Juden in Deutschland: Leben statt mahnen
Die jüdische Gemeinschaft in Deutschland wandelt sich dramatisch – durch Einwanderer aus Russland und durch eine junge Generation, für die der Holocaust und Israel weit weg sind.
Did German Officers violate the terms of their service?
This article addresses the issue of Germany’s federal police officers not complying with the laws in Iran. These men allegedly had affairs with an Iranian woman. This is not only embarrassing for Germany, but life threatening for the woman, and very important for the way German-Iranian relations might develop. There is also a claim that […]
Applicants with Turkish Names at a Disadvantage on the Job Market
Bewerber mit türkischen Namen benachteiligt As reported by Die Zeit, 2/8/10, the Institute for the Future of the Job Market (des Instituts zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA)) performed a study with the University in Konstanz, Germany with regards to educational and job-market inequality in Germany and abroad. 1,000 applications of fictional, fully-qualified individuals, with names […]
Orthodontist refuses to treat teen named ‘Jihad’
A 16 year old patient was refused treatment at an orthodontist’s office in the town of Donaueschingen, Germany because the doctor felt his name was offensive. The doctor stated that she interpreted the meaning of the word “Jihad” as being representative of a statement to allow war against all non-Islamic believers. Islamic dcholars on the […]
Controversy Surrounding Re-naming Gröbenufer, May Ayim Ufer
In 2007, the Green Party proposed the renaming of the street Gröbenufer in Berlin-Kreuzberg as May Ayim Ufer. Gröbenufer was originally named after Friedrich von der Gröben (1657-1728) in 1895. Gröben is responsible for founding the Großfriedrichsburg fort in present-day Ghana. From that fort, over 30,000 African slaves were shipped to Europe and the Caribbean. […]
Knobloch to step down as leader of Germany’s Jews
Charlotte Knobloch, the last leader of Germany’s Central Council of Jews to come from the generation of the Holocaust survivors, will not seek re-election in November in order to “consciously bring about a generational change.” Her likely successor, Dieter Graumann, hopes to shift public sentiment toward the positive aspects of Judaism. The full article can […]
Turks face integration challenges in Germany
This article focuses on the difficulty Turkish Germans have when trying to claim a German identity. It brings up problems in defining German identity, where one woman appears to have been well-integrated as a child — dressing like other German girls and refraining from wearing the head scarf — but is ultimately unable to have […]
Right-Wing Extremism: Far-right party allowed to distribute CDs to students
I included this article because upon first reading I found it surprising that such far-right ideology was still being exposed in Germany. Given its history over the last 80 or so years i would have thought such extremist rhetoric would be far more taboo; yet I suppose it also caters to the fears of many […]
Far-Right Rhetoric Germany’s Very Own Minaret Debate Turns Nasty
This article speaks to the recent debate over the building of minarets on mosques in many countries within the European Union. It is another instance of contention over the perceived “Islamicization” of Europe through the increased visibility of Islam in European cities. In this article (which focuses on a small town in Westphalia) Islam is […]
Berliners fight anti-Semitism among Muslims
The growing diversity in Germany hasn’t meant complete acceptance of these foreign peoples into German society, but in a gross corruption of acceptance and tolerance, there is to be found a number of Muslims who hold anti-Semitic sentiments. Anti-Semitism is an extremely sensitive topic in Germany, and most Germans today view anti-Semitism as wrong. While […]