Religion and politics

"I'm a Christian. My faith inspires me both in the private and the public sphere." That does sound rather unusual coming from a German foreign minister during a public speech - a speech in a Muslim country, Tunisia. The relationship between religion and politics is one of the central themes on this trip through the Maghreb, which has also taken him to Morocco and Algeria.

"There is a democracy that gives Islam space, and there an Islam that gives democracy room," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier continued. At the moment, that is more belief and hope than reality - the proof, according to Steinmeier, is yet to be seen in the Arab world.

Tunisia is considered the shining example for successful transformation. But there is still a long way to go. The minister's visit had long been planned, but by coincidence it has now fallen in the middle of an attempt to form a new government that is anything but smooth. As such, he has met incumbent, designated or former ministers and prime ministers. It remains unclear whether the next government will be "inclusive," in other words, whether it will include the moderate Islamist Ennahda party.

In Morocco, the government is made up of moderate Islamists, though it has little say since the royal family still controls all of the country's important ministries. Moroccan King Mohammed VI is also the country's religious leader - reforms are cautiously passed and even they are under threat of being wound back. The reason: the threat of terrorism.

United against'foreign fighters'

More than 1,200 young Moroccans have traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight - as many as 3,000 have gone from Tunisia, with its 11 million inhabitants. The number of German jihadists is much smaller - estimated to be 600 - but the helplessness on how to prevent radicalization is just as great.

"Our security forces will work together more closely," said Steinmeier. Sources inside the delegation say that is going well with Tunisia's new secret service, fairly well with Morocco's secret service, which is controlled by the monarchy, and will have to work well with Algeria's secret service, at least when it affects Germany's safety.

Of the three countries on the German foreign minister's itinerary, Algeria is the least democratic. Its government prevented a "Arab Spring" uprising with a mixture of repression - the secret service there is ubiquitous - and by buying its own population: thousands of jobs were created in state industries and authorities, while salaries were raised thanks to income from the country's oil and gas reserves.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is a symbol of its stagnation. It was not clear if there will be images of the president's meeting with Steinmeier on TV. The 77-year-old president is indeed so ill that he has yet to speak publicly in what is now his fourth term.

The shadow of Paris

Charlie Hebdo has become a constant companion on the journey - a presence at each meeting and official appearance. The Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar condemned the Paris attacks, and he also condemned caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons with the same vehemence. Steinmeier's counterparts in Algeria and Tunisia differ. In Algiers, Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamambra condemned the cartoons, but also underlined the importance of freedom of speech. Faycal Gouia, currently responsible for Tunisia's foreign policy, went the furthest with his support for press freedom overshadowing his criticism of the caricatures.

Perhaps this a sign of the Islam that, according to Steinmeier, can make space for democracy - perhaps as much as Protestant Christianity, which the German minister declared his faith in. He said that he cannot relinquish his faith when he goes into his office every day, "but my faith must never become the subject of politics, and certainly not an instrument to use against people with other beliefs."