany has revealed that nearly half of all Muslims under 40 years of age in the country are sympathetic to Islamism, the belief that all social and political systems should be guided by the principles of Islam.
The MOTRA Monitor 2024/25, an annual report funded by Germany’s Interior Ministry and coordinated by the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), found that 33.6% of Muslims under 40 (ages 18–39) are latent (hidden or concealed) supporters of Islamism, while 11.5% are explicit Islamists. According to the study, which was released to the public on March 4, 45.1% Muslims in this age group are overt or covert Islamists.
The share of Islamists in Germany has increased substantially in recent years. In 2021, the first year that MOTRA began compiling statistics on this issue, 22.3% of Muslims under 40 were overt or covert Islamists. In other words, according to MOTRA statistics, the number of Islamists in Germany nearly doubled between 2021 and 2025.
MOTRA’s latest report, which is 600 pages long, shows that support for Islamism among male and female Muslims in Germany is statistically equal.
The report further shows that 23.8% of Muslims (all age groups) in Germany agree with the statement, “An Islamic theocracy is the best form of government.” Moreover, 25.1% of all Muslims in Germany agree, “The rules of the Qur’an are more important to me than the laws of Germany.”
MOTRA (which in German means “Radicalization Monitoring System and Knowledge Transfer Platform”) reveals that social media is radicalizing Muslims in Germany. It reports that the three most influential social media platforms for spreading Islamist propaganda are: 1) YouTube; 2) Instagram; and 3) TikTok. Yet, the German government often singles out Twitter/X for special rebuke, presumably because Twitter/X allows for free speech and criticism of Islamism.
MOTRA blames the increase in support for Islamism in Germany on Israel and its efforts to defend itself against Hamas and other Islamic groups that seek the destruction of the Jewish state. In fact, the spread of Islamism in Germany and other European countries is due to uncontrolled mass migration from Muslim countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As the statistics show, many of the newcomers are opposed to the values of Western civilization.
The Pew Research Center, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., forecasts that the Muslim population is on track to triple from around 6% of the total population today to 19.7% in 2050.
In an official press release announcing the new MOTRA report, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office emphasized an increase in “the percentage of people who are open to right-wing extremist ideologies” and “prejudice-driven crime” including antisemitism and “Islamophobia,” but omitted any mention of the substantial increase in support for Islamism in Germany.
Soeren Kern is a fellow at the Ideological Defense Institute.
