More women among Salafist extremists in Germany

The number of women among Salafist extremists in Germany has increased, Sunday tabloid Bild am Sonntag reported, citing an as yet unreleased survey by the domestic intelligence office BfV.

Their number rose from 1,356 in 2018 to 1,580 in 2019. The total number of followers of this particularly conservative branch of Islam in Germany grew by 850 to a total of 12,500, according to the report.

Salafists have been on the rise in Germany in recent years, up from 9,700 in 2016.  

Salafism is an ultra-conservative movement within Sunni Islam based on a literal interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.    (dpa)