Berlin, Oct 9, IRNA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly defended German President Christian Wulff against attacks from mainly German conservative parties for saying Islam ‘belonged’ in Germany.
Addressing a joint news conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel at the chancellery, Erdogan warned that German political parties should ‘not be at war with another (person’s) opinion’ on this issue.
He voiced ‘high respect’ for Wulff’s pro-Islam statements, while stressing Muslims were in fact a ‘reality’ in Germany.
There are 4.3 million Muslims in Germany of which 2.5 million were Turks.
Wulff unleashed a new wave of anti-Islam debate in his ceremonial speech to mark the 20th anniversary of unification last week when he said: ‘Christianity belongs, without doubt, in Germany. Judaism belongs, without doubt, in Germany. And by now, Islam also belongs in Germany.’
Conservatives were reacting with horror to the suggestion that Islam could be
afforded equal status to Germany’s Judaeo-Christian culture.
German conservative parties have instrumentalized the country’s growing anti-Islam
mood to further their political objectives amid an unprecedented media campaign
against Muslims in Germany.