Würzburg Professor Appointed to Nationwide Advisory Group

11/25/2025

Würzburg legal scholar Kyrill-Alexander Schwarz will be working on the new advisory board for preventing and combating Islamism. The central task of the committee is to develop an action plan.

Kyrill-Alexander Schwarz is Professor of Public Law at the University of Würzburg. (Image: privat)

Kyrill-Alexander Schwarz, Professor of Public Law at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), has been appointed to the newly established Advisory Group for Preventing and Combating Islamism. The committee succeeds the previous task force of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Comprising 15 experts from academia, practice and federal and state authorities, its primary task is to develop a nationwide action plan to combat Islamism.

The establishment of the advisory group is based on the coalition agreement between the CDU/CSU and SPD. The reason for this is the observation that Islamism in Germany is "a threat to liberal democracy and social cohesion as well as a driver of disintegration", as stated in a press release from the Ministry of the Interior.

This is shown not only by the "numerous completed and foiled Islamist terrorist attacks of the past year", but also "the increasing radicalisation in the digital space, the successful spread of Islamist narratives and Islamist influences at schools and universities in the form of religious bullying and strict gender segregation as well as caliphate demonstrations with thousands of participants".

A Central Challenge of the Resiliant Constitutional State

The advisory group is now to draw up recommendations for a joint federal and state strategy. This is not just about preventing terrorist attacks. The committee is to promote modern prevention and awareness-raising work and at the same time support authorities in better recognising Islamist structures and influence. Among other things, measures are planned to sensitise public institutions, combat the financing of Islamism and conduct basic scientific research.

Schwarz will contribute his expertise in public law - including on issues of state action, democracy and dealing with extremist endeavours. "Islamism - as well as the change in the threat situation in Germany, not just after the Hamas terror attack on 7 October 2023 - is a central challenge for the resiliant constitutional state. Through my work on this committee, I want to help ensure that the necessary balance between guaranteeing internal security and constitutional restrictions on fundamental rights is maintained," he says.

The advisory group is supported by a steering committee of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, headed by Parliamentary State Secretary Christoph de Vries.