'We are all Germany', president tells Muslim rally

Yahoo – AFP, Frank Zeller, 13 Jan 2015

Political and religious leaders attend a Muslim community rally to condemn the

 Paris jihadist attacks, promote tolerance and send a rebuke to a growing anti-Islamic

 movement, on January 13, 2015 in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin (AFP

Photo/Tobias Schwarz)

Berlin (AFP) - German President Joachim Gauck told the country's Muslim community Tuesday that "we are all Germany" at a rally to condemn the Paris jihadist attacks and take a stand against rising Islamophobia.

About 10,000 citizens, religious leaders and politicians, among them Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined the event, which started with a wreath-laying ceremony at the French embassy and an imam reciting Koranic verses condemning the taking of life.

Sympathizers of German right-wing populist

 movement PEGIDA attend their twelfth 

march in Dresden on January 12, 2015

(AFP Photo / Robert Michael)

Gauck used his speech to send a message of reassurance to Germany's four-million-strong Muslim community, a day after a record 25,000 people joined a protest march by a populist anti-Islamic movement.

"We are all Germany," he said.

"We, democrats with our different political, cultural and religious backgrounds; we, who respect and need each other; we, who want to live life... in unity, justice and freedom," Gauck said in his speech at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

"The vast majority of Muslims feel they belong to our open society... Germany has become more diverse through immigration -- religiously, culturally and mentally."

"Our answer to the fundamentalism of the Islamist perpetrators of violence is democracy, respect for the law, respect for each other, respect for human dignity. This is our way of life!"

People at the rally applauded his message of inter-faith unity that came a day after the 12th rally by Germany's new right-wing movement the "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident", or PEGIDA, which has spawned smaller clone groups across Germany and as far as Norway.

Merkel -- who this week stressed that "Islam is part of Germany" -- said earlier Tuesday that "hatred, racism and extremism have no place in this country... We are a country based on democracy, tolerance and openness to the world."

'Terror: not in our name'

Tuesday's vigil and rally was organised by the Central Council of Muslims under the banner "Let's be there for each other. Terror: not in our name!"

President Joachim Gauck gives a speech at a Muslim community rally to

 condemn the Paris jihadist attacks, promote tolerance and send a rebuke to

 a growing anti-Islamic movement, on January 13, 2015 in Berlin (AFP Photo/

Tobias Schwarz)

"Today we all want to express our solidarity with the French people," its chairman Aiman Mazyek said in his opening address. "The terrorists did not win and terrorists won't win in future.

"Today we say, along with the French people and many people around the world: 'Je suis Charlie'," he added, employing the international message of solidarity with the artists killed at the Charlie Hebdo magazine.

The vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Abraham Lehrer, said in his speech that in the French attacks, cartoonists were murdered because they stood up for free expression, police because they sought to protect them, and Jews simply "because they were Jews".

Lehrer said it would be wrong "to suspect all Muslims or even to disparage their religion. We completely condemn reprisals such as attacks on mosques."

But he said it was up to Muslims to counter the fear and terror spread by "radicalised, fanatical Islam" in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

After speeches by Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, all observed a minute's silence.

The Muslim community rally came after 100,000 people took to the streets across Germany Monday in counter-demonstrations against PEGIDA, and to voice support for multiculturalism.

(L-R) German President Joachim Gauck, chairman of the Central Council of

 Muslims in Germany Aiman Mazyek, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice

 Chancellor, Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel on January 13, 2015

in Berlin (AFP Photo/John MacDougall)

Merkel, who is often known to avoid controversial issues, has weighed in strongly, condemning PEGIDA's leaders for having "hatred in the hearts".

Her comments were broadly hailed in the media, but not everyone agreed.

"Naturally, Muslims belong in our society," said Merkel's former interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, a Bavarian conservative.

"But the question is knowing what constitutes the identity of a country, and in Germany it is a Christian identity built on Judeo-Christian roots."

Bild, Germany's top-selling daily, said the Paris attacks seemed to have shaken the usually unflappable Merkel, a pastor's daughter who grew up in the communist East.

"She has two issues where, when she speaks, she doesn't sound like she is simply droning on with platitudes: religion and freedom," it said, noting the rare public signs of emotion she showed with Hollande at Sunday's solidarity march.

"She knows that gestures are now necessary... it is about freedom and protection from a terrorist war."

Politicians linked arms next to the Brandenburg Gate, which was bathed in

 the colours of the French flag. Photograph: Michael Gottschalk/Photothek

via Getty Images

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"2015" / "The One Truth" (3) - Jan 10/11, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."