The German Interior Minister has called on Islamic organizations in the country to "condemn" the Hamas movement's attack on Israel on October 7, confirming her country's support for Israel.

Minister Nancy Faeser said in an interview with the public channel ARD, "I expect Islamic organizations to take a clear position and take responsibility in society." She added, "It must be clear, we stand with Israel." 

The minister also warned, conversely, that the discussion against anti-Semitism must not be used for racist purposes against Muslims.

She said, "We must not leave room for those who make Muslims the cause of all evils," adding that "those who today create an atmosphere hostile to Muslims under the pretext of anti-Semitism want to divide us, not unite us."

Faeser was speaking before the opening of a two-day conference in Berlin, bringing together representatives of the German government, Islamic organizations in the country, representatives of the Jewish community, and churches.

Fighting anti-Semitism, racism, and Islamophobia are the main topics to be discussed during this meeting, which represents a space for dialogue in a tense context Germany is witnessing, as is all of Europe, in light of the war in Gaza.

About 5.5 million Muslims live in Germany, half of whom hold German citizenship, making up 6.6 percent of the country's population, and they are the second-largest religious group after Christians, who number 45 million and constitute half the population of Germany.

Germany also hosts one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. The government estimates the number of Jews at about 200,000 people.

At the beginning of this month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Jews that they would not suffer from anti-Semitism in Germany "again".