BERLIN: Vandals desecrated the Muslim graveyards in Northeim, a German town in Lower-Saxony, sprayed with Nazi swastikas on the tombstones.
Two visitors on Sunday morning last week went to the cemetery and discovered that 11 of the 12 tombstones had been sprayed with swastikas and some gravestones ripped out. After finding, they made complaints to Northeim police. The attackers had caused a total of $1,480 (€1,300) worth of damage.
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“The Muslim grave site has been in existence since 2011 and was the result of cooperation between the city of Northeim and the Muslim communities of the city,” Mufit Purtelas, a Muslim local from Northeim told TRT World.
“The then mayor of Northeim, Harald Kuhle, emphasised the importance of the development and described the step as an overdue part of integration,” he continued.
A silent vigil organised at the Northeim cemetery by local Muslims that received support from non-Muslim locals and politicians.
Mustafa Goksu, the chair of the Northeim mosque, from the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) thanked politicians for showing solidarity towards Muslims.
“The Muslim community makes an example of successful integration and that multiculturalism is possible, between all religious beliefs,” explained Mufit.
Over the last few years, there has been several instances of hate crime towards Muslims.