With an estimated number of at least 2.1 million Turks in Germany, they form the largest ethnic minority. The vast majority are found in what used to be West Germany. Berlin, Frankfurt,Hamburg, Rhine-Ruhr (Cologne, Duisburg and Dortmund) have large Turkish communities. The state with the largest Turkish population is North Rhine-Westphalia.
The building of huge mosques throughout Germany is nothing short of a “a bid for power and influence, a land grab”, according to Ralph Giordano, 85, the German Jewish writer and Holocaust survivor, in an interview with The Times that is likely to stir Muslim anger.
The comments from Mr Giordano came as the Muslim community of Cologne – about 120,000 strong – prepared to lay the foundation stone for yet another giant mosque, one of more than a hundred that are being planned or built across the country.
Barely six weeks ago another mosque, capable of accommodating 1,200 worshippers, was opened in Duisburg in the nearby Ruhr region of northwest Germany.
Spiky minarets are starting to punctuate the German urban skyscape – and the rumble of discontent from nonMuslim Germans is growing louder. One result is that the issue of immigration seems sets to be on the agenda in the general election next year. The Christian Democrats resolved this week that the German language should be anchored in the constitution – seen as a slight by the three million Turks who live in the country.
“When I first saw the blueprints for the grand mosque in Cologne, I was shocked,” said Mr Giordano, who is now very active in the campaign against Turkish mosque-building. “It sent a completely wrong signal, it was a bid for power and influence, a land grab, not a place of prayer, so I told the mayor: Stop this mosque now!” That was in a public discussion that was filmed and placed online. The result was, he says, an avalanche of many hundred of supportive letters.
“They all struck the same note: Mr Giordano we are afraid as you are of this creeping Islamification but we can’t say anything in public because we will end up being branded as neo-Nazis.”
The novelist and essayist pauses for effect. “Well, that’s something that cannot be pinned on me!”
Mr Giordano finds himself in the company of far-right activists. “Of course, you have to distance yourself clearly from these people – obviously their racist, neo-Nazis arguments are quite different from mine – but I am not going to be muzzled just because people are fighting on the same issue with false arguments and a false ideology.”
Fritz Schramma, the Mayor of Cologne, argues that the mosque will become a tourist attraction and that it will be integrated into the urban culture. “It’s not right that Muslims should have to pray in old factory warehouses,” he said.
There is a hope too that if Muslims are allowed to become part of the urban landscape rather than hidden away there will be less risk of furtive fundamentalism.
The first ethnic Turkish head of a German political party has dismissed any comparisons between himself and US President-elect Barack Obama.
Cem Ozdemir, who was elected co-leader of the Green Party at the weekend, told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper such comparisons were “inappropriate”.
“It is enough for me to be Ozdemir of the Greens,” the 42-year-old said.
Mr Ozdemir’s rise has prompted comparisons with that of Mr Obama – who will be the first black US president.
At the Green Party’s weekend conference in Erfurt, eastern Germany, some of Mr Ozdemir’s supporters even wore badges that read “Yes We Cem”, in reference to an Obama campaign slogan.
Mr Ozdemir was born to Turkish Muslim parents in south-western Germany.
In 1994, he became the first ethnic Turk to be elected to the country’s parliament. In 2004, he won a seat in the European Parliament.
There are nearly three million ethnic Turks in Germany – making it the country’s largest ethnic minority.
He was Jimmy Carter’s National Security Advisor, a hawk in terms of foreign policy. In an interview with Stern magazine Zbigniew Brzezinski explains why President-elect Obama reminds him of John F. Kennedy, what he expects from the new administration’s foreign policy – and why the US will demand a greater European military commitment in Afghanistan
Dr. Brzezinksi, as one of Washington’s ultimate insiders you have witnessed many presidential elections. How did you experience Obama’s victory last Tuesday?
I was with friends, watching television. I had predicted his win. But when it actually really happened, it was exactly 11.01 p.m., I was very moved.
You? During your time as National Security Advisor, you were regarded to be one of the toughest politicians ever.
I saw the faces of so many citizens, black and white, reacting to their choice. And it just dramatized to me, that this was really a historically significant election. We might witness the birth of a 21st century America. In fact, this election could define America as the prototype of an eventual global society.
And why should this be America?
I cannot imagine another country, neither in Europe, neither in Asia, which could have elected someone as uniquely different as Barack Obama is. Barack Hussein Obama is accepted and cherished, really cherished, because he epitomizes the unique diversity of American society and shares the dominant values of that society.
Which are?
Racial equality, a basic commitment to democracy, a notion of elementary social justice. The notion that some people should not be allowed to be as poor as they are – and that some are not entitled be quite as rich as they think they can be.
Don’t you expect a little too much from a relatively inexperienced Senator from Illinois?
I met him last year, and he made the best impression on me of anyone since John F. Kennedy.He is better equipped in intellect and temperament for the highest office than anyone I can think of in recent memory. He is very different from most American politicians.
What makes him so unique?
A kind of intellectual self-confidence, which reflects real intelligence, not arrogance. A friendliness – but with a distance and a dignity. A little patrician, almost. And a calculating rationality. He does not wave the do-gooders flag. He is an idealist, but not an ideologue. He knows, that compromises will be needed.
Will Obama be the President of a superpower in decline?
No. That’s nonsense and often said with a lot of schadenfreude. The matter of fact is, that the era of American superpower stupidity is over, the time of self-isolation. Under President Bush, we acted arrogant, unilateralist and – worst of all – driven by fear. A culture of fear was cultivated by this administration, which replaced the Statue of Liberty as a symbol for America with Guantanamo. America has lost its confidence. This is one of the worst legacies of the Bush era. But that will come to an end now, very quickly.
Obama already claims the dawn of a new American leadership. How could he achieve this while the country faces the worst economical crisis since 70 years?
He will inherit a grim reality. But the painful financial crisis also teaches us an important lesson: without America the world is in trouble. If America is declining, the rest of the world is falling apart. And have no illusions: the German economy will not recover without an American recovery. America can recover without Germany. At the same time, we understand: we have to cooperate with the world in order to do well.
What will be the biggest foreign policy challenges for the new President?
Afghanistan is certainly one of them. There, for he time being, we would need to deploy more troops. But more soldiers are not the solution. The solution is a demilitarization of our engagement.
By negotiating with the Taliban, as Obama already indicated?
By negotiating wit the various groups of Taliban. We should be able to reach local and regional arrangements with them. If they would stop al-Qaeda activities, for example, we would locally disengage.
You are promoting a de facto withdrawal of Nato troops?
No. Nato has to continue our military activities in the meantime. And if we are serious about our alliance and about consultations, we have to be also serious about sharing burdens. You cannot have arrangements, where some soldiers risk their lives day and night and some soldiers cannot even go on patrols at night. That is not an alliance.
Will Obama expect more engagement from Europe, Germany?
The American people expect this. If the Europeans want to give us only nice advise, but expect us to do the heavy lifting – then don’t expect America necessarily to listen to these advises. Europeans will no longer have the alibi of Bush’s bad policy. But let’s be clear: there are no alibis for us any more, either. We will have to consult, share decisions and cooperate.
Russia’s President greeted Obama by announcing he would deploy short range missiles along the Baltic Sea.
Yes, but I think we can relax.
Relax?
Russia is a country with enormous problems. Its leaders should know, that Russia cannot isolate itself from the world or base its foreign policy on the assertion that it is entitled to an imperialist sphere of influence. It is baffling to me, how unintelligent its leaders are. Self-isolation will be destructive for Russia, not for us.
Would you suggest relaxing also in regard to Iran and its nuclear ambitions?
We need a more realistic, a more flexible and sensible approach. We should negotiate; we might negotiate even without preconditions. A successful approach to Iran has to accommodate its security interests and ours. This new diplomatic approach could help bring Iran back into its traditional role of strategic cooperation with the United States in stabilizing the Gulf region. This would be a sensible path.
The Germany Meets Turkey Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy Berlin, 26 – 30 January 2008
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) is currently seeking applicants for participation in The Germany Meets Turkey Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin between the 26th and 30th of January 2009.
=== About the Symposium ===
The weeklong symposium will offer diverse participants the opportunity to explore and improve diplomacy at the level of social relations between Germany and Turkey. Participants will meet in some of Berlin’s most
prominent sites, where the issues of cultural diplomacy between the two countries are most closely felt: the Bundestag, the Auswärtiges Amt, the Kreuzberg Museum, and Berlin City Hall. Symposium workshops and
discussions with experts will cover not only legal and institutional aspects of the complex relationship between the two societies but will also examine firsthand the daily effect of this relationship as well as mutual cultural contributions.
=== About the Organizers ===
The ICD is an international, not-for-profit, non-governmental organization working to improve intercultural relations by organizing and researching initiatives that facilitate intercultural exchange. Germany Meets
Turkey-A Forum for Young Leaders is an interdisciplinary network which organizes bilateral events such as yearly study tours and whose activities are supported by the Istanbul Policy Center at Sabanci University as well as the Robert Bosch Stiftung in Germany. More detailed information about the ICD can be found at:
www.culturaldiplomacy.org
=== How to Apply ===
The Symposium is designed especially for young academics and advanced university students from both Turkey and Germany. Applicants from other countries with a strong interest and background in Turkish or German studies are also eligible for consideration. An application form, as well as more detailed information about the GMT Symposium can be found at:
If you have any further questions, or require any more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at:
gmt.symp@culturaldiplomacy.org
With kind regards,
Alex Balistreri
Program Director – Germany Meets Turkey Symposium
————
*** Aufruf zur Bewerbung ***
The Germany Meets Turkey Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy
Berlin, 26. – 30. Januar 2009
Das Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) sucht derzeit Bewerber für die Teilnahme am Programm Germany Meets Turkey: Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin vom 26. bis 30. Januar 2009.
=== Über das Symposium ===
Das einwöchige Symposium wird unterschiedlichen Teilnehmern die Gelegenheit bieten, Diplomatie auf der Ebene sozialer Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und der Türkei zu erforschen und zu verbessern. Die Teilnehmer werden an einigen der prominentesten Orte in Berlin, an denen die Probleme kultureller
Diplomatie zwischen der Türkei und Deutschland am spürbarsten sind, zusammenkommen: im Bundestag, im Auswärtigen Amt, im Kreuzberg Museum und im Berliner Rathaus. Die Workshops und Diskussionen des Symposiums werden nicht nur rechtliche und institutionelle Aspekte der komplexen Beziehung zwischen
beiden Gesellschaften näher betrachten, sondern auch Gelegenheit bieten, die täglichen Auswirkungen dieser Beziehung und ihre wechselseitigen kulturellen Beiträge persönlich zu untersuchen.
=== Über die Organisatoren ===
Das ICD ist eine internationale, gemeinnützige Nichtregierungsorganisation mit dem Ziel der Verbesserung der interkulturellen Beziehungen durch die Organisation von Veranstaltungen und Förderung von Initiativen mit dem Ziel der Verbesserung des interkulturellen Austauschs. Germany Meets Turkey – A Forum for Young Leaders ist ein interdisziplinäres Netzwerk, das bilaterale Veranstaltungen, wie z. B. jährliche Studienreisen, organisiert und dessen Aktivitäten vom Istanbul Politikzentrum der Sabanci Universität und der Robert Bosch Stiftung in Deutschland unterstützt werden. Weitere Informationen zum ICD können Sie unter folgendem Link finden:
www.culturaldiplomacy.org
=== Bewerbung ===
Das Symposium ist besonders auf junge Akademiker und fortgeschrittene Universitätsstudenten aus der Türkei und Deutschland zugeschnitten. Interessierte Bewerber aus anderen Ländern, die einen Hintergrund in
Türkeistudien oder Germanistik haben, werden ebenfalls berücksichtigt. Bewerbungsunterlagen und weitere ausführliche Informationen über das GMT Symposium finden Sie unter:
Sollten Sie weitere Fragen haben oder zusätzliche Informationen benötigen, kontaktieren Sie uns bitte unter:
gmt.symp@culturaldiplomacy.org
Mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Alex Balistreri
Programm Direktor – Germany Meets Turkey Symposium
Rough talking, leather jacket-clad and quintessentially Teutonic: the intrepid detectives in the cult German-Austrian crime series Tatort have always been one of a kind. Until now that is.
Enter Cenk Batu, the latest addition to the crime squad, who has given the hit show something it has never had before: a hero of Turkish descent.
Millions tuned in for last week’s episode, shown at its usual Sunday prime-time slot. Tatort, translated as crime scene, serves up a typical dose of criminal-chasing antics, but the arrival of Batu, an undercover agent in Hamburg, made history for the 37-year-old series.
“Finally we see a Turkish-German character who is not a bully or a drug dealer but a clever commissar,” said Cinar Safter of the Turkish Union in Berlin, which represents Germany’s 2.6m-strong Turkish community – its largest minority. “This is good news but it comes far too late.”
Although the country’s Turkish population is Germany’s largest ethnic group, it is still under-represented on television.
Sabine Schiffer, who heads the Media Responsibility Institute, argued that more “normal shows” should include minorities. She also complained that newsreaders in particular were rarely from minority communities, projecting an image of the country that is “blonder” than it really is.
Actor Mehmet Kurtulus is well aware of his character’s symbolic value. When he was given the part last year he said the pioneering role had “social and political implications”.
Kurtulus, who moved to Germany from Turkey when he was two years old, has described himself as a representative of a “bridge generation” between the two countries. He sees Batu, who speaks broken Turkish and has no contact with the Turkish community except through his father, as a realistic character.
“The third generation is a lost, identity-less generation,” he said, referring to those whose grandparents moved to Germany as “guest workers” during the economic boom after the second world war.
“They speak a mish-mash of German and Turkish and are not properly linked to Turkey or Germany.”
Bildung und Integration in Deutschland: Status Quo und Perspektiven«
9:15 Uhr REGISTRIERUNG
10:00 Uhr BEGRÜSSUNG
Juergen Boos Geschäftsführer, Frankfurter Buchmesse, Frankfurt a.M.
Dr. Mark Schiffhauer Mitglied der Geschäftsführung, Maleki Group, Frankfurt a.M.
10:15 Uhr FORUM A: BILDUNG UND INTEGRATION IN DEUTSCHLAND: STATUS QUO UND PERSPEKTIVEN
Dr. Lale Akgün, MdB Mitglied des Deutschen Bundestages, Berlin
Bekir Albogga Islamwissenschaftler und Referatsleiter für interreligiöse und interkulturelle Zusammenarbeit, »Türkisch-Islamische Union der Anstalt
für Religion« (DITIB), Köln
Seyran Ates¸ Autorin und Anwältin, Deutschland
Prof. Dr. Ursula Boos-Nünning Professorin für Migrationspädagogik, Fachbereich Bildungswissenschaften,
Universität Duisburg-Essen
Dr. Necla Kelek Soziologin und Frauenrechtlerin, Deutschland
Kenan Kolat Bundesvorsitzender, Türkische Gemeinde Deutschland, Berlin
Moderator
Martin Spiewak Journalist, DIE ZEIT, Hamburg
