Correspondent Europe: Our Faith Tx Date: 3rd June 2000 This script was made from audio tape – any inaccuracies are due to voices being unclear or inaudible 00.00.00 Opening Music 00.00.11 Edward Stourton Once one of the great centres of learning and culture that made Europe what it is, this city was for much of the past half century lost to the wider world, hidden when the Iron Curtain came down. 00.00.22 Aston EDWARD STOURTON But when Karol Wojtyla was elected Pope, Krakow suddenly burst back into the mainstream of European history. Some say he ignited the spark that blew the Soviet Empire apart. Certainly the man who had been Archbishop here played such a significant role in what happened in this part of Europe that it suddenly seemed at the end of the secular twentieth century that faith in God really could move political mountains. 00.00.48 Edward Stourton Tonight we report on what’s happened to Our Faith since the end of Europe’s division between communist east and free west. 00.00.55 Edward Stourton Here in Poland it’s a story of a Church under pressure from, of all things in this most Catholic country, the lure of Satanism. 00.01.04 Edward Stourton A free market in faith. For the first time the Orthodox church faces competition for Russia’s soul. 00.01.13 Edward Stourton And a Caliphate in Cologne. A court case in Germany has pitched Islam against the secular state. 00.01.20 Title Page OUR FAITH 00.01.24 Edward Stourton Satanism has more of a pedigree here than you might imagine. A century ago the avant-garde writer Stanislaw Pivisheski (phon) used to preach the doctrine of devil worship to Krakow café society. And when his followers gathered here, they called themselves the children of Satan. 00.01.40 Edward Stourton Not perhaps such a surprising source of fascination to a society so soaked in ritual. But many Poles have been shocked by a new wave of Satanism that seems to be sweeping through the youth of this nation. 00.01.51 Edward Stourton Stories of satanic abuse surface everywhere from time to time including Britain. In Poland lives have been lost. 00.01.58 Music 00.02.05 Edward Stourton It was early Spring last year. 00.02.07 Music 00.02.10 Edward Stourton Three boys and a girl, all in their late teens, made their way through a Silesian forest. 00.02.15 Music 00.02.18 Edward Stourton The evening was drawing in but they were all familiar with the meeting point they’d agreed. 00.02.22 Music 00.02.25 Edward Stourton Their destination was one of those abandoned bits of history that still litter the Polish landscape – a German military bunker from the days when this was a border. 00.02.33 Music 00.02.40 Edward Stourton If you were looking for a place to worship the devil it would be difficult to imagine anywhere more appropriate. 00.02.46 Edward Stourton And the Satanic insignia on the walls bear witness to the bunker’s popularity among those attracted to Satanism. 00.02.54 Edward Stourton On this night satanic fantasy became a horrible reality. The four chanted invocations while the incense burned. 00.03.01 Music 00.03.02 Voice over Subtitles In the name of Satan, the Ruler of the earth, the King of the world, I command the forces of Darkness, to bestow their infernal power on me… 00.03.15 Edward Stourton A pentagram was chalked on the floor and two of them, a girl and a young man, knelt back to back holding candles. 00.03.24 Edward Stourton After several hours’ ritual their companions attacked them and stabbed them to death. 00.03.30 Edward Stourton The killers had made a secret murder and suicide pact to prove their devotion to Satan – they didn’t quite have the courage to go through with their suicides. 00.03.37 Music 00.03.45 Edward Stourton The two bodies, partially burnt, were found by children the next day. It didn’t take long to identify the suspects, answering the questions this posed about Poland has proved more difficult. 00.04.00 Gregorsz Fels Voice over Entire pilgrimages came here to the murder site from the estates nearby. These were normal young people, they went to school, some of them went to church regularly, even their friends didn’t know that they were participating in Satanist practices. 00.04.18 Edward Stourton Gregorsz Fels is a teacher and runs a local group to help those who get involved in cults. He counts friends of both the killers and the victims among his pupils and he showed me around the housing estate where they lived. 00.04.33 Edward Stourton It bears all the hallmarks of a place that’s getting the rough end of things during Poland’s rush to a market economy. 00.04.40 Edward Stourton The four grew up on the frontline of a society in transformation. 00.04.50 Gregorsz Fels Voice over Things are more difficult for young people now. Poland’s experiencing vast economic, social and political transformation. Families have been in the mines for generations, now they’re closing. There are no jobs, no money. These young people have to look elsewhere to earn a living and make a life. 00.05.11 Singing 00.05.15 Edward Stourton Poland’s holiest shrine is just a short drive from the woods where the teenagers played their deadly games. 00.05.20 Music 00.05.25 Edward Stourton Its Black Madonna, unveiled twice daily for the faithful, is both religious icon and national symbol. 00.05.31 Music 00.05.36 Edward Stourton Under Communism the Church was the focus for Poland’s fight for freedom. Now it sometimes seems to be struggling to secure its place in Polish life. 00.05.50 Edward Stourton At the early mass Father Jan Pach warns of the threat posed by cults and sects. 00.05.56 Edward Stourton But in post communist Poland, authority of every kind is being questioned. 00.06.02 Edward Stourton The church is a natural target for rebellious spirits – devil worship an emphatic way of rejecting its values. 00.06.16 Father Jan Pach Voice over All of us experience some kind of crisis. Perhaps what is needed is greater integration of people into the Church, whether it be the Catholic Church or the Orthodox or Protestant Church, so that people will notice others who are in crisis. Those who are interested in cults are on the margins of society; they’re looking for some kind of answer. And cults by their very nature are sensitive to people who are lost. 00.06.43 Edward Stourton But no amount of talk about social marginalisation can explain away the horror of what happened that fateful night in the bunker. 00.06.50 Edward Stourton Of course many of the questions that killings like these raise simply can’t be answered – each story is unique. 00.06.57 Edward Stourton But there have been a series of high profile violent crimes associated with Satanism in Poland over the past couple of years. And as other young people have begun to come forward a pattern’s emerged, a picture of a subculture where the old rules don’t apply, where freedom means license without limits. 00.07.14 Music 00.07.23 Edward Stourton This is Tomek, a self confessed Satanist, who insisted on anonymity. 00.07.28 Music 00.07.37 Tomek Voice over Cats or dogs are often used in the ritual sacrifice. Once I saw a high priest pick out the eyes of a cat while it was still alive and eat them. My parents had always forced me to go to church and at one point I rebelled. I stopped going to church and turned away from it entirely. 00.07.58 Edward Stourton What was it that appealed to you about Satanism? 00.08.06 Tomek Voice over I was most attracted to the fact that Satanists have no rules, no orders which you must follow. Nothing is forbidden and nothing is forced upon you. I was young so I was also looking for an adventure, an extraordinary experience - to go to parties, to get drunk, do drugs, smoke cigarettes and of course have sex. 00.08.36 Edward Stourton But that dream turned sour. 00.08.38 Music 00.08.43 Edward Stourton Tomek had a row with his Satanic group and says they condemned him to death. 00.08.47 Music 00.08.56 Richard Nowak Voice over This is the Satanist bible written by La Vey, it’s very popular in Poland but fortunately it’s also very expensive. This is a bible of death; for instance Chapter Nine is entitled ‘On the Choice of Human Sacrifice’. 00.09.09 Edward Stourton This is the man Tomek turned to for help. Richard Nowak is a former MP and now runs a national organisation to fight sects and Satanism. He’s alarmed by the trend he detects among Poland’s young. 00.09.24 Edward Stourton You hear about ritual sacrifices, you hear about death sentences against cult members and other people, to what extent do you think that’s just teenage talk and to what extent do you think it needs to be taken seriously? 00.09.42 Richard Nowak Voice over I think that what these young people say about death sentences, death threats, cannot be ignored because in reality the Satanist ideology is an ideology of death. When a young person enters a Satanist cult they’re programmed over time to be used to death, they’re told that sooner or later either they or someone else will be killed so they become used to the idea. It’s not new to them, the group leaders tell them all the time if you leave us, if you betray us, if you criticise us, you will die. 00.10.14 Richard Nowak Voice over According to our defence committee against sects there are roughly between twenty thousand and forty thousand Satanists in Poland. Over time we’ve seen a very rapid increase in this number. 00.10.25 Edward Stourton Richard Nowak blames much of that on one of the darker sides of Poland’s new western culture – the death metal music so popular with people like Tomek. 00.10.39 Tomek Voice over Once you become fascinated by what they sing, like for example the band KAT, the lead singer sings about hating God. If the singer is a real virtuoso, like Roman Kostrzewski, then we try to emulate him. 00.10.46 Aston Atomic TV 00.10.56 Music 00.11.06 Edward Stourton That Satanism is central to Roman Kostrzewski’s work is beyond dispute – he’s released a reading of the Satanic bible. 00.11.15 Edward Stourton For him it’s an issue of freedom too – his right to freedom of expression. 00.11.21 Edward Stourton And when I asked him about the murders in the bunker he calmly claimed that among the thousands of violent deaths in Poland during the years he’s been playing, there have only been ten cases where his kind of music was a factor. 00.11.37 Roman Kostrzewski Voice over Even if those ten deaths could be ascribed to me I would readily be willing to justify them, as I would justify myself and my music. What about all the other deaths? Who is responsible for them? 00.11.52 Piano Music 00.12.06 Edward Stourton For the Catholic church it’s part of bigger battle to reassert its hold over the generation which will build the new Poland. At the Chopin School in the Pope’s hometown of Krakow the local murder case is deployed as an illustration of the danger of worshipping false Gods. 00.12.23 Bogna Gowetska (phon) Subtitles The murder in Ruda Slaska was widely reported. We see a rising number of desecrations of churches and cemeteries. Is Satanist ideology already widespread? Or is this merely a superficial demonstration of antisocial and aggressive attitudes? 00.12.43 Edward Stourton Bogna Gowetska (phon) tours the local schools on behalf of Krakow’s Dominican monks. Listen to her talk and you can hear echoes of a debate that’s touched every area of Polish life during the last decade – what’s the real meaning of the word freedom, that elusive state they’ve fought so hard to achieve. 00.13.00 Bogna Gowetska (phon) Subtitles The Satanist literature says that you have the right to kill anyone who gets in your way. The slogan is freedom, but it’s twisted – interpreted in a rebellious way. 00.13.13 Edward Stourton In February the two young men who caused so much national soul searching appeared in court. 00.13.21 Judge Subtitles This case is especially disturbing. It has attracted a great deal of attention. 00.13.29 Edward Stourton Anyone looking for answers here would have been disappointed. The killers had renounced their Satanic beliefs and seemed at a loss to explain what they’d done. 00.13.40 Edward Stourton But the way they talked about the faith they once had in the devil was chilling. This after all is a country, which knows all too well what unquestioned obedience to an ideology can do. 00.13.55 Man Subtitles Did the accused, their friends and the girls believe in the ideology of Satan? 00.14.03 Boy Subtitles I think we were all very deeply convinced about Satanism. 00.14.09 Man Subtitles Did you also believe that by sacrificing yourself and others… you would gain the power of the devil? 00.14.19 Boy Subtitles Yes. We were so involved in Satanism that we were prepared to sacrifice ourselves. 00.14.35 Edward Stourton They may have been seeking power and freedom through the worship of Satan, but what they did here cost them freedom of the most basic kind. 00.14.44 Edward Stourton One of the two got life, his accomplice was sentenced to twenty-five years. 00.14.53 Edward Stourton Polish Catholicism, like Krakow and so much of its architecture, has always looked west. People here see themselves as very much part of the same civilisation as Rome. That of course sets them apart from their eastern neighbours with their Orthodox Christianity. 00.15.08 Edward Stourton Many leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church regard anything coming from the west with deep suspicion just as the leaders of Soviet communism used to do. 00.15.16 Edward Stourton But in these free market days the Church, which has been identified with holy mother Russia for so long is facing competition. 00.15.23 Edward Stourton Eighteen years ago our correspondent Tim Whewell, then a Russian language student, attended the Easter service at the cathedral in Voronezh in central Russia. He returned there this Easter. 00.15.34 Bells 00.15.43 Tim Whewell Easter in Russia brings neither chocolate nor bunnies. 00.15.47 Tim Whewell The gift the faithful wait for is salvation. Today, Holy Saturday, even their sticky cakes are made a vehicle of the spirit. 00.15.58 Tim Whewell It’s just one of the minor mysteries of a church about to celebrate its central mystery – life beyond the grave. 00.16.06 Bells 00.16.08 Tim Whewell In the early eighties when I lived in this city of nearly a million people only three churches were open. Today there are twenty. As Christ conquered death so his church has survived the crucifixion of Communism. 00.16.22 Tim Whewell And for the Orthodox that means Holy Russia can shine again. 00.16.34 Metropolitan Mefody Voice over Our Church has existed as long as Orthodox Russia itself. The Church is part of people’s consciousness, part of our national culture. 00.16.52 Metropolitan Mefody Voice over After the revolution of 1917, the state tried to separate the Church from the people but that proved to be impossible. The people who did that are long dead but the Church is still alive preaching the word of God, preaching the truth and carrying the Gospel’s promise of salvation into the world. 00.17.18 Tim Whewell Russia chose Orthodoxy for its beauty. “We knew not whether we were on earth or in heaven”, said the emissaries who first saw it in Byzantium. 00.17.27 Singing 00.17.38 Tim Whewell For Metropolitan Mefody, one of the princes of the Church as for other believers, the beauty is a gate to inner understanding. But deprived of contact with religion for several generations, most Russians today don’t know the meaning behind the splendid rituals. 00.17.56 Tim Whewell Orthodoxy appears as a faith that dispenses truth from on high. 00.18.01 Tim Whewell A Church where worshipers are just an audience. 00.18.03 Singing 00.18.12 Priests Subtitle Christ is risen. 00.18.19 Tim Whewell Christ is risen indeed but the past cannot be revived. Even on Easter night only a tiny proportion of Russians are worshipping. And for some the Church’s own record has left a smell incense can’t mask. 00.18.37 Tim Whewell Like all religious leaders in Soviet Times, Mefody was forced to depend on the good will of the KGB. Today in his palace he still cultivates friends from the temporal power, including men like the local governor who was once his ideological enemy. 00.18.54 Metropolitan Mefody Voice over This is a room to receive guests in. Many outstanding people have been here, leading politicians who visited Voronezh. And for Easter, I’ve got this little collection of eggs. This is what I’ve collected over the years. The governor of our province gave me this one last year. 00.19.32 Cockerel 00.19.36 Tim Whewell With the end of Communism the Church could have broken free from the state. But years of captivity have left it unable or unwilling to fly. 00.19.51 Tim Whewell Now it must find a place for itself in a new world crowded with faiths of all kinds. Its instinct is to close Russia’s doors and shut out the competition. 00.20.03 Drums 00.20.09 Tim Whewell The political leaders of Voronezh also cling to unchanging rituals. The morning after Easter, Governor Ivan Shabanov leads the May Day parade for all the world as though the Soviet Union still existed. 00.20.25 Tim Whewell You might think company like this would now be embarrassing. 00.20.32 Tim Whewell But bureaucrats like Shabanov have cooked up a convenient new history in which Lenin, Stalin, Tsars and patriarchs were all just good Russians together. 00.20.42 Tim Whewell Shabanov, former head of the local Communist party, now claims to be best friend of the Metropolitan. After all, he says, Orthodoxy proved its loyalty fifty years ago when it prayed for the victory of the atheist state. 00.21.00 Governor Ivan Shabanov Voice over After the great patriotic war the Russian Orthodox Church did a lot to unify the nation. It fostered patriotism and love for the motherland. In our difficult times the role of the Church as the moral stronghold of the nation is even more important. 00.21.26 Tim Whewell Now the Church needs the state’s help in return. Help to repel what many see as a new attempt to weaken Russia. This old Soviet bus is a Trojan horse. 00.21.40 Tim Whewell It brings invaders from the west, challenging Orthodoxy as they once challenged Communism. 00.21.48 Tim Whewell These American Pentecostals are among the thousands of foreign missionaries who’ve descended on Russia in recent years. To the Orthodox they’re soul snatchers, creating a fifth column on Holy Russian soil. Their tactic is a highly novel one called ‘outreach’. 00.22.05 Pentecostal Woman She wept so bitterly that she had to be hospitalised. She had carried this secret thinking it was hidden and it was no longer affecting her life. She believed that she had committed a sin so grievous that even God couldn’t forgive her. 00.22.26 Tim Whewell Abortion worries most Russian women; they get little comfort from Orthodoxy. 00.22.31 Pentecostal woman But the bible says that if you believe in your heart that Jesus died for our sins….. 00.22.39 Tim Whewell But where the national church prefers mystery, Americans bring clarity, they offer a welcome gift of grace. 00.22.47 Pentecostal woman …you shall be saved. 00.22.56 Pentecostal Man You know the Russian people sometimes have been so beaten down. The Orthodox Church does not bring a lot of hope to them and what we want to try and do is say; hey, Jesus loves you. 00.23.09 Marissa My name’s Marissa….. 00.23.14 John Hello my name is John; do you have an interest in spiritual things? 00.23.17 Old Woman Subtitle Yes, I’m a believer. 00.23.20 Pentecostal man We are Protestant Christians; we are not Jehovah Witnesses or Mormons. 00.23.26 Tim Whewell Since Communism ended Russians have become wise to bargain hunters seeking to buy up their supposedly dead souls. But the Americans have the resources to target every home in Russia and the confidence to keep their foot in the door. 00.23.41 Tim Whewell Suburban Texas may not have prepared them for degradation like this. But missionaries are never stuck for an answer. 00.23.48 Pentecostal Woman He hates God but I think he doesn’t. 00.23.54 Marissa But if you go to heaven you get a new body and you can do all those beautiful things again and dance and play the violin. 00.24.02 Tim Whewell This man’s too bewildered or drunk to understand what’s going on but he’ll still be forced to his knees in his own living room. 00.24.10 Pentecostal Man Subtitles No, don’t just repeat – make your own confession! No, you’re still saying it wrong! 00.24.20 Governor Ivan Shabanov Voice over I’m absolutely against it, going from flat to flat like that. I opposed it in election campaigns too; it’s like breaking into a person’s soul. 00.24.37 Tim Whewell The governor believes in subtler methods. Juggernauting plans through the local council to ensure that Orthodoxy is more visible than other denominations. This will be a new cathedral replacing a much-loved park. The governor even tried to fund construction from the public purse. 00.24.56 Tim Whewell But the Orthodox say it’s not favouritism, just an attempt to preserve Russia’s unique civilisation. 00.25.04 Tim Whewell Yulia Ushakova trains priests at this seminary. 00.25.13 Yulia Ushakova Voice over A person who falls in with these sects becomes an émigré in his own country because he denies the value of historical and cultural tradition. He casts doubt on the faith of his ancestors as though it has no value. 00.25.32 Tim Whewell Yulia’s come to give her weekly anti-sect class. 00.25.37 Yulia Ushakova Subtitle Christ is risen! Priests Subtitle He is risen indeed! 00.25.44 Tim Whewell Today’s subject: how to tackle the most persistent of all door knockers - Jehovah’s Witnesses. 00.25.51 Tim Whewell Yulia believes they’re offering a typical tawdry western import designed to delude the gullible. 00.26.01 Yulia Ushakova Subtitles Of course, it comes from America. American missionaries brought this teaching to Voronezh…. and it’s caught on because it’s so primitive, so simplistic. It makes the same promises as Communism. 00.26.28 Tim Whewell Jehovah’s Witnesses were banned from Communist Russia as anti-state subversives. But in the last decade they’ve built up congregations in every city. They’re a sober disciplined army and their meetings give a role to every brother and sister, even the possibly dangerous freedom to challenge accepted texts. 00.26.51 Jehovah’s Witness 1 Subtitles Look, it says here; “He who does not take his cross when he follows me is not worthy of me.” 00.26.57 Jehovah’s Witness 2 Subtitles Yes, but Christ is not talking here of a physical cross, but about His suffering in general. 00.27.05 Tim Whewell ‘Filth’ screams the headline. Of all Christian in- comers Jehovah’s Witnesses have met the fiercest resistance. They’re accused of spearheading an American conspiracy against Russia, of splitting families, kidnapping children, even organising prostitution. 00.27.21 Tim Whewell In Moscow they’re fighting attempts to ban them for allegedly promoting religious hatred. But their leaders aren’t worried. Martyrdom has its own mystique. 00.27.35 Jehovah Witness Voice over If we look at biblical history we see that Jesus was persecuted and he foretold that his successors would be persecuted and that’s what’s happening now to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Obviously if you look at these articles they’re often written by Orthodox priests. It’s clear why they write them, they want Russia to have only one religion – Orthodoxy. 00.28.01 Tim Whewell This is where the Pentecostal community of Voronezh hoped to receive their American guests but it won’t be ready for tonight’s service. Plans for a church were turned down by the authorities; permission was later given only for an administrative building. In the meantime Pentecostals are being chased from one hired hall to another. 00.28.24 Pentecostal Man Voice over We used to rent somewhere in the Lenin Culture Palace but then the director was told to get us out. Metropolitan Mefody had put pressure on the governor. They didn’t want us to have any activities there. I think it’s a breach of the constitution because the constitution says you should be free to confess any religion. 00.28.55 Tim Whewell The Culture Palace of the Voronezh tyre factory, - slogan ‘art belongs to the people’ - still welcomes western evangelists despite pressure to ban them. 00.29.06 Tim Whewell At last the Americans can share their good news. Here the arc lights of Broadway have replaced the flickering candles of Byzantium. 00.29.18 Tim Whewell This democratic religion lets the boy next door taste the agony or ecstasy of a saint. A few days of leafleting has netted several hundred potential coverts – a mixture of men and women, young and old, that Orthodoxy can only envy. 00.29.39 Woman 1 Voice over They came personally to our home to invite us. We came out of curiosity and I’m very impressed by what I’ve seen. I like it very much and I might come again next Sunday. 00.29.58 Woman 2 Voice over It’s not like this in our churches, there they just chant. But here they play instruments and sing in a natural way. We don’t have anything like that. It’s beautiful, I can’t explain it, it’s really interesting here. 00.30.19 Tim Whewell For his finale the Americans’ star turn dons a Cossack shirt. 00.30.23 Music 00.30.28 Tim Whewell It’s a nod to Russian culture, though Dostoyevsky’s faith was never happy-clappy. 00.30.35 Tim Whewell Nowadays Russians are invited to sing along to many imported tunes. Some like the diversity. 00.30.41 Singing 00.30.45 Tim Whewell But patriotism’s in vogue now. 00.30.48 Singing 00.30.59 Tim Whewell To fight the combined forces of Metropolitans and governors, foreign Gods will have to be truly awesome. 00.31.06 Singing 00.31.22 Edward Stourton The battle for souls in most of western Europe is no longer being fought so much within the Christian family. These days the real competition comes on the one hand from atheism, secularism indifference, call it what you will and on the other from Islam. 00.31.35 Edward Stourton In many European societies, which are Christian by tradition but in theory at least tolerant by social evolution, a significant Islamic minority is a fact of life. The dilemmas that represents have been brought sharply into focus by a court case underway in Germany. 00.31.51 Edward Stourton Joan Bakewell, who’s followed religious developments for many years for the BBC, reports. 00.31.56 Crowds Shouting 00.32.05 Caliph supporter Subtitles Allah holds the key to paradise. We support our Caliph! 00.32.16 Crowds Subtitles The Caliph is our life. We’re ready to shed our blood for him. 00.32.29 Joan Bakewell A court in Düsseldorf. 00.32.32 Joan Bakewell On trial three Turks charged with being members of an illegal organisation – Helafet Devleti – which claims to be the legitimate Islamic government of Turkey. They think of themselves as its government in exile. Their existence is a huge embarrassment to Germany. 00.32.56 Joan Bakewell Interest now focuses on their current leader, Metin Kaplan, the so-called Caliph of Cologne. He’s on trial for incitement to murder. 00.33.06 Joan Bakewell When his role was challenged by a rival Caliph, he issued a fatwa. Subsequently the rival Caliph was shot dead. 00.33.20 Joan Bakewell The world’s media is now watching Germany’s attempt to contain an increasingly active and well- organised political movement. The fatwa is its chance. In the absence of any forensic evidence linking the crime to Kaplan’s followers, the challenge for the prosecutor is how to prove incitement. 00.33.45 Prosecutor Voice over The fatwa we’re investigating said that a second Caliph was to be beheaded. It was mentioned in the fatwa that the execution was to be postponed for the time being. We assume and have evidence that this postponement was a pretence and that the motive of the fatwa was the prompt killing of the other Caliph. 00.34.16 Joan Bakewell Caliph Kaplan is suspicious of the media, seeing us as part of the secular world that he rejects. But he agrees to speak to the BBC to explain that issuing a fatwa is merely quoting the prophet. 00.34.34 Metin Kaplan Voice over We are Muslims; we live by the word of God. As Muslims we are forced to abide by fatwas. When Muslims go to a non-Muslim country Islam tells them not to harm people, damage property or offend people’s modesty. I merely repeated what the prophet said fourteen hundred years ago. That’s what this court case is about. If quoting is a crime I’m ready to face the consequences. 00.35.26 Joan Bakewell There is a real dilemma for Germany here. Its constitution guarantees religious freedom, Germany’s past makes it particularly sensitive to such matters. But Helafet Devleti rejects democracy. For them religion is all. Washing is a religious ritual; they answer the call to prayer five times a day. 00.35.47 Man Praying 00.35.55 Joan Bakewell Supporters gather outside while the trial proceeds. They believe profoundly that Ataturk went against God’s will when he declared Turkey a secular state eighty years ago, they seek to reverse that decision. God’s will counts for more than democratic majorities. 00.36.13 Man Praying 00.36.19 Joan Bakewell The man who leads these devotions, Basri Gokbulut, is a man of God, Imam of a Cologne mosque, he too is charged with membership of an illegal organisation. 00.36.29 Man Praying 00.36.33 Basri Gokbulut Voice over Turkey abolished the Caliphate in 1924 and people haven’t been at peace with the government since. That’s why there’s a war between our people and the government. Turkey is not a democracy; it is a fascist regime. 00.36.53 Joan Bakewell Such views they publish in their own newspaper, on cable television and on their web site. 00.37.01 Basri Gokbulut Voice over Germany is always pressurising us, trying to silence us. But because our people express their views they punished our Caliph, they put him in prison to prevent him from speaking out. 00.37.18 Joan Bakewell Helafet Devleti’s followers number only a few thousand but they are dedicated and organised. They have their own book shop, their own publishing operation. They claim followers in France, Belgium, Holland and Scandinavia. They told me of supporters in London, Liverpool and Birmingham. 00.37.37 Joan Bakewell They are thought to have abundant funds from abroad to finance their Cologne headquarters. 00.37.50 Joan Bakewell Cologne is at the heart of Catholic North Rhine Westphalia, it’s great cathedral for centuries a place of Christian pilgrimage. 00.37.58 Joan Bakewell Christianity has long recognised the separation of church and state, siting Jesus’ instruction: “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s”. 00.38.07 Joan Bakewell Fundamentalist Islam recognises no such division. The two world views are irreconcilable. 00.38.25 Joan Bakewell This is the acceptable face of Islam in Germany. 00.38.29 Joan Bakewell Unthreatening, moderate, above all secular. It is the Turkish Union of Islam in Germany – DITIP – umbrella body to some seven hundred and eighty Turkish organisations. 00.38.40 Joan Bakewell The idea is to help Turks find a comfortable place within German society while keeping them loyal to their own culture. Here Ataturk, the founder of secular Turkey, is a figure of honour and pride. 00.38.59 DITIP Member Voice over Turkish people who’ve decided to come and live here must live in harmony with both cultures. It’s some fanatical anarchists who are causing the damage. It’s up to the law of the country concerned to prosecute them. 00.39.24 Joan Bakewell DITIP also encourages a two-way traffic, making a conscious effort to defuse tensions with the host Catholic community. 00.39.32 Joan Bakewell Some mosques now have a policy of opening their doors to German school children and explaining to them what Islam’s all about. 00.39.41 Joan Bakewell Fifteen years ago such a move would have been unthinkable. 00.39.48 Joan Bakewell Germany’s Christian communities haven’t always welcomed the spreading presence of mosques in the past. They’ve certainly objected whenever minarets reached higher than their churches. Minarets have had to adjust. 00.40.00 Joan Bakewell Now Islam is trying to tackle prejudice before it takes hold. 00.40.09 Man in Mosque Subtitles This is a mosque. It’s like the church for Christians or the synagogue for Jews. 00.40.21 Joan Bakewell Germany is changing. Once Turks were a segregated community regarded with suspicion, even fear. Of course ghettos of Turkish life survive but there are now, certainly among the young, signs of a more open acceptance of Turkish Germans. 00.40.37 Joan Bakewell Turks born here can now claim German citizenship and can vote. An effort is being made to end the estrangement of recent years. 00.40.52 Joan Bakewell Here in this showcase school they’re trying out a pilot scheme. 00.40.56 Joan Bakewell Their Muslim pupils are being taught about Islam in the German language and within the state curriculum. 00.41.03 Joan Bakewell The sums add up to there being more than a local minority. 00.41.08 Teacher Subtitles How many Muslims are there in Germany? Three and a half million. Most of them are Turkish. 00.41.30 Joan Bakewell Pupils learn the full extent of Islam. 00.41.43 Teacher Subtitles 100 million or more Muslims…. are living in Europe. 00.41.51 Joan Bakewell Such policies remain anathema to Helafet Devleti; they remain focussed on first reclaiming Turkey then spreading Islam across the world. 00.42.08 Joan Bakewell It’s an ambition of awesome sweep and scope. 00.42.14 Basri Gokbulut Voice over It’s part of Islamic belief. All Muslims in the world long for a Caliphate state. God willing, at the end of our troubles, Islam will restore peace and the world will be delivered. 00.42.39 Basri Gokbulut Voice over Islam provides answers to everything – family matters, society, relationships. If we live according to Islamic rules we lead happy, peaceful lives. 00.42.57 Basri Gokbulut Voice over Muslims are very tolerant but we don’t get the same tolerance from the rest of the world. 00.43.09 Joan Bakewell These men plead for acceptance within Germany; they claim freedom for their religion. But how can a religion that claims authority over every aspect of life, not just personal morality but over laws, over government, be encompassed within a democratic secular state? 00.43.29 Joan Bakewell The Caliph’s trial is now focussing Germany’s attention on a dilemma that is Europe wide. 00.43.37 Edward Stourton Next week’s programme is the last in this series of Correspondent Europe and we’ll be reporting on a challenge facing all societies on this continent, our ageing. 00.43.47 Edward Stourton What can we in the richer parts of Europe do about the fact that we’re all living longer and breeding less? 00.43.52 Edward Stourton The Dutch have got some ideas about that and we’ve asked the agony aunt Anna Raeburn to investigate. A Russia without love - the old who’ve given to the state and got little in return. 00.44.02 Edward Stourton And I’ve been talking to a man who’s entering old age still tormented by the memories of his youth in an Austria which seems tempted to forget its past and his suffering with it. 00.44.12 Edward Stourton Until then, Goodbye. 00.43.52 Credits www.bbc.co.uk/correspondent Production Team MARTHA ESTCOURT FIONA LAWSON-BAKER NICK DODD DAVID LINES VANESSA VARTANIAN Co-ordinator DIANE MILLWARD VT Editor ROD HUTSON Graphic Designer NICOLA OWEN Production Manager JANE WILLEY Unit Manager IRENE OZGA Cameras JON STAPLETON STEPHAN TISSEN Researchers VIRGINIA MUCCHI HELENA POZNIAK Picture Editors DAVID HOWELL BERNARD LYALL Producers DAVID AKERMAN DANIELA VÖLKER Series Producer LUCY HETHERINGTON 00.44.13 End Music 00.44.17 Editor FIONA MURCH ©BBC MM 00.44.20 End Correspondent 21 1