[LI] Mosques in Germany are praying for the Turkish army’s success as it wages a fierce military offensive against the U.S.-allied Kurdish forces and civilians in neighboring Syria, German newspaper Die Welt reported.The worshippers pray the victory verse: "Allah, Lead Our Glorious Army to Victory."
The backing from mosques in Germany comes days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered a full-scale attack against Kurds in northern Syria following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region. German mosques read out the "victory verse," or Surah al Fath, from the Muslim holy book Quran, celebrating Muhammad’s victory over his rivals in 7th century Arabia, media reports suggest.
Turkey’s state-controlled Directorate of Religious Affairs, or Diyanet, issued the call to prayer. Germany’s largest Turkish Islamic group, DITIB, which runs some 900 mosques across the country and boasts of 800,00 members, has also allegedly participated in prayers calling for the victory of the Turkish military against Kurds in northern Syria. DITIB officials denied endorsing the call, but a media investigation showed several leading DITIB officials involved in the campaign. Mosques affiliated with Milli Görus, Germany’s largest Islamic association with around 10,000 supporters, also reportedly took part.
German newspaper Die Welt reported the nationwide Islamist prayer call: