Germans wrestle with multicultural identity

[Feuer Frei!]

Angela Merkel's statement has no basis in reality, because the word “multiculturalism” means nothing more than the functioning coexistence of various cultures within a community, which means that multiculturalism is in fact a universal, timeless concept.
Merkel’s comment was mostly meant as a concession to the conservative grassroots of her own party.
Another factor that perhaps led to the German chancellor’s statement is that the economic crisis in Germany, as in Europe at large, has given rise to a spreading climate of uncertainty. In uncertain times, people get nervous – and nervous people tend to behave more aggressively.
The failure of German Turks to assimilate is a well-documented phenomenon. A 2009 study by the Berlin Institute for Population and Development found that even after 50 years and three generation in the country, Turks remained a people apart.
Religion would seem to be one of the underlying reasons for the Turks’ persistent outsider status. Turks make up the majority of Germany’s 4 million Muslim residents, and despite the secular reputation of 20th century Turkey, there is abundant evidence that their brand of Islam has been in tension with German culture and society.

Solution: Take the long, hard step of building a societal-wide consensus that acknowledges Islamic particularism…and its incompatibility with Western traditions.