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The daily midday prayer in the mosque of the Islamic Cultural Center in Halle: the Muslims only appear to be praying here with inner peace.
Shots rang out from an adjacent apartment building last Sunday.
Djamel Amelal, community leader: "The fear is there and many people have communicated that too."
Taha Rafet, Parishioner: »Unfortunately, one of our brothers had to pray outside. He's in a wheelchair because he has no legs. And the lower area, where he would otherwise go in with the wheelchair, was occupied at the time, so he prayed out here. Exactly where you stand. Unfortunately, he was shot at with two bullets or spherical shapes.«
Taha Rafet found three projectiles.
His fellow believer saw the gun being pulled back into a window.
The police identified a 55-year-old as a suspect.
A pellet-shooting gun and a gas pistol were found in his apartment.
According to the public prosecutor, it is still unclear whether the mosque was actually the target of the attack.
The community is certain: it was an attack on Muslims.
Taha Rafet, community member: »I just feel sorry for the person who shoots at a wheelchair user because he has so little brains and heart. Unfortunately, in recent years, it has often happened that we have been shot at. From the other side last time, this time from the side. We're right in between, between the houses."
The events also bring back memories of the anti-Semitic attack in October 2019. An assassin tried in vain to break into the synagogue and then shot a passer-by and a guest in a kebab shop.
In the community, they believe that the mosque was saved from his attack by sheer luck: the assassin accidentally shot his tires on the way there.
Djamel Amelal, community leader: »2019 is still fresh. Where two people died. Two humans. And those were Germans. That means anything could happen to anyone right now. You don't have to be a Muslim or a Jew.«
Some citizens of Halle showed solidarity with the victims of the attack: by selling T-shirts, they financed the conversion of the former kebab shop and the reopening as a café.
Since the attacks, however, prayers in the mosque have only been possible under police protection.
Djamel Amelal, community leader: »I work here in the office and then I see it every day. And that reminds me every time the police are here: That means we're not safe here. And Sunday confirmed that to us again. It's a bit sad, but that's the situation at the moment."
The majority of Muslims in Halle live here in Neustadt Nord, and the cultural center has been around for 30 years.
Volleyball and soccer training, language courses and childcare are offered.
The community has been growing steadily since 2015, and there is no longer enough space.
It gets so crowded here for Friday prayers that many have to pray outside.
However, the city has not yet offered a larger building.
The community strives to establish contact with its direct neighbors through street festivals and workshops.
Taha Rafet, Parishioner: »Everyone is welcome to meet us to see that we are lovely people.«
Women reported daily to the community leader Amelal that they were insulted, spat on or pushed because of their headscarves.
The windows of the cultural center were also smashed several times.
Djamel Amelal, community leader: »What happened has to be changed and clarified quickly. He needs to get his punishment so there are no more copycats. Life goes on. I won't duck and stay home. I'll live a normal life, come to work. This will not prevent us from going on with our normal lives.«