SHAFAQNA- The situation of Shia Muslims in Austria is pretty good, a Shia activist said. “Of course sometimes we have to deal with some local (restrictions) from the Austrian government but all in all I would say it is pretty good.” Daniel Jungmeyer told IQNA in an interview.
Jungmeyer was in Iran to attend a gathering of the General Assembly of the Ahlul-Bayt (AS) World Assembly held last week in the cities of Tehran and Mashhad.
Referring to Shia Muslims’ activities in Austria, he said there are different Shia centers run by people from different nationalities, including Pakistanis, Iranians, and Afghans.
The activist said he sees a pretty good future for Shia Muslims in Austria as more and more Shias are coming to the country and so the community is growing.
“And we also have different scholars who are teaching about Shia Islam. So the knowledge (about Shia Islam) is growing in the country.”
As for his conversion to Islam, he said he got acquainted with the faith after talking to Afghan refugees arriving in Austria in 2015 during the USA-led occupation of the Afghanistan.
“Before that I did not know much about Islam and (its denominations). They told me about Shia and Sunni Islam. I then decided that I want to take the path of Islam, and embraced Shia Islam).
Asked about the rise of Islamophobia by far-right politicians in Europe, Jungmeyer said the most effective way Muslims can deal with this is for them to get united.
Shia and Sunni Muslims ought to counter such challenges with unity, he underlined. The Austrian activist also referred to the General Assembly of the Ahlul-Bayt (AS) World Assembly and described the gathering as very well-organized and very informative.
Source: IQNA