Islam for the Diaspora: Importing Germany's Imams

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But the Imams had a less idyllic conception of life for Muslims in Europe. As they gathered near the television, on which they mostly watched the news -- though occasionally also a popular game show called "Marriage," which pairs together new couples -- the Imams discussed increasing "Islamophobia" in Europe. Some debated the vote for a minaret ban in Switzerland and opposition to Turkey's membership in the European Union. Many said that they have heard of the so-called integration problems facing Germany's Turkish population, but the phenomenon still remained something of a mystery. "We cannot imagine what kind of problems the families are facing there," said Disci. "But on the other hand," he added later, "It doesn't matter where you go. We have the same job. To bring religion to the people."

Sitting nearby and sipping a cup of tea, Cüneyt Ayas, a 33-year-old who was born in Mainz, Germany and fondly remembered the early years of his childhood spent there before his family returned to Turkey, added to this thought. "Our job is to help them to not forget their roots," said Ayas of Turkish congregations in Germany. Of course, they should respect other lifestyles, he said, but they ought to "live a Turkish life."

Into the room entered Idris Lap, a 46-year-old who has already served a tour in Germany as an imam in Essen and Hagen. He was enrolled in a more advanced German class at the Goethe Institute in Ankara for religious officials who had worked as imams in Europe, and would now be returning for assignments as attachés overseeing imams. Lap and his classmates spoke of the difficulties of being an imam in Germany, where, they said, an imam is not just viewed as the man leading the prayers, but also as something of a social worker and moral advisor for an entire congregation.

Lap, a jovial man with a gray mustache, made himself a cup of tea and told tales about what it's like to be the Hodja, a Turkish honorific by which imams are often addressed. He often received phone calls in the middle of the night. "Hodja! I've had a fight with my wife!" a caller would say. An imam in Germany deals with several generations of Turks, Lap went on to explain, each with very different life experiences and outlooks. "With four-generations, you stay busy," he said with a laugh that indicated some amusement for what was in store for the young imams. "An imam works 25 hours a day."

Preparing for Germany, 'Head-On'

A few of those headed to Germany for the first time were eager to understand some of the difficulties confronting the Turkish population there, and to help, even if they were not sure how. One day after class, one of the younger of the Europe-bound imams, Mehmet Ceviz, walked into the small library at the Goethe Institute, and asked the librarian if they had the film "In July" by Fatih Akin. Ceviz said he had recently discovered Akin, the acclaimed German-born film director and son of Turkish immigrants, whose films often depict the lives of Turks living in Germany.

Over a cup of hot chocolate in a nearby cafe, he talked about the characters in Akin's popular 2004 film "Head-On," about a suicidal young woman from Hamburg who married a drunkard solely to liberate herself from the control of her domineering father and brother. It was not the many indiscretions of the young woman in the film that concerned Ceviz as much as the lack of sympathy shown to her by her family. He said he especially wanted to help young people like the woman in the film, and wondered how he would deal with such a situation were he confronted with one like it in Germany. "If I could help their situation, it would bring great meaning to my life," he said. "But how will I help?" he added, shrugging as if he had given the matter careful consideration. "I don't know."

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• Part 1: Importing Germany's Imams
• Part 2: 'Our Job Is to Help them to not Forget their Roots'