Mehdi Hasan Condemns AfD Manifesto as Islamophobic, Compares Rhetoric to Hitler Era
June 30, 2026
Broadcaster and journalist Mehdi Hasan is pulling no punches, directly calling out the manifesto of Germany’s far-right AfD (Alternative for Germany) party as deeply Islamophobic.
In a fierce exchange with AfD Member of Parliament Maximilian Krah, Hasan drew direct, chilling parallels between the party’s current anti-Muslim rhetoric and the historical anti-Jewish rhetoric used by Adolf Hitler in the 1930s.
Hasan’s argument is clear: when a political party begins systematically scapegoating a religious minority and stripping away their place in society, history is not just repeating, it’s screaming.
What are your thoughts on this confrontation?
Source: @ajheadtohead
#MehdiHasan #MaximilianKrah #Germany #AfD #fyp
English Script:
Mehdi Hassan: You have said that Islam belongs in Saudi Arabia, not Germany, and the 2026 manifesto for the State of Saxony until this year’s big election calls Islam a culturally alien religion. Islam does not belong to Germany. You know who used similar rhetoric about a religious minority in Germany back in the 1930s?
Maximilian Krah: Please don’t bring now Hitler.
Mehdi Hassan: ًWhy?
Maximilian Krah: Everyone needs to bring Hitler when there is a problem with Germany.
Mehdi Hassan: It sounds to me like exactly how the Nazis spoke about Jews.
Maximilian Krah: No.
Mehdi Hassan: I can point to you if you want.
Maximilian Krah: I say Turkish Germans shall vote for AfD. I mean, what religion do they usually have?
Mehdi Hassan: “The Jews are not German. They are an alien people in our midst”. That was Hitler’s words. How is that different to the AfD manifesto? Islam is a culturally alien religion does not belong to Germany.
Maximilian Krah: Where is it from? Is it a state level? It is the Saxony-Anhalt manifesto for this year from the AfD. Are you going to disown this as well? But this year is no election in Saxony. This is the 2026 manifesto. I’m reading from it now. My constituency is in Saxony. I should know my manifesto. And I know that there is no election this year.
Mehdi Hassan: Saxony-Anhalt election September 2026.
Maximilian Krah: Saxony-Anhalt. This is another…
Mehdi Hassan: Okay, I think everyone here heard me say “Saxony Anhalt” multiple times.
Maximilian Krah: We have many states in Germany, and I’m not able to know…
Mehdi Hassan: Can we focus on the issue here? Hitler said the Jews were not part of Germany. They were alien religion. This is what the AfD is saying about Muslims today.
Maximilian Krah: Not really. The point is we invite every German citizen to be part of it. We have, meanwhile, an organization that is called “Migrants within the AfD”, which was very influential. The courts say we are not an extremist party anymore. Of course, our critics always bring points, even mistakes we made.
Mehdi Hassan: Critics did not write your manifesto, Maximilian. The AfD wrote this manifesto saying Islam does not belong to Germany. Do you agree with that sentence? “Islam does not belong in Germany’?
Maximilian Krah: The manifesto was written by a scholar who speaks fluent Arabic and has a highly appreciation of Islamic culture.
Mehdi Hassan: I think you need to understand that it doesn’t matter whether you have Muslim friends or you’re married to Sri Lankans. Racism is racism. These statements are racist.
