ny times
BERLIN — German politicians, already divided over how to integrate immigrants, on Monday criticized the Turkish prime minister after he called on the large Turkish community living in Germany to teach their children the Turkish language first and then German.
Speaking on Sunday night in the industrial city of Düsseldorf to an estimated crowd of 11,000 Turks living in Germany, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told them they should not let go of their culture.
“You should definitely integrate with the German society, but we are against assimilation,” he told the crowd members, who were waving Turkish flags and applauding Mr. Erdogan, whose party, Justice and Development, is moderate and Islamic. “No one should be able to rip us away from our culture and civilization. Our children must learn German, but first they must learn Turkish.”
Mr. Erdogan’s remarks touched a raw nerve in Berlin, which has largely opposed Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Monday that it was crucial that children of immigrants learn German first, calling it “the key to integration.”
“The children who will grow up in Germany must in the beginning learn German,” he said. “Without the German language, they will not continue in schools and they will have far worse opportunities than others.”
The country’s state secretary for integration issues, Maria Böhmer, said successful integration could not be compared to assimilation.
“What’s important is that in our country the German language takes precedence,” she said. “Only those with good German have opportunities to advance in our country.”
Mrs. Böhmer emphasized that it was an advantage if children were brought up with different languages and cultures, and added that employers could use such experiences.
The German government has been seeking ways to integrate the country’s 7.5 million people of foreign origin, of which a third are of Turkish descent. During the 1960s, the Turks came as “guest workers” to what was then West Germany, when the country was going through a postwar economic boom. It was short of workers, but no attention was paid to integrating the foreigners.
Beginning on Tuesday, the Family Ministry will embark on a €400 million, or $550 million, program, lasting until 2014, aimed at teaching German in kindergartens and child care centers to children of immigrant background. The program is focused on children under 3 who speak little or no German at home.
Apart from criticizing Mr. Erdogan’s remarks about integration, leading conservatives, including Volker Kauder, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, condemned Turkey’s record on religious freedom. Mr. Kauder suggested that E.U. accession talks with Turkey should be suspended until Turkey supports the rights of Christians to ordain priests.
Johannes Singhammer, the conservative bloc’s deputy parliamentary leader, said all E.U. membership talks should be suspended until detailed investigations have taken place as to whether there is verifiable progress on religious freedom.
“A country that has over 2,000 years of a Christian tradition now is becoming a Christian-free zone with the state looking on,” Mr. Singhammer said. “We cannot and will not accept this development.”
On Monday, Mr. Erdogan was in Hanover to inaugurate, with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the annual communications and information technologies fair, CeBIT. Mr. Erdogan was also scheduled to have dinner with Mrs. Merkel to discuss not just Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union and integration policies, but also the immense changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East.
Mrs. Merkel has long opposed Turkey’s joining the 27-member bloc and instead has proposed a “privileged partnership,” that would give Turkey substantial trade, economic and social links with Europe but no voting rights in any of the E.U. institutions.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who is also a staunch opponent of Turkey’s becoming a member of the Union, said Friday during a visit to Ankara that Turkey should not join, but instead it should be offered an alternative arrangement.
Speaking on Sunday night in the industrial city of Düsseldorf to an estimated crowd of 11,000 Turks living in Germany, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told them they should not let go of their culture.
“You should definitely integrate with the German society, but we are against assimilation,” he told the crowd members, who were waving Turkish flags and applauding Mr. Erdogan, whose party, Justice and Development, is moderate and Islamic. “No one should be able to rip us away from our culture and civilization. Our children must learn German, but first they must learn Turkish.”
Mr. Erdogan’s remarks touched a raw nerve in Berlin, which has largely opposed Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union.
Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Monday that it was crucial that children of immigrants learn German first, calling it “the key to integration.”
“The children who will grow up in Germany must in the beginning learn German,” he said. “Without the German language, they will not continue in schools and they will have far worse opportunities than others.”
The country’s state secretary for integration issues, Maria Böhmer, said successful integration could not be compared to assimilation.
“What’s important is that in our country the German language takes precedence,” she said. “Only those with good German have opportunities to advance in our country.”
Mrs. Böhmer emphasized that it was an advantage if children were brought up with different languages and cultures, and added that employers could use such experiences.
The German government has been seeking ways to integrate the country’s 7.5 million people of foreign origin, of which a third are of Turkish descent. During the 1960s, the Turks came as “guest workers” to what was then West Germany, when the country was going through a postwar economic boom. It was short of workers, but no attention was paid to integrating the foreigners.
Beginning on Tuesday, the Family Ministry will embark on a €400 million, or $550 million, program, lasting until 2014, aimed at teaching German in kindergartens and child care centers to children of immigrant background. The program is focused on children under 3 who speak little or no German at home.
Apart from criticizing Mr. Erdogan’s remarks about integration, leading conservatives, including Volker Kauder, a parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, condemned Turkey’s record on religious freedom. Mr. Kauder suggested that E.U. accession talks with Turkey should be suspended until Turkey supports the rights of Christians to ordain priests.
Johannes Singhammer, the conservative bloc’s deputy parliamentary leader, said all E.U. membership talks should be suspended until detailed investigations have taken place as to whether there is verifiable progress on religious freedom.
“A country that has over 2,000 years of a Christian tradition now is becoming a Christian-free zone with the state looking on,” Mr. Singhammer said. “We cannot and will not accept this development.”
On Monday, Mr. Erdogan was in Hanover to inaugurate, with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the annual communications and information technologies fair, CeBIT. Mr. Erdogan was also scheduled to have dinner with Mrs. Merkel to discuss not just Turkey’s ambitions to join the European Union and integration policies, but also the immense changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East.
Mrs. Merkel has long opposed Turkey’s joining the 27-member bloc and instead has proposed a “privileged partnership,” that would give Turkey substantial trade, economic and social links with Europe but no voting rights in any of the E.U. institutions.
President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, who is also a staunch opponent of Turkey’s becoming a member of the Union, said Friday during a visit to Ankara that Turkey should not join, but instead it should be offered an alternative arrangement.
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