The German Government’s Policy on Islam and Its Reflections on Turks in Germany

Abstract

Turkish-origin people living in Germany have always been a subject of discussion, since there is a significant Turkish population that mostly immigrated in 1960’s with labor agreements. There are also other Muslim populations in Germany, such as African, Iranian, and Palestinian, however, Turkish Muslims living in Germany are the most populous migrant group in Germany and a popular target for anti-Muslim racism. This study focuses on German policies towards Islam and Muslims living in Germany. Before deeply analyzing the German Federal Government’s policy on Islam, there is a discussion about the kind of Islam that would be appreciated by Germany. Accordingly, an evaluation of the perception of Islam in Germany using the example Muslim Turks in Germany follows. Meanwhile, in the subsequent section, there is a discussion about the German Islam Conference and its outputs. The German Islam Conference is one of German politicians’ important projects for the integration of Muslims into Germany. In order to understand what Germany really wants to attain, either the empowerment or the assimilation of Muslims, the study focuses on discourse and aims to shed light on the current situation of the perception of Islam in Germany, as well as how Turks are affected by this discourse.