- Decades of consensus about a multicultural society have
been thrown into question recently as leading German politicians suggest
that minorities living in the country need to do more to fit in.
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- "The notion of multiculturalism has fallen apart,"
said opposition conservative leader Angela Merkel in a recent interview.
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- "Anyone coming here must respect our constitution
and tolerate our Western and Christian roots."
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- It was just one of a chorus of voices, from left and
right, among politicians and the media.
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- The debate centres largely around the three million-strong
Muslim community - mostly Turkish, with Bosnians making up the next largest
group, followed by people of Arab origin.
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- It was sparked by the killing of Dutch film-maker Theo
van Gogh, and subsequent attacks in the Netherlands on Muslim and Christian
sites.
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- Fears that something similar could happen in Germany
were fanned by a TV broadcast in which a secret recording caught an imam
telling worshippers that Germans would "burn in hell" because
they were unbelievers.
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- This has been followed by a raft of new proposals for
better integration of the Muslim community, against a backdrop of fears
that Muslims in Germany inhabit a "parallel society" centred
around mosques infiltrated by "hate preachers".
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- "A democracy cannot tolerate lawless zones or parallel
societies," declared Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. "Immigrants
must respect our laws and acknowledge our democratic ways of doing things."
Another politician suggested it should be compulsory for imams to preach
in German, and sections of the media have judged that the debate marks
the end of multiculturalism.
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- "It's a quite frank debate on what we Germans expect
of those people coming to us as immigrants," says Nikolaus Blome,
commentator with Die Welt newspaper.
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- "If multiculturalism means that it's OK for 30,000
Turks to live in a certain quarter of Berlin, and never leave, and live
like they're still in deepest Turkey, then the term is now discredited."
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- Mood shift
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- The debate shows a marked swing in the atmosphere in
Germany.
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- Four years ago, a conservative politician was attacked
from all sides for suggesting the country has a Leitkultur or "leading
culture".
-
- As this previously unacceptable term resurfaced, former
Chancellor Helmut Schmidt caused further furore by suggesting that the
decision to invite "guest workers" to Germany in the 1960s had
been a mistake.
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- Poor command of the German language among Muslims has
been singled out for particular criticism.
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- When tens of thousands of Muslims took part in a protest
against terrorism in Cologne recently, the German politicians who addressed
the crowd gave them a blunt message: "Learn German."
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- A new immigration law which takes force from 1 January
contains compulsory language and civic lessons for new arrivals, but critics
point out there is nothing for people from ethnic minorities who are already
here.
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- No help
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- Erol Ozkaraca lives in the Berlin district of Reinickendorf,
where the population is a mix of Germans, Turks and people from the former
Soviet Union.
-
- Switching off the Turkish TV channel broadcasting into
his living room, and taking a contemplative drag on his cigarette, he declares:
"Germany has never been a multicultural society. The concept of multi-culturalism
was never given a chance here."
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- Mr Ozkaraca, a lawyer by profession, was born in Hamburg.
His father came to Germany as a student in 1949, long before the "guest
workers".
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- "These politicians say: They don't speak German,
they don't want to be part of German society, and they have their own structures.
But I ask: Where are the courses where we can learn German? Where is the
help to integrate us, to show - you are welcome and we want you here?"
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- © BBC MMIV
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4056109.stm
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