On 20th December, a 50-year-old Saudi-born doctor identified as Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen rammed a BMW car into the crown at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany. The incident claimed lives of five people and left over 200 injured. Several of the injured individuals are in critical condition. The German authorities are examining the motive behind the attack. Taleb, who identified himself as an ex-Muslim atheist on social media, has sparked global outrage with his actions. Notably, the ex-Muslim community has come forward and raised serious concerns about his claimed identity as an ex-Muslim atheist.
Ex-Muslim community questions attacker’s authenticity
Taleb fled Saudi Arabia in 2006. He publicly identified himself as an ex-Muslim atheist. He used this persona to get asylum in Germany citing possible persecution in his homeland. However, prominent ex-Muslims have raised concerns over the said identity and pointed out inconsistencies in his behaviour. The ex-Muslim community is now suggesting that Taleb was using the “label” strategically for his personal gains.
German ex-Muslim atheist Ali Utlu has accused Talen of duplicitous behaviour. In a statement, Utlu said, “He acted as an ex-Muslim publicly while threatening others, especially Saudi women, in private. According to media reports, Utlu was in contact with Taleb till 2018. However, he distanced himself from Taleb due to troubling interactions.
He acted ex-Muslim on the outside, while in DMs he threatened ex-Muslims, especially Saudi women who had fled. He also repeatedly attacked me because I wanted nothing more to do with him after 2018 and finally blocked him in May of this year. on X.
— Ali Utlu (@AliCologne) December 21, 2024
In a post on X, Utlu questioned, “We organized ex-Muslims openly say that he practiced taqiyya. If someone was as Islamophobic as him, wouldn’t he try to kill Muslims in an attack instead of Christians at a Christmas market?”
I'll say it again: many people who have had contact with Taleb, like me, deny that he was ever an atheist or ex-Muslim.
— Ali Utlu (@AliCologne) December 21, 2024
He himself claimed to be a Wahhabi. He had open contacts with Hamas people, as well as with supporters of IS.
He threatened ex-Muslim and secular…
Similar accounts were shared by Canadian ex-Muslim activist Yasmine Mohammed who described Taleb as “unstable” and aggressive. She alleged that Taleb targeted female activists from Saudi Arabia. He even sought Yasmine’s help to “expose” one such woman. She expressed suspicion that Taleb might have collaborated with the Saudi authorities to undermine female dissidents.
The man who was arrested for the most recent terrorist attack on a Christmas market- this time in Magdeburg, Germany- is allegedly Saudi national Taleb Al Abdulmohsen. I’ve known him for years (online only) and he never seemed stable to me. He obsessively went after an ExMuslim…
— Yasmine Mohammed 🦋 ياسمين محمد (@YasMohammedxx) December 21, 2024
The role of taqiyya – A bigger conspiracy?
Some ex-Muslims have suggested that Taleb might have employed Taqiyya. For those who are unaware, Taqiyya is an Islamic practice that allow concealment of faith under duress. It is often used to infiltrate ex-Muslim community. Maral Salmassi, who is an Iranian-German entrepreneur, released a video dismissing claims that Taleb was an atheist. She argued that his actions aligned more with Taqiyya as he used to advance Islamist objectives while deceiving others.
Despite claims made by the German press, Taleb Al Abdulmohsen is not an ex-Muslim atheist, nor is he a fan of the AfD or Elon Musk. While he may have spread this misinformation himself, it aligns with the practice of Taqqiye, an Islamic doctrine that permits lying and deception… pic.twitter.com/tU2tRS51Lr
— Maral Salmassi (@MaralSalmassi) December 21, 2024
According to Britannica, Taqiyya can be described as a doctrine practised primarily by Shia Muslims. It permits to follow religion under secrecy under threat. As Taleb belonged to Shia community, those who are sceptic that he was an ex-Muslim, believe that his actions fall in line with Taqiyya.
Al-Abdulmohsen’s asylum and the German authorities’ oversight
In 2016, ten years after Taleb fled Saudi Arabia, Germany granted him asylum. His persona of an ex-Muslim played a significant role in getting asylum status. There were allegations of terrorism, rape and smuggling against Taleb in Saudi Arabia and the authorities sought his extradition. However, German authorities refused his extradition while citing possible risk to his safety. Evidently, in the light of recent events, it is possible that the German officials overlooked the warnings about his extremist tendencies.
Reportedly, a woman had alerted authorities that Taleb had threatened to carry out a terror attack. However, no significant action was taken on the woman’s revelations about Taleb’s intentions. It is possible that his carefully curated image of an ex-Muslims influences the authorities leading to leniency in his case leaving room for the recent attack to happen.
The impact on genuine ex-Muslims
The incident has raised serious concerns among the genuine ex-Muslims. They fear that Taleb’s actions would stigmatise their community and jeopardise their asylum claims. Ex-Muslims are always under risk as they left Islam. They face death threats, violence and estrangement from the community. Many of the ex-Muslims hide the fact that they have left Islam and do not share their identity as an ex-Muslim with their families fearing adverse reactions from them.
In a statement, Yasmine Mohammed voiced her fears and stated that such incidents will lead to scrutiny on ex-Muslims. She said, “This path to asylum was already fraught with challenges. Now it’s harder.”
Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen – A case of manipulation?
The life of Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen in Germany was full of contradictions. On social media, he developed a person of ex-Muslim. He championed anti-Islam themes and regularly interacted with ex-Muslims. He was often seen criticising German policies and even supported the far-right party AfD. He openly admired individuals like Elon Musk as well.
However, his refusal to engage with prominent ex-Muslim individuals including Brother Rachid raised suspicions among the ex-Muslim community. Brother Richard is a veteran interviewer. He noted that Taleb repeatedly avoided tough questions about his stance. He said, “He always had excuses, citing temporary medical conditions.”
Furthermore, there have been allegations that he had extremist tendencies. Many from the ex-Muslim community believe that Taleb manipulated his persona for personal and ideological gains. The Magdeburg attack, targeting a Christmas market, appears to align more closely with extremist Islamist motives than those of a genuine ex-Muslim atheist.
A pattern of deception?
Taleb is not the first “ex-Muslim” who apparently falsely claimed to have renounced Islam to secure asylum. For example, Afghan migrant Abdul Shokoor Exedi sought refuge in the United Kingdon claiming that he had converted to Christianity. After he got asylum, he was implicated in serious crime including a chemical attack. After his death, his funeral took place following Islamic rituals which revealed his true affiliations.
The need for clarity
The Magdeburg Christmas market attack needs deeper investigation as there are complexities around the identity and ideology of the accused. As the case moves forward, the ex-Muslim community remains resolute in distinguishing themselves from individuals like Al-Abdulmohsen, emphasising their genuine struggles against oppression.
Notably, this case has once again brought forward the methods used by asylum seekers to seek refuge in Western countries. Asylum policies, identity verification and methodology of granting asylum has come under scrutiny. There are broader implications of ideological manipulations as in such cases identification of possible threats go unchecked.
