German-Turkish relations

[akiko]

I heard this story (transcript) on NPR last night. It's about 2 mosques being built, one in Duisburg, the other in Köln, and the towns' reactions to them. In Duisburg, they all seem to be getting along and working together. In Köln, not so much

Comments

[germankitty]

Agreed. It's very similar here in Dortmund -- not too far away from where I live, Turks want to build not just a mosque, but a community center, assisted living for the elderly ... a pretty big area that they want to develop.

They bought the land, but getting the permits is a big problem. Even though the Turkish developers have agreed IN WRITING not to build a ghetto -- the development WILL be open to everybody -- there's a very vocal group of Germans boycotting them. Several ministers from neighboring parishes have been trying for YEARS to work out a compromise; guess who's notably absent from EVERY meeting of the different groups?

That's right, the loud-mouthed idiots who keep yelling "NO!".

IMO, integration definitely is the key to a peaceful co-existence; that should require a certain fluency in the language.

Unfortunately, the Turks (as secular muslims) are often set apart by the women wearing headscarves and long overcoats, even in summer -- or the men wearing knitted caps. I understand it's part of their religion's tenets, have nothing personally against it, but things take a faintly ridiculous turn when a father goes to court to prevent his 9-year-old daughter to take swimming lessons at school because she can't be "unclothed" in the company of "males". For regular PE, it's an accepted compromise for the girls to wear sweats, but hygiene laws in the municipal pools forbid the use of long-sleeved/-legged cotton "swimsuits". (Some won't even allow boys/men to wear baggy swimshorts; it's Speedos only.)

Again, it's based on Islamic tradition; at the time the Qu'ran was written, boys and girls DID mature much sooner; I may be mistaken, but a 9-year-old Turkish boy is considered a "man" by traditionalists in the absence of an adult male.

Nobody ever said it'd be easy to integrate two very different cultures, especially with a long history of MUTUAL persecution and mistrust. What's sad is that so many people won't even try and keep fixating on the outward differences ... rather than looking for common ground underneath.