You think Islamophobia is bad in America? Quite possibly it is worse in Europe. The Swiss voted to prohibit minarets in a public referendum. In France Sarkozy is scoring political points by going after the handful of Muslim women who wear full veils in public. Now, in Germany, a controversial managing director of the central bank, Thilo Serazzin, has poured fuel on the fire by publishing a book attacking Islam and the Muslim population in Germany.
Der Spiegelhas a report in English:
In the excerpts that have been published, Sarrazin writes that Germany's Muslim immigrant families have profited from social welfare payments to a far greater degree than they have contributed to German prosperity. He also has raised the spectre of the country's Muslim population, due to what he claims are much higher birth rates among immigrants, soon overtaking that of the country's "autochthonous" population -- a term roughly synonymous with "indigenous."
The assertion that Muslim women are "dropping" more babies than German women is, of course, false. Studies have shown that immigrants rather quickly adopt the fertility rates of their new home. But the facts don't stop Serrazin from spreading fear that burqa-wearing women will be swarming the streets of Frankfurt and Berlin:
"I don't want the country of my grandchildren and great grandchildren to be largely Muslim, or that Turkish or Arabic will be spoken in large areas, that women will wear headscarves and the daily rhythm is set by the call of the muezzin. If I want to experience that, I can just take a vacation in the Orient."
Serrazin has even said publicly that Germany is growing "dumber" by the day due to the infusion of low IQ Muslims.
Unfortunately Serrazin's sentiments are shared by many Germans, just a many Americans are fearful of Muslims and immigrants in general. But there is one big difference between Germany and US: virtually all of Germany's political leaders have criticized Serrazin for his inflammatory statements - including German chancellor Angela Merkel:
Chancellor Angela Merkel is likewise unimpressed. Through her spokesman Steffen Seibert, she said on Wednesday that Sarrazin's offerings were "extremely injurious, defamatory and very polemical." She also called them "completely unhelpful" and said that "a different tone is necessary.
Serrazin is actually a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and today the head of the SPD called for his expulsion from the party. Can you imagine John Boehner calling for Newt Gingrich to be expelled from the Republican Party for his comment equating Muslims with Nazis?