Until recently, the political rhetoric was the giveaway of real opinions of German political actors in Germany’s Muslim minority. While proclaiming openness, they found it sufficient to mention Islamic customs when referring to a case of honor killing in a Kurdish family or forced marriage among immigrants from Anatolia. German politicians too long equated Islam…
Cem Ozdemir tells public audiences how he was wrapped in a towel in a Turkish bath when a German woman walked in naked. So he dropped his towel “to show that I was well integrated at home in Germany.” The story is Ozdemir’s way of showing that even though he’s an ethnic Turk, he is…
In a referendum Swiss voters have voted by 64 percent to reject a proposal by the far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) that would have made it even harder for resident foreigners to gain citizenship. Only one of Switzerland’s 26 cantons backed the plan. At present, naturalisation is decided by a commission, usually at regional level….
In an opinion poll of 1,011 people representative of the French population, 44% reported that they favored a prohibition of the Islamic veil in streets and public buildings. 17% were “very favorable” and 27% “rather favorable”. 21% were “very opposed,” and the rest (35%) were “rather opposed.” The question, however, has two parts: whether the…
BERLIN – In a fundamental break with the “multi-kulti” policy of integration, the SPD and Green coalition began experimenting with the language of sanctions and obligations. Universally mandatory biology and sport lessons in school and German-language instruction in Islam were brought up. As is customary, the government’s position paper was discussed with a wide range…
