Currently, we are yet again worried about if and how Islam can be integrated into German society. Our Federal Chancellor said it can only happen if Islam does not clash with the German Cultural Identity.
Well, I still do not know what our average German politician means when he says German Cultural Identity. There is a nice Wikipedia article about it. But it looks like the politicians never read it. Otherwise, they would not say all those stupid things. Yet this is not the only reason why I am really fed up with the never-ending and now again current discussion.
Should we really remember the occidental and Christian-Jewish values of our Cultural Identity? And then add the Islamic roots to our Cultural Identity? Basically, the idea makes sense. After all, Islam, Christianity and Judaism all belong to one monotheistic religious family.
However, I wish for something other than a German Cultural Identity. I wish for an European Target Culture based on the ideals of humanism and enlightenment. A target culture which takes human dignity, freedom, equality and justice seriously.
Incidentally, you can also find the concept of an European Target Culture (Europäische Leitkultur) in Wikipedia. It contains:
- Precedence of rationality (Vernunft) over religious revelation (Offenbarung),
- democracy (Demokratie) based on the separation of religion and politics (Trennung von Religion und Politik),
- pluralism (Pluralismus)
- and tolerance (Toleranz).
Now that is some target culture, isn’t it?
But our politicians should really stop talking (allegedly) populist and thoughtlessly. And it would be nice if they were to return to taking care of the interest of the state and the needs of the people living in this state.
As far as religions are concerned, it would be nice if they saw to it that the state respects what is guaranteed in the constitution. Part of which is the freedom of worship. And this is true for all: Christians, Jews and Moslems, as well as followers of Buddha or of Hinduism. And, of course, it is also true for all other religions. Also for atheists (Atheisten) and agnostics (Agnostiker). Incidentally, it seems that the two last mentioned groups together probably represent the highest number of people in Germany.
RMD
(Translated by EG)
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