(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Germany's Angela Merkel said yesterday Islam "belonged in Germany", in a clear repudiation of anti-immigration protesters gathering in Dresden and other cities.
A day after walking arm-in-arm with French President Francois Hollande at the front of a massive march in Paris to honour the victims of killings by Islamic militants, the chancellor received the Turkish prime minister and urged dialogue among religions.
Merkel pointed to comments made by former German president Christian Wulff, who said in 2010 that Islam was part of Germany, triggering a fierce debate.
"Former president Wulff said Islam belongs in Germany. That is true. I also hold this opinion," Merkel said at a news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who also took part in the Paris march on Sunday.
She was speaking hours before marches by a movement dubbed Pegida, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West, were due to begin in several German cities.
Such demonstrations, launched in Dresden, have been dwarfed by counter-protests. Merkel has said Pegida's rallies are organised by people with "hatred in their hearts".
Merkel said her government was doing everything it could to ensure migrants were being successfully integrated into German society regardless of their religion.
But she acknowledged the need for better dialogue between religions, praising Muslims for publicly rejecting the use of violence after the Paris killings and calling Turkey an ally in the fight against terrorism.
She and Davutoglu announced that their governments would begin regular German-Turkish consultations, a format in which the cabinets meet once a year and which is reserved for some of Berlin's closest allies, like Israel and France.
Merkel and other German politicians are due to take part in a solemn vigil at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin tonight. Muslim organisations called the event to remember the victims of Islamist militant attacks on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher shop in Paris.
Davutoglu said it was important to combat all forms of Islamophobia in Germany. Nearly two in three of the 4mn Muslims in Germany are of Turkish origin. Roughly half are German citizens.
The Central Council of Muslims in Germany, one of several groups representing the interests of the community, called the vigil under the banner "Let's be there for each other. Terror: not in our names!"
"We Muslims in Germany condemn the despicable terror attacks in France in the strongest terms," the groups said in the invitation to the event, which is co-sponsored by the Turkish Community of Berlin. "There is no justification in Islam for such acts."
"Those who use racist and Islamophobic slogans strengthen the rabble-rousers, inciters of hatred and terrorists," the organisers of today's rally said.
Pegida leaders asked participants at yesterday's march to wear black armbands and observe a minute's silence for "the victims of terrorism in Paris".
The call drew accusations that Pegida was trying to exploit the bloodshed in Paris to whip up hatred against Muslims.
Davutoglu mentioned recent attacks on mosques and rising Islamophobia in Europe and stressed that terrorist attacks should not be allowed to drive a wedge between people of different faiths.
He praised the achievements of Germany's people of Turkish origin as a "success story" and called for more cooperation in education and culture, but also closer political ties.
He reiterated Ankara's long-held stance that Turkey, a mainly Muslim country that straddles Europe and Asia, should one day be able to join the European Union.
"If Turkey one day is part of the European Union, this will be a good signal for Europe and for the people of Europe and a very good signal of peace for the whole world," he said.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.