First came Rima Fakih, the first Muslim to win the Miss USA title – and, with her participation in the pageant’s swimsuit competition, to push the public’s perceptions of Muslim women. Then came Sila Sahin, a Turkish German woman living in Germany, who recently posed for a cover of Playboy Magazine. The stereotype of the…
16 February 2011 “Almanya,” a Turkish-German film debuting at the Berlinale, has received rave reviews for its humorous and sensitive take on immigration and integration. The Local spoke with the sisters behind the movie about learning to live and laugh together. Chancellor Angela Merkel may have recently declared that multiculturalism is officially dead in Germany,…
17 September 2010 Young football players with Turkish roots who have grown up in Germany and cut their teeth in the German football system are in much demand — particularly in Turkey. At the moment, 59 men who fit this description can be found playing in Turkey’s top league. And, every year, agents are bringing…
Superintendent Gülay Köppen grew up in a Turkish home in Duisburg, Western Germany, and got socialised with both Turkish and German culture. In 2006, the local government created a position for a police officer to build confidence between the police headquarters and Muslim institutions. Gülay Köppen has filled the position since, and enjoys being the…
Radical leftwing groups are currently on a crusade against German flags — displayed around the country in support of the German football team — to fight nationalism and stirring “Nazi-emotions” in the Germans. The irony of the battle is that most victims whose flags are destroyed or burnt are of Turkish or Arab background. In…
