Islam part of Germany, says Merkel
berlin — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hardline new interior minister declared Islam is “not part of Germany” in an interview published on Friday, setting off a political storm two days into her fourth term.
Asked by the top-selling Bild daily whether the influx of Muslim migrants and asylum seekers to Europe’s top economy over the past several decades meant that Islam now belonged to the fabric of the nation, Horst Seehofer replied “no”.
“Islam is not part of Germany. Christianity has shaped Germany including Sunday as a day of rest, church holidays, and rituals such as Easter, Pentecost and Christmas,” he said. “The Muslims who live among us are naturally part of Ger- many. But that of course does not mean that we, out of a false sense of deference, should sacrifice our traditions and customs.”
Merkel quickly contradicted her minister, saying that despite Germany’s Judeo-Christian roots, more than four million Muslims now made their homes in the country. “These Muslims are part of Germany and with them, their religion, Islam, is just as much a part of Germany,” she told reporters after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven.
Despite Merkel’s intervention, Seehofer’s comments are likely to prove divisive in the fledgling right-left “grand coalition”, which only came together when the reluctant Social Democrats (SPD) got on board after months of political paralysis.
berlin — Chancellor Angela Merkel’s hardline new interior minister declared that Islam is “not part of Germany” in an interview published on Friday, setting off a political storm two days into her fourth term.
Asked by the top-selling Bild daily whether the influx of Muslim migrants and asylum seekers to Europe’s top economy meant that Islam now belonged to the fabric of the nation, Horst Seehofer replied “no”.
“Islam is not part of Germany. Christianity has shaped Germany including Sunday as a day of rest, church holidays, and rituals such as Easter, Pentecost and Christmas,” he said.
“The Muslims who live among us are naturally part of Germany. But that of course does not mean that we, out of a false sense of deference, should sacrifice our traditions and customs.” Germany’s Muslim community is estimated to count about 4.5 million members, around 1.8 million of whom are German citizens. Most are descendants of Turkish so-called “guest workers” invited to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s.
The community grew again with the arrival since 2015 of more than one million asylum seekers from war-torn Muslim-majority countries such as Syria and Afghanistan. Seehofer’s provocative comments come just 48 hours after Merkel was sworn in for a fourth term with a new right-left “grand coalition” government.
The outspoken Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democrats, is new to the cabinet.
His expanded interior superministry also covers “Heimat” or homeland affairs, intended to recapture claims to patriotism and national identity from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which won nearly 13 per cent of the vote in September’s general election.
Powerful conservative Wolfgang Schaeuble said in 2006 that Islam was part of Germany and Europe as interior minister in Merkel’s first cabinet, drawing little reaction.
Islam is not part of Germany. christianity has shaped Germany including Sunday as a day of rest, church holidays, and rituals such as Easter, Pentecost and christmas
Horst Seehofer, German interior minister