“Arab Clan crime” in Germany: Development and Risk Factors

After their migration in the 1980s, the so-called Mhallamiyye, known in the public discussion as “Arab clans” (Arabische Clans) or “extended families” (Arabische Großfamilien), settled in different urban centres such as Berlin, Ruhr area, and Bremen. Recently, they have been subjected to a high level of government and media scrutiny and accused of establishing a criminal “Mafia” based on their family structure and networks. In my presentation, which is Based on my findings from over 6 years (2015 to 2021) of ethnographic fieldwork in Germany, I will address the impact of family, social, economic and religious networks on the emergence of so called “criminal clans” in Germany. By using participant observation and in-depth interview data, my primary objective is to explain how, and under what conditions, have “clan crimes” emerged and constructed in Germany?