Bundesbank Executive Member Thilo Sarrazin
The controversial comments this week by Bundesbank (German Central Bank) executive member, Thillo Sarrazin, have sparked a debate in Germany which now must transcend the obvious charges of racism and xenophobia. While Sarrazin’s comments absolutely betray his less than noble feelings towards Arabs and Turks living in Germany (they “constantly produce little girls in headscarves”), the issue of how German society will come to terms with an increasing non-German population will remain explosive unless it is tackled head-on. Currently nearly 20% of Germany’s residents are of non-German descent (16 Million out of 82 Million). Nearly half of these first and second generation immigrants have adopted German citizenship (many of the original “Gastarbeiter” and their children), however, the question of these immigrants’ “real” integration into society remains hotly debated. Some schools in Berlin have even resorted to a “German Language Guarantee“, creating special classes in which a majority of German-speaking students will be guaranteed in order to ward off the fears that children attending the school might be overwhelmed by languages other than German.
These are growing pains of a traditionally homogenous nation quickly becoming a nation of immigrants, and Germany would do well to look to its great ally in the west, to learn from the United States’ mistakes and successes in immigration and integration politics. With any luck, and a good share of hard work, Germany will become stronger by respecting diversity, embracing change and celebrating a commonly held love for freedom and democracy. Whatever German “Leitkultur” is today, it is certain to be radically changed by the demographics of tomorrow. And the sooner Germans accept this, the sooner they can begin to emphasize and cultivate those elements of their culture and society (strong education, an inquisitive nature and innovative spirit) which continue to make Germany a leader in the world today.
Filed under: Politics/Politik, Society/Gesellschaft Tagged: | Berlin, Foreigners in Germany, Germany, Leitkultur, politically incorrect, Thillo Sarrazin
Believe it or not, things just got worse for the Bundesbank in this “Blamage” – it looks as if Axel Weber, head of the Bundebank, had read through and given his OK to the comments BEFORE publishing http://bit.ly/33DZpo. This was not even a case of a pro-forma oversight – several changes were actually suggested and made. But the controversial comments remained even after this editing step.