--- description: The German government has banned 'True Religion', an Islamist organization that distributes German-language copies of the Quran to passers-by title: Germany Bans Islamist Organization For Uniting Jihadists image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0f1714089f75d9d/6988ae82196cf47f4903dfa8/gettyimages-623312388.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Germany Bans Islamist Group 'True Religion' Accused of Recruiting Jihadists by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2016 1:11 PM CUT  German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière speaks to the media to announce that authorities launched 200 raids against Islamists across Germany today on November 15, 2016 in Berlin, Germany. German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière speaks to the media to announce that authorities launched 200 raids against Islamists across Germany today on November 15, 2016 in Berlin, Germany.Sean Gallup—Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2016 1:11 PM CUT An [Islamist](http://time.com/3671514/islam-europe/ "undefined") organization that distributes German-language copies of the Quran to passers-by has been banned by the [German government](http://time.com/4025439/germany-migrant-crisis/ "undefined") who accused it of recruiting would-be jihadists to fight in Syria and Iraq. The True Religion organization, also known as Read, was outlawed Tuesday when officers raided 190 premises in more than eight German states after months of surveillance of the group, the [_New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/world/europe/germany-bans-true-religion-islamist-group-and-raids-mosques.html?%5Fr=0 "undefined") reports. “The organization brings Islamic jihadists together under the pretext of the harmless distribution of the Quran,” German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière told reporters in Berlin. He added that the ban had “nothing to do with the alleged freedom of religion.” The True Religion was known for handing out Qurans in pedestrianized areas across the country. According to de Maizière, 140 of the group’s supporters are known to have traveled to the Middle East to fight on behalf of ISIS. \[[_New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/world/europe/germany-bans-true-religion-islamist-group-and-raids-mosques.html?%5Fr=0 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4571105/true-religion-banned-germany/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4571105/true-religion-banned-germany/"},"headline":"Germany Bans Islamist Group 'True Religion' Accused of Recruiting Jihadists","datePublished":"2016-11-15T13:11:24.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:25:13.475Z","description":"“The organization brings Islamic jihadists together under the pretext of the harmless distribution of the Quran\"","url":"https://time.com/4571105/true-religion-banned-germany/","keywords":["Germany"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0f1714089f75d9d/6988ae82196cf47f4903dfa8/gettyimages-623312388.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta0f1714089f75d9d/6988ae82196cf47f4903dfa8/gettyimages-623312388.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Police Launch 200 Raids Against Islamists Nationwide","caption":"Police Launch 200 Raids Against Islamists Nationwide","creditText":"Sean Gallup—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4571105/true-religion-banned-germany/","name":"Germany Bans Islamist Group 'True Religion' Accused of Recruiting Jihadists"}}]}] ```