Prof. Christoph Butterwegge, head of the Political Science Dept. at K_ln University and member of the Forschungsstelle f_r interkulturelle Studien, was interviewed by Islamische Zeitung about the subjects of his new book, Massenmedien, Migration und Integration. He talked about the battle for control over the Western image of Islam, including right-wing extremists’ attempts in Germany to blur the distinction between immigrants and Muslims, the responsibility of intellectuals in discussing “parallel communities”, and the tepid risk-avoidance of German media in adhering closely to official statements on migration and integration. He suggested that more Muslims should go into and contribute to opinion-forming German media, and expressed his optimism about the humanising, anti-nationalist potential of globalisation that may facilitate genuine integration, which is unlikely to occur on the strength of legal obligations alone – however liberal the state enforcing them may be.
