Our History
HAKIM e.V. · Origin Story
Our
History
How HAKIM came to be.
The Starting Point
A debate that struck a nerve.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly at the beginning of the second wave, a media debate swept through Germany in which Muslim and migrant communities were suddenly singled out as a group. Accusations were leveled: they were not following public health measures, they were hosting large weddings, they were responsible for rising infection numbers.
What hurt us so deeply was not just the tone. It was the realization: we are embedded in the system, we help sustain it, we keep it running during crises – and yet people talk about us without ever engaging us as serious partners in the conversation.
Because we were not observing this from the outside. Many of us were on the front lines during that time: on hospital wards, in emergency rooms, in clinics, in nursing and therapy, in emergency medical services. We saw how colleagues from our families and communities stepped up and took responsibility. And we realized just how great this potential truly is.
The Strategic Consequence
Structure. Voice. Responsibility.
When the sweeping generalizations became public, it was others who had to push back – not us as Muslim healthcare professionals. Institutions like the Robert Koch Institute and DIVI publicly clarified that such numerical claims had no reliable basis nationwide.
We were grateful for that. And at the same time it was humbling and sobering – because it showed us something obvious: we are well-represented in numbers, but not organized enough to advocate for ourselves professionally. We were dependent on others speaking on our behalf.
It was precisely this realization that shaped the founding team. Not as an emotional reaction. But as a strategic consequence.
The Founding Team of HAKIM e.V.
If we want to be taken seriously, we need structure.
If we want to be heard, we need a voice.
If we bear responsibility, we must also be able to take responsibility in the public debate.
Sources & Context
- CORRECTIV.Faktencheck (04.03.2021): Assessment of claims regarding “90 percent” and the lack of nationwide data; noting that the RKI had no such data and that data transmitted under § 11 IfSG does not include information on migration background.
- Berliner Zeitung (04.03.2021): Contextualization of the debate, including the RKI statement on the absence of such characteristics in the reporting system; also noting the lack of reliable figures.
- taz (06.03.2021): Coverage of the public debate and note that DIVI contradicted the “90 percent” claim, citing the absence of supporting data.
This is how HAKIM was born
This is how HAKIM was born: as a council of Muslim physicians and healthcare professionals.
So that we are no longer merely the subject of discussions, but sit at the table ourselves – reliably and with professional expertise.