German officials worry about Koran distribution

BERLIN, April 17 (UPI) -- German politicians and security officials are expressing concerns about a drive by a fundamentalist Muslim group to distribute free copies of the Koran.

The interior minister of the central German state of Hesse said the danger from radical Islam has reached "a new dimension" because of the effort, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

The distribution of copies of the Koran to every German, Swiss and Austrian household is the brainchild of Ibrahim Abou-Nagie, a Palestinian who preaches a conservative brand of Islam known as Salafism.

A German resident for the past 30 years, Abou-Nagie has been on the radar of security officials since 2005 when he set up a Web site suspected of spreading extremist propaganda.

A German security official who declined to be identified said officials are worried disaffected, directionless young people will be drawn to the Salafist interpretation of the Koran and find inspiration for violent acts.

The campaign to hand out Korans drew nationwide attention last week after journalists who criticized the effort were threatened in an online video.