Schroeder is welcomed to an election campaign rally in Emden . (Reuters)

By Ahmed Al-Matboli, IOL Correspondent

VIENNA , September 4, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The 500,000 eligible Muslim voters are likely to reward Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats (SPD) in the September 18 parliamentary election for its anti-Iraq war position and pro-Muslim policies.

Issues like Turkey ’s EU membership, Iraq war, freedom of religion and restrictions placed on immigrants are, no doubt, the preoccupation of Muslim and immigrant voters, says IslamOnline.net's correspondent.

The anti-immigrant platform of Shroeder’s rival Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), has alienated Muslim and immigrant minorities, estimated at seven million.

A poll released on Saturday, September 3, showed that Merkel was leading Schroeder by 11 points.

Both face off later Sunday in a TV debate that could determine who is going to be Germany ’s next chancellor.

Muslims make up some 3.2 million of Germany ’s 82 million people and Turks represent two thirds of the minority.

Up to 90 percent of the Muslim voters backed Schroeder in the 2002 general election.

Turkey

Merkel is greeted as she arrives at election campaign rally in Magdeburg . (Reuters)

Turkey has emerged as a key theme in the campaign, with the CDU and its sister party the Bavaria-based Christian Social Union (CSU) favoring only a "privileged partnership" for Ankara .

Echoing the anti-Turkey stance of Merkel, CSU head Edmund Stoiber told a party convention on August 28 that Europe should remain a Christian continent.

He argued it was hard for Turkey to prove democratic like Germany , especially when it comes to issues like gender equality.

Schroeder's ally and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer attacked the CDU stance, saying close links to the largely Muslim country were vital given instability and a rising threat of terrorism in the Middle East .

"If (entry talks) are broken off and the shards are lying on the floor, then it will become damn costly for us," Fischer told weekly Der Spiegel in an interview.

Schroeder is a long-time advocate of full membership.

Iraq War

The Iraq invasion once again has cast its shadow on Europe ’s politics with Schroeder’s anti-war stance appealing to Muslim voters.

His defiance of US warmongering and policies has earned him many supporters and boosted his popularity among the Muslim minority in particular.

Schroeder recently spoke out against US President George W. Bush’s war threat against Iran over its nuclear program.

"Take the military option off the table -- we have already seen it doesn't work," he told his supporters in his hometown Hanover as he kicked off his election campaign in August.

Merkel, on the other hand, has welcomed the US-led invasion of Iraq and openly criticized Shroeder’s reluctance to take part in the US-led forces in Iraq .

Islamophobia  

Many Muslims are also offended by Merkel’s pledges to "liberate" Muslim women from the shackles of their Islamic societies.

She reiterated throughout a series of seminars, the latest on August 29, that Muslim women should restore their "usurped" rights.

The CDU/CSU alliance is only playing the security card and terrorist threats to win more votes.

Interior ministers in states affiliated to the Christian alliance revealed on Friday, September 2, a draft bill to combat "Islamic terrorism" and closely monitor radicals.

Bavarian Interior Minister Guenther Beckstein, a CDU member, pledged to place Islamists under the microscope if he was appointed as the federal interior minister.

He has already proposed planting spies inside mosques, censoring sermons and monitoring Muslim organizations using tiny cameras.

Beckstein had also said that state security services should have free hand in dealing with Islamic organizations that prefer their religion to the country’s constitution.

Shroeder’s SPD, the Greens and Leftists refuse to jump on Europe ’s Islamophobic bandwagon, calling for constructive cooperation and coordination with German Muslims.