Turkish community in Germany
The Turkish community in Germany e. V. (TGD; Turkish Almanya Türk Toplumu ) based in Berlin-Kreuzberg is an advocacy group for Germans of Turkish origin and Turks living in Germany vis-à-vis state bodies and for public information. It was founded on December 2nd, 1995 in Hamburg.
organization
structure
The registered association is a "nationwide umbrella organization of legal entities". The TGD represents a total of 260 individual associations with around 60,000 members at federal and state level as well as in professional and professional associations. 21 members from the regional associations form the federal executive board.
Chair
The federal chairmen of the Turkish community in Germany were:
- March 20, 1994 - December 2, 1995 Ertekin Özcan
- 1995-2005 Hakkı Keskin
- 2005-2014 Kenan Kolat
- Since 2014 Safter Çinar and Gökay Sofuoglu
- Since 2015 Gökay Sofuoglu and (until 2017) Aysun Aydemir and (since 2017) Atila Karabörklü
aims
- Legal, social and political equality and equal treatment of Turkish and other ethnic groups in Germany
- Reduction of hostility towards Turks and xenophobia , Islamophobia , racism and discrimination of all kinds
- Supporting a policy of integrating the cultural minorities into German society while at the same time developing their cultural identity
- Commitment to peaceful coexistence of all people in Germany based on solidarity
- Recognition of immigrant non-Germans as equal in German society
Self-image and reception
The pluralistically designed TGD has committed itself to the liberal, democratic, social and constitutional principles of the Federal Republic of Germany and wants “independent of political and religious convictions, different associations with a conservative, liberal, social democratic and religious orientation, from workers and academics to the self-employed and business associations " capture. Critics accused the TGD of being close to the Turkish nation-state .
In 2006/2007, the TGD received more attention in German and Turkish media in connection with the “ Education for the Future ” educational offensive to increase the educational opportunities of children of Turkish origin in Germany.
Positions
Criticism of the Erdoğan government
In July 2013, the then chairman of the Turkish community, Kenan Kolat, criticized the Turkish government's violent crackdown on the demonstrators during the protests in Turkey in 2013 and called for the Republic of Turkey's accession negotiations with the European Union to be postponed . The behavior of the Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan in the course of the popular protests against him was described by Kolat as “fascistoid” and “arbitrary politics”. Fascistoid is the enforcement of Erdoğan's own interests by force.
Positioning to recognize the genocide of the Armenians
In 2010, the Turkish community in Germany protested against the German documentary Aghet - A Genocide , which was awarded the German Television Prize for Best Documentation in 2010 and describes the genocide of the Armenians using eyewitness testimony and historical documents. The then ARD chairman, Peter Boudgoust , pointed out in a public statement that the TGD's criticism of the representation was by no means shared by all Turks, like the solidarity demonstration of more than 200,000 people in Istanbul after the murder of the Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink in 2007. International historiography would see the genocide of the Armenians as proven. The genocide of the Armenians would have led to the development of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide of the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
The resolution passed by the Bundestag on June 2, 2016 to recognize the massacre of the Armenians as genocide was criticized by the TGD as a “political show”. In the opinion of the TGD federal chairman Gökay Sofuoglu, the Bundestag resolution on genocide will be rejected by 80% of Turks living in Germany.
In the course of the debate on the resolution, the association was critical of statements by the Turkish President . Erdoğan had brought members of the German Bundestag of Turkish origin close to terrorist organizations operating in Turkey and requested a blood test to prove their Turkish ancestry. The chairman of the TGD, Gökay Sofuoglu, distanced himself sharply from such statements. He described the statements as "out of place" and stressed that the definition of "people after their blood ended in 1945".
Judgment of the Federal Administrative Court on joint physical education
In September 2013, Federal Chairman Kenan Kolat welcomed the Burkini ruling by the Federal Administrative Court as "wise". Among other things, Kolat said: "I think the court has found an acceptable balance between religious freedom and educational mandate." It is important that Muslim children can participate in social life. This also includes swimming and sports lessons. The Federal Administrative Court ruled that Muslim schoolgirls can be expected to take part in swimming lessons from boys and girls.
Constitutional referendum in Turkey 2017
In its Representative Council meeting, the TGD decided unanimously to take a stand against the proposed constitutional amendment in the referendum in Turkey in 2017 . Federal chairman Gökay Sofuoglu also criticized the government's aggressive treatment of opponents of reform and the religious charge in the vote.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Turkish community in Germany: About us. Accessed on May 27, 2012
- ^ Turkish community in Germany: fact sheet (PDF; 432 kB) Retrieved on May 27, 2012
- ↑ a b dpa: Erdogan's opponents in Germany are afraid. In: FAZ.net . March 21, 2017, accessed April 13, 2020 .
- ↑ German Engagement Prize - Initiators Retrieved on March 21, 2017
- ↑ Heinemann / Schobert / Wahjudi: Handbuch Antirassismus , Essen 2002, p. 96
- ↑ Kenan Kolat calls for the negotiations to be postponed. Stern.de, accessed on July 2, 2013
- ↑ Kolat castigates Erdoğan as "fascistoid" Die Welt, June 3, 2013, accessed on July 2, 2013
- ↑ "Afete" karşı tepki seli ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Hürriyet , April 14, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2011
- ↑ AGHET - opinion of the chairman of the ARD for criticism from the Turkish side
- ↑ According to the Armenia resolution: Turkish communities seek discussion . The daily mirror . June 12, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016
- ↑ Turkish community criticizes "Politshow" in the Bundestag . The time . June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016
- ↑ Quarrel on the back of the German Turks . The world . June 9, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016
- ↑ dpa / jm: Federal government rejects criticism from Recep Tayyip Erdogan to MPs. In: welt.de . June 6, 2016, accessed April 13, 2020 .
- ↑ max / dpa: Turkish community welcomes burkini ruling. In: Spiegel Online . September 11, 2013, accessed April 13, 2020 .