It Makes No Sense to Ban the Burqa
This article is about the purported banning of the burqua and niqab in Belgium, following France’s lead in proposing legislation that would outlaw the wearing of these religious garments in the public sphere. The author of this article does raise a good point in that the banning of these articles is treating a symptom rather […]
It’s Time For Turkey To Snap Out Of Its Self-Delusion
Conflict ensues over the establishment of Turkish high schools to promote integration in Germany. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is putting pressure on German politicians to “see the signs of the times,” having recently lobbied for the Turkish diaspora to promote Turkish interests in their respective countries. The full article can be read here. […]
“Merkel offen fuer tuerkische Schulen in Deutschland” (Merkel is open towards Turkish schools in Germany)
The article “Merkel offen fuer tuerkische Schulen in Deutschland” (Merkel is open towards Turkish schools in Germany) talks about how chancellor Angela Merkel met with Minister-President Erdogan in Turkey this past week. They discussed the topic of Turkish schools in Germany, stating that schools in which Turkish is taught already exist in Germany. This offering […]
Merkel gegen türkische Gymnasien in Deutschland
Angela Merkel spoke out against the suggestion by Tayyip Erdogan to open solely Turkish high schools in Germany. Not only German politicians were against his suggestions; the Türkischen Gemeinde in Deutschland also said that exclusive high schools were counterproductive towards integration. Read the full article here.
“Tuerkei will mit Merkel ueber Visa reden” (“Turkey wants to talk with chancellor Merkel about visa”)
The article “Tuerkei will mit Merkel ueber Visa reden” (“Turkey wants to talk with Chancellor Merkel about visa”) addresses the issue of visa-free travel into the EU. Turkish citizens are dissatisfied by the fact that they still have to apply for a visa to travel to EU countries, even though Turkey has applied to become […]
“Sarrazin vergrault tuerkische Waehler” (Sarrazin Scares Away Turkish Voters)
The article “Sarrazin vergrault tuerkische Waehler” (Sarrazin Scares Away Turkish Voters) discusses how SPD member Thilo Sarrazin recently made inappropriate, racist comments about integration, more precisely about German-Turks. An example of a comment he made is “kleine Kopftuchmaedchen” (small head scarf girls). People cannot understand how Thilo Sarrazin can still be allowed to be part […]
Mouthpieces for Turkish Interests
Recently leaders of Turkish decent around Europe have been enticed to join in all-expense paid events in Istanbul. These events were organized by the Turkish government and led by the conservative-religious Justice and Development (AKP) party with a wide array of speakers. The conferences outraged the Turkish-German politicians present who felt the agenda of these […]
Turkish culture club firebombed in Münster
A recent string of attacks on a Turkish consulate and a Turkish culture club in the city of Münster are believed to have been carried out by individuals of Kurdish background. This article mentions some of the tensions between Kurds and Turks living in Turkey which continues to be the subject of international concern from […]
Türken größter Anteil Etwas weniger Ausländer in Deutschland
The article “Türken größter Anteil: Etwas weniger Ausländer in Deutschland” talks about immigrants in Germany. According to the article, the number of immigrants in Germany decreased this past year compared to preceding years. However, the number of EU-citizens in Germany increased slightly, with the highest percentage increase coming from Bulgary and Romania. Nonetheless, Turks are […]
Islam for the Diaspora
This article addresses the role of imams in Germany and anxieties that exist about the nature of Islamic instruction there. As German schools lack training in the Islamic faith, Muslim congregations have been importing imams. One Islamic organization that trains Turkish imams for service in Germany, Diyanet, represents those who would like Europe to develop […]