Palestinian denied German citizenship for acting against 'democratic order'

A court in the German state of Hesse dismissed a legal suit on Tuesday from a 39-year-old Palestinian seeking German citizenship, on the grounds that he attended pro-Muslim Brotherhood seminars and represents a threat to the country’s democracy.The administrative court said that the Palestinian “supports attempts against the free, democratic order” because of his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.Germany’s intelligence agencies – the rough equivalent to the Shin Bet – monitor the Muslim Brotherhood because the Islamic organization is viewed as a threat to Germany’s constitutional democracy, according to intelligence reports in the Federal Republic. “The Muslim Brotherhood and their allied organizations pursue on the whole anti-constitutional efforts,” wrote the court in Hesse.A lower court initially sustained the Palestinian’s lawsuit to become a German citizen. The complainant arrived in Germany in 1996 for an academic study program. In 2007, the man received a residency permit.Two years later, the Palestinian married a German woman and secured an extension of his residency permit. In 2011, he applied for German citizenship. Security concerns arose from the Palestinian’s citizenship application at the immigration agency in 2011.The Palestinian, who was born in Libya, has lived in Germany for 21 years.According to Germany’s 2016 federal intelligence report, there are 1,040 members and supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Germany. The intelligence report said that the Muslim Brotherhood is “considered the oldest and most influential Sunni Islamic movement.”The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 and has strong ties to Hamas and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s AKP party and government.Egypt’s President Abdel Sisi designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2013.