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A library photo of German Turks performing prayers
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By
Khaled Schmitt, IOL Correspondent
BERLIN,
November 27 (IslamOnline.net) - Up to 80 percent of the sizable
Turkish community in Germany feel discriminated against, a new study
has revealed.
Five
years ago, only 65 percent of the estimated 2.1 million Turks in
Germany felt they were being treated as second-class citizens compared
to 80 percent in 2004, said the study released Friday, November 26, by
the Turkish Studies Center in the Rhein region.
It
warned that such discrimination could push the community members into
isolation and a ghetto life.
The
study, meanwhile, refuted media-propagated claims that German Turks
are enclosing themselves in specific districts.
Nearly
75 of Turks are living in German-populated neighborhoods, while
only 20 percent reside in mainly Turkish areas, it indicated.
In
addition, one-third of the German Turks are members of Turkish and
German NGOs and societies.
Of
the some 3.4 million Muslims in Germany, an estimated two thirds are
of Turkish origin.
German
Minister of Economics and Labor Wolfgang Clement said in June that the
12-billion-euro Turkish investments in a variety of economic and
service fields are boosting the national economy.
He
said that Turkish investments help create 300,000 new
jobs for Germans a year.
Good
Terms
The
study further showed that the Turkish community has come a long way in
improving its relations with the German people.
Some
90 percent of German Turks are on good terms with fellow Germans
and one third of Turkish families have good relations, including
blood ties, with Germans.
However,
a parallel study conducted by the state-run channel 2 said that 80
percent of the German people believe foreigners were doing little to
integrate into society.
Last
week, Germany proposed
an action plan to fight extremism and promote Muslim integration into
society.
“Claims
that Islam is unmatchable with the German constitution are groundless
and run counter to spirit of pluralism,” said Integration Minister
Marieluise Beck, who unveiled the 20-point plan.
The
parallel study also showed that 52 percent of Germans believe that
there was more than enough foreigners living in their country.
Forty-three
percent of the respondents, however, approved of the number of
foreigners.
According
to 2003 estimates of the Federal Census Office, there are 7.3 million
foreigners in Germany out of the country’s 82.5 million population.
“Bridge
to Muslims”
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“It is not history, language or religion that make Europe unique ... but political principles and cultural attitudes,” said Schroeder
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German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Friday that European leaders have a
historic chance to build “a bridge to the Muslim world” when they
decide next month whether to open European Union membership talks with
Turkey.
“It
is not history, language or religion that make Europe unique ... but
political principles and cultural attitudes – standing up for peace,
respect for the individual and tolerance in company with cultural
diversity,” he told a forum called ‘A Soul for Europe.’
New
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the forum
Europeans should think beyond national borders and see the EU as more
than just an economic coalition.
“Our
European identity represents overcoming the clash of different
identities,” he said.
“If
we want to succeed, we must make the choice to use our potential to
the fullest – that includes cultural.”
EU
leaders will vote at a summit December 17 whether to open negotiations
with Ankara.
While
the EU's executive commission has recommended the move, some Europeans
are worried about admitting Muslim but secular Turkey into the
25-strong euro bloc.
