Germany and Turkey Agree to Train Imams Locally

The move aims to foster integration and reduce foreign influence on Germany's large Turkish immigrant community.

Germany and Turkey have agreed to gradually phase out the deployment of Turkish state-employed imams to Germany, with the aim to train imams in Germany instead.
Under the new agreement, about 100 imams will be trained each year in Germany, gradually replacing the approximately 1,000 clerics currently trained and employed by the Turkish Diyanet.
The move is seen as an important milestone for the integration and participation of Muslim communities in Germany, with the German Interior Minister stating that they need religious leaders who speak their language, know their country and stand up for their values.
DITIB, the largest Islamic association in Germany with around 900 mosque communities, has been the subject of political controversy in the country, most recently when an Afghan Taliban member spoke at one of its mosques.
The training of the 100 imams per year in Germany will take place as part of the existing DITIB program, as well as through an additional program, in cooperation with the German College of Islam in Osnabrück.