ID :
139735
Sun, 08/29/2010 - 13:58
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/139735
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German central bank executive steps up Islamophobic tirade
Berlin, Aug 29, IRNA -- German central bank executive Thilo Sarrazin intensified his Islamophobic tirade amid mounting public protests over his hateful anti-Muslim outbursts.
Talking to Sunday's edition of the conservative daily Die Welt, Sarrazin blamed what he called the 'Islamic culture' for the integration problems of Muslim migrants in European countries.
The reasons for the bad integration of Muslims are 'not their ethnicity but appears to be the culture of Islam,' added the former finance minister in the city- state of Berlin and present Bundesbank board member.
Reacting to Sarrazin's ongoing Islamophobic comments over the past days, the head of Germany's Turkish community, Kenan Kolat called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to fire the Frankfurt-based central bank official from his post.
'I am calling upon the government to begin a procedure to remove Thilo Sarrazin from the board of the central bank,' Kolat told the daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau earlier in the day.
In his book 'Deutschland schafft sich ab' ('Germany does away with itself') which is set to hit the book stores on Monday, Sarrazin alleges Germany's 4.3 million Muslim community is a threat to German society.
'It is the climax of a new intellectual racism and it damages Germany's reputation abroad,' added Kolat.
Muslims groups are planning to stage mass protests in Berlin on Monday as Sarrazin is to present his new book during a press conference at the despressekonferenzhaus media center.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed against Sarrazin for inciting the public.
Critics of Sarrazin have already likened him to the Dutch Islamophobic politician Geert Wilders.
In June, Sarrazin was quoted by the German media as telling a meeting of business executives that Germany was 'becoming on average more stupid' because 'Turkish, Near and Middle Eastern and African' immigrants were poorly educated.
'There is an increase in population groups with different levels of intelligence,' the 65-year-old Social Democratic Party official added.
Sarrazin's racist remarks have caused a storm of protest across Germany's political lines with politicians calling for his resignation from all his official posts.
Reacting to the controversy, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert branded Sarrazin's disputed remarks 'defamatory and very polemic.'
Seibert added Sarrazin's comments were hurting the feelings of 'many people in this country.'
Meanwhile, Sarrazin's party leadership called for his dismissal from the SPD.
Ralf Stenger who heads the SPD in the northern state of Schleswig Holstein said he 'would welcome, if Thilo Sarrazin leaves the party.'
Another prominent SPD member, Michael Mueller, has meanwhile said “the renewed provocation by Sarrazin was without question intolerable.”
Mueller pointed out Sarrazin had already been warned to restrain himself after an earlier racial blowup but that he had obviously not learnt his lesson.
The banker triggered also a major scandal last year after he made derogatory comments in a magazine interview about Berlin's sizeable Turkish and Arab communities.
Sarrazin had to apologize for saying many of Berlin's Arab and Turkish immigrants have 'no production, other than trading fruit and vegetable.'
The leader of the opposition Green party, Claudia Roth, also lashed out at Sarrazin, while urging the Bundesbank to fire the board member.
“I wonder how much longer the Bundesbank is prepared to tolerate such an agitator and right-wing populist on its board,” she was quoted saying in the press.
Roth added that for the Bundesbank – one of the country's most important public institutions – having a leading member with such an attitude was simply unacceptable./end
Talking to Sunday's edition of the conservative daily Die Welt, Sarrazin blamed what he called the 'Islamic culture' for the integration problems of Muslim migrants in European countries.
The reasons for the bad integration of Muslims are 'not their ethnicity but appears to be the culture of Islam,' added the former finance minister in the city- state of Berlin and present Bundesbank board member.
Reacting to Sarrazin's ongoing Islamophobic comments over the past days, the head of Germany's Turkish community, Kenan Kolat called on Chancellor Angela Merkel to fire the Frankfurt-based central bank official from his post.
'I am calling upon the government to begin a procedure to remove Thilo Sarrazin from the board of the central bank,' Kolat told the daily newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau earlier in the day.
In his book 'Deutschland schafft sich ab' ('Germany does away with itself') which is set to hit the book stores on Monday, Sarrazin alleges Germany's 4.3 million Muslim community is a threat to German society.
'It is the climax of a new intellectual racism and it damages Germany's reputation abroad,' added Kolat.
Muslims groups are planning to stage mass protests in Berlin on Monday as Sarrazin is to present his new book during a press conference at the despressekonferenzhaus media center.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit has been filed against Sarrazin for inciting the public.
Critics of Sarrazin have already likened him to the Dutch Islamophobic politician Geert Wilders.
In June, Sarrazin was quoted by the German media as telling a meeting of business executives that Germany was 'becoming on average more stupid' because 'Turkish, Near and Middle Eastern and African' immigrants were poorly educated.
'There is an increase in population groups with different levels of intelligence,' the 65-year-old Social Democratic Party official added.
Sarrazin's racist remarks have caused a storm of protest across Germany's political lines with politicians calling for his resignation from all his official posts.
Reacting to the controversy, German government spokesman Steffen Seibert branded Sarrazin's disputed remarks 'defamatory and very polemic.'
Seibert added Sarrazin's comments were hurting the feelings of 'many people in this country.'
Meanwhile, Sarrazin's party leadership called for his dismissal from the SPD.
Ralf Stenger who heads the SPD in the northern state of Schleswig Holstein said he 'would welcome, if Thilo Sarrazin leaves the party.'
Another prominent SPD member, Michael Mueller, has meanwhile said “the renewed provocation by Sarrazin was without question intolerable.”
Mueller pointed out Sarrazin had already been warned to restrain himself after an earlier racial blowup but that he had obviously not learnt his lesson.
The banker triggered also a major scandal last year after he made derogatory comments in a magazine interview about Berlin's sizeable Turkish and Arab communities.
Sarrazin had to apologize for saying many of Berlin's Arab and Turkish immigrants have 'no production, other than trading fruit and vegetable.'
The leader of the opposition Green party, Claudia Roth, also lashed out at Sarrazin, while urging the Bundesbank to fire the board member.
“I wonder how much longer the Bundesbank is prepared to tolerate such an agitator and right-wing populist on its board,” she was quoted saying in the press.
Roth added that for the Bundesbank – one of the country's most important public institutions – having a leading member with such an attitude was simply unacceptable./end
