ABSTRACT
One of the main ideological positions of radical right populism in Germany is Islamophobia. Which is why this chapter pays particular attention to the Islamophobia of AfD, Pegida, and the Identitarian Movement Germany (Identitäre Bewegung Deutschland, IBD). The 2016 basic programme of AfD actually states that “Islam does not belong to Germany.” This chapter analyzes the positions of the party on Muslims and Islam, gives a brief history of Pegida and IBD, and examines their activities and ideological positions. It also provides a brief account of IBD’s strategic orientation. The chapter starts with an overview of the international literature about the position of the radical right in Europe on Islam. It then proceeds with an investigation of the particular features of Islamophobia in Germany. At its centre is the ethnicization of a whole (diverse) group of people as Muslims, regardless of their individual identity. Muslims are cast as culturally different and principally not belonging to Germany. The demand of their exclusion is justified with their ethnocultural “otherness” that is seen as being incompatible with German “guiding culture.” It could also be shown that the Islamophobia of radical right populists in Germany is strongly rooted in their volkish nationalism.
