The Merkel government should nip growing xenophobia in the bud
Germany’s recent commemoration of the 20th anniversary of unification was marred by a startling report on the rise of German xenophobia. Conducted by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a research organization associated with the opposition Social Democratic Party, the study found that public attitudes regarding immigration increasingly reflect anti-foreigner sentiment. In August, a former central bank executive named Thilo Sarrazin published Germany Does Away With Itself, an incendiary book which argued that Muslim immigrants refuse to integrate and abuse welfare. For Germany to avoid the international ostracism that has accompanied other European countries’ anti-Muslim efforts, Chancellor Angela Merkel must reassert control of her coalition and reaffirm the government’s commitment to open immigration.
Rise of the Right
The rise of xenophobia in Germany has complicated roots, but a significant contributing factor, according to Professor Michael Windzio, a professor of sociology at the University of Bremen, has been the negative post-9/11 portrayal of Muslims in the German media. As Windzio told the HPR, “On average, the attitudes in the German population are based on strongly biased information.” He argues that news reports and tabloids tend to take particularly unfriendly stances towards Muslim immigrants.
The performance of the German economy after the global financial crisis has only made things worse, although Germany has actually outperformed its European neighbors. At the height of the financial crisis, many Germans grew resentful of what they perceived as immigrants’ abuse of their generous social welfare system. In fact, one poll found that 75 percent of Germans living in the eastern half of the country, which was hit hardest by the recession, agreed that Muslims should face restrictions in practicing their religion. Nearly 60 percent of Germans as a whole said the same, still a solid majority.
In a sense these results are to be expected. Professor Jeffrey Anderson, a professor of government at Georgetown University, told the HPR, “The last two years have registered the worst economic performance indicators since the Great Depression, so it is not at all surprising that anti-foreigner attitudes in Germany are peaking.” There is some hope that as Germany recovers, having weathered the crisis relatively well, xenophobia will begin to recede.
No Party Line
Germany’s surge in xenophobia is not unique in Central Europe, as evidenced by the minaret ban in Switzerland and the strong performance of Austrian right-wing parties in recent elections. However, Germany is unique in lacking a clear stance on the issue from the party in power, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats. The party’s line on the integration of Germany’s seven million foreigners—four million of them Muslim—is hard to discern and sometimes even seems contradictory.
On one hand, Merkel famously declared, “Multiculturalism has failed.” And Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer has proposed banning Muslim immigration altogether. In sharp contrast, newly elected President Christian Wulff called for greater unity: “Without doubt Christianity and Judaism belong to Germany. That is our Judeo-Christian tradition. But without doubt Islam belongs to Germany.“ These opposing voices within the CDU/CSU hint at a split leadership. This transparent discrepancy will only diminish the government’s credibility and electoral support in the long run.
Diversifying the Coalition
In the short term, the CDU/CSU has to regain a common party voice and resist pandering with populism. Eventually, though, the Christian Democrats need to diversify their ranks to include politicians more representative of increasingly prominent Germany minority groups. The Muslim electorate might feel more accommodated if they had a representative, easing tensions and encouraging assimilation. Philip Rösler, the Federal Minister of Health, a member of the Free Democratic Party, and the first Asian-born cabinet member, has served as a national face for the German-Asian community. Similarly, a Muslim minister would provide Muslims with a sense of political leadership. An influential Muslim politician would also help counteract sensationalist media tendencies and combat xenophobic tendencies among certain government officials.
However, anti-foreigner attitudes are no longer limited to extremist groups, but have entered the mainstream. As Geraldine Jowett, a German freshman at Harvard College, told the HPR, “It has become more socially acceptable to be openly anti-Muslim today than it was five years ago.” If such attitudes continue to infect moderate politics, Germany risks becoming internationally stigmatized and scorned, as Switzerland was after its minaret ban. Only Angela Merkel can assert the leadership needed to prevent German politics from succumbing to populist xenophobia. Right now, though, her government’s contradictory stances leave her ability to do this in doubt.
Martin Steinbauer ’14 is a Contributing Writer.
Photo Credit: Flickr (smitty42)