Germany bans three Islamist groups as anti-democratic

German police mounted raids on Salafist groups in the states of Hesse and North-Rhine Westphalia Wednesday, seized propaganda material in German and Arabic calling for the imposition of Sharia law, but made no arrests. "Salafism, as represented by the groups banned today, is incompatible with our peaceful, democratic system," Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said in a statement.