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Europe
Turkish/German cabinet minister demands 'culturally sensitive news reporting'
2010-07-23
A vignette from Eurabiaturkey. Article in German is here.
The Google translation isn't too good, and there's some background missing so I'll try to give a brief summary & comments.

Aygül Özkan is the cabinet minster for social affairs in the state government of Lower Saxony. Her minstry plans to hold a conference next month with representatives of the media in Lower Saxony attending. According to the itinerary the conference to be concluded by a public signing ceremony where these representatives are supposed to commit to a "Media Charter for Integration in Lower Saxony" (Google translation & original link.)

This Charter states that the press is "to support the integration process", and in a specific stipulation mandates "culturally sensitive language."

As for Mrs Özkan's political background: she's a member of Merkel's party. Lower Saxony is currently governed by the same parties that make up Merkel's coalition. Appointed only this year, she's the first "Turkish/German" cabinet minster in Germany.
In Germany the police departments are organized at the state (Land) level. Anyone who engages in speech that is "culturally insensitive" and whose life is subsequently under credible threat will have to rely on police protection ultimately provided by and organized by the State Government. Can you say chilling effect? Siding with Danish cartoonists or supporting Israel against Turkey just got a lot more dangerous in Lower Saxony.
Posted by:Sletle Gleregum9717

#4  It's important to distinguish the national subclasses found within Islam. The Turks see themselves as at the peak of Islamic-secular culture, and as European, compared to "Arabs", who they look at with disdain.

Even their Islamists are far more oriented to reestablishing the Sultanate, in which the Turks would again rule over the Arabs.

This is one of the reasons Germany is so much quieter than France or England. The Turks are in Germany to work, with far less inclination to welfare, unlike the North Africans in France and the Pakistanis in England.

The Turks are also much more familiar with Germany, because of their WWI alliance. They like Germans a whole lot more than Russians, their traditional enemy.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2010-07-23 18:59  

#3  To be fair to her, she's likely much closer to the traditional Kemalist elites than to Erdogan.

The ugly parts of Kemalism, i.e. ethnic hyperchauvinism, statism, authoritarian government which are on display here are not compatible with Western political culture, hence the kerfuffle.
Posted by: Sletle Gleregum9717   2010-07-23 17:24  

#2  Things are progressing quickly in EUrabia.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble   2010-07-23 16:24  

#1  Cultuerally sensitive language? Ok for me!

-Mad arab (Muhammad)
-Filthy, ignorant mullahs
-Absurd superstition (islam) who holds country backward and prevent it from integrating cilized (aka non-Muslim) countries

In case you ask these are excerpts from the "Nutuk" aka Mustafa Kemal's self biography (a 16 hours speech in fact).
Posted by: JFM   2010-07-23 14:58  

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