{Over the past several decades, the German Muslim immigrant community has undergone a transition from being one of “Guest workers” (in which immigrants lived in Germany on a temporary, seasonal basis in segregated communities) to one in which immigrants and German society are trying to facilitate a long-term integration of immigrants into mainstream society. This transition has brought formerly marginal and transient Muslim immigrants to a central place in mediation with local officials and mainstream society on behalf of newer immigrants with hopes of long-term residence and integration.} Original Title: “Turkish Guests become hosts in their community” By Hugh Williamson in Berlin The steelmills and coal mines that towered over Marxloh for decades have mostly gone, but many of the Gastarbeiter, or guest workers, who came from Turkey to dig the coal and work the furnaces remain. More than half the residents of Marxloh, a gritty suburb of Duisburg in western Germany’s former industrial heartland, are of Turkish origin. The local Turkish and Muslim shops, music and cafes enjoy wide renown as the city’s Little Istanbul. Marxloh now has another claim to fame. Next year, one of Germany’s largest mosques – with a capacity for 1,500 people – will open there, placing the area at the centre of national debate on how to foster greater co-operation between Muslims, Christians and those of other faiths…
