Merkel and Multiculturalism

The world has been taken aback by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent remark that multiculturalism has "utterly failed." The statement overshadowed her support, in the same speech, for a recent comment by President Christian Wulff, that Islam is a part of Germany. The latter declaration, included in a speech to mark the anniversary of German reunification, had been widely criticized by public officials across various parties, including the CDU.

What can be observed through the chancellor’s statement is a common political tactic: an attempt to keep the public vote from moving further in a far right—and even racist—direction by adopting in some measure the same ideas. It was by following this similar logic of combating extremism that asylum laws were tightened in 1992 by the then chancellor Helmut Kohl after the republic had been shaken by violent attacks, and even murder, of asylum seekers by right-wing extremists.

This perceived movement to the right by a large part of German society (the middle classes among them) is frightening. It's encouraging the increased utterance of populist phrases by politicians, including Chancellor Merkel. For example,  the minister president of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, recently declared “Multi-Kulti is dead” and there is no more room in Germany for “alien cultures.” A recent survey by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung [PDF in German], reveals widespread Islamophobia and shows that more than half the population (and in some parts of Germany, up to 75.7 percent of the local residents) would like to see restrictions on freedom of religion for Muslims—a human right and one of the most basic principles of the German constitution.

However, possibly the most shocking finding of the survey was an increased leaning toward antidemocratic views. For example, 23.6 percent of those surveyed would like to see a "single, strong party representing the Volksgemeinschaft (national or ethnic community)" and about 10 percent would like a Führer, who could lead Germany with "a strong hand."

The survey researchers, Oliver Decker and Elmar Brähler, point to a significant rise in "antidemocratic and racist views" held by the population even before the nationwide debate triggered by the social Darwinist assumptions of Thilo Sarrazin, former member of the Executive Board of the Deutsche Bundesbank. His book Deutschland schafft sich ab ("Germany abolishes itself") states, among other things, that Muslim immigrants are genetically of lower intelligence and of higher fertility which would eventually lead to a “nation of dunces.” In spite of heavy criticism—including from the Central Council of Jews in Germany—and scientific refutation of his pseudo-scientific arguments, the book has been given broad publicity in the German media and has sold 650,000 copies to date.  Opinion polls show high acceptance of Sarrazin’s ideas among the population.

The real challenge of contemporary German politics is evident. The issue is not the perceived reluctance of Muslims to integrate but the disturbingly xenophobic and antidemocratic trends in society. The responsibility of Chancellor Merkel and other public figures lies not in confirming rhetoric, but in proactively seeking ways of enhancing an understanding of national identity. This means including all members of an increasingly diverse society, supporting a positive view towards this diversity, taking a stand against rising racism and Islamophobia, and, in the words of the president, acting as chancellor of all residents, including Muslims.