Munich Forum for Islam

The Munich Forum for Islam (, or MFI), formerly known as the Center for Islam in Europe-Munich (, or ZIEM), is an initiative that aims to foster the identity of Muslims in Munich, Germany. MFI wants to promote Islam as peaceful religion, which supports the values of a liberal and modern constitutional state. The MFI is composed of a mosque, a museum, a community center, and the Islam Academy. The initiative was largely financed by the Wahhabi Gulf country of Qatar.
Mission
The people of MFI believe that they are called upon to contribute to and share in a free and equal society in modern Europe, in accordance with the message of Allah and in accordance with the universal principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The MFI recognizes two non-competing authorities: Allah’s revelation and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany on the other hand.
In 2013 ZEIM changed its name to the Munich Forum for Islam (MFI) in an effort to calm public concern about the Mosque’s ambitions for Europe.
Components
MFI is composed of four components: Mosque, Museum, Community Centre, and Islam-Academy.
Mosque of MFI
The mosque is a place for worship and for being closer to God. But it is also a gathering place for meetings and exchanges as well as a channel for new ideas. The mosque is an open and welcoming place for all people without respect to their gender, language, origin, or worldview. There is no scale that rates people based on being man or woman, with or without headscarf, very religious or less religious. German will be the central language of communication within the mosque; sermons are principally held in German. Additional sermons may include languages of origin including Arabic. The mosque is truly international with timeless architecture, and is a place where women and men, children and adults, natives and guests can find a place for prayer, where the place can become an attractive interface for the different cultures.<ref name=":0" />
Museum
The museum centers on the early history of Islam in Europe, showing the connection between the past and the present. It is an ongoing project, always searching for new ideas and perspective on human culture and social existence. The museum aims to foster dialogue and communication, and to bring together artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. The museum thus encourages pluralistic perspectives.<ref name=":0" />
The museum hold that the European Renaissance was dependent upon the interaction between the Muslims, who made vast strides in the areas of science, arts, literature and music in the Middle Ages, and the Europeans. Thus the museum aims to have regular meetings of artists, concerts, film screenings, and workshops with the aim of finding new perspectives and opportunities for culture and communication, independent of religion, in an effort to explore commonalities in transnational thinking.<ref name=":0" />
Community centre
The community centre of MFI is a space for religious, cultural and social concerns and questions. The first objective is the cultural, social, and structural integration of the Muslim population. MFI wants to assist them by helping them to negotiate the different stages of life, support them and accompany them in social, educational, and religious ways. MFI considers itself as a kind of mediator between Muslims and non-Muslims in society. MFI wants to establish itself as an intercultural meeting place, where people of different generations, religions, and nations can meet and interact.<ref name=":0" />
Islam Academy
MFI views education as of central importance. The Islam Academy means to become a facility for basic and continued theological education for Imams religion teachers, chaplains and community leaders; It also intends to provide information about Islam for the general public. Primarily, though, the academy is a center of education for Imams. Through scientific discourse and research, the MFI will work on the development of an Islamic theology in Europe for the 21st century. The long-term goal of the academy is to realize a university level education for Imams. The academy is not just about books but about people with questions and concerns, which the academy believes is central to education. The academy houses a public multi-lingual library with books and media about Islam and other religions. The library also houses books on philosophy, culture, and history, particularly European, German, and Bavarian history.
Controversy
From 2007-2010 the mosque was under surveillance by German intelligence due to Benjamin Idriz’s contacts with radical Islamic groups. In a 2007 cable to American diplomats, the Bavarian Interior Minister claimed that “Idriz plays two different pianos,” which means that Idriz presents himself as modern and progressive to his European audience members and as radical to foreign benefactors.<ref name=":1" />
In 2013 a lawsuit was filed by anti-mosque activists who were opposed to the construction of the mosque. Anti-mosque activists expressed fear that the Qatari government, who financed the mosque, was engaged in an effort to build Mosques all over Europe to spread Wahhabism, an extremely conservative interpretation of Islam. That year, the Bavarian government began spying on anti-mosque demonstrators under the auspices that they were engaging in potential anti-constitutional activities. But the government squashed the lawsuit in 2014 by affirming that it is in fact lawful for the government to spy on citizens who are opposed to the construction. In addition to this 2014 ruling, another court ordered an anti-mosque protester to pay a fine for defaming Islam by claiming that the religion is incompatible with democracy.<ref name=":1" />
While the anti-mosque activists gathered twice the number of signatures required to allow local citizens to determine the fate of the mosque, city officials refused a public referendum.<ref name=":1" />

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