Islamic associations criticize passage in CDU platform
A radical change of system in asylum policy, commitments to the German "Leitkultur" and nuclear power: the changes in the CDU's new basic program are far-reaching. There has been particular criticism of a passage on the treatment of Muslims.
Islamic associations have criticized the passages on Muslims in the draft for the new CDU platform. The chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, Aiman Mazyek, accused the CDU of fishing on the right-wing fringes of the electorate with the phrase "Muslims who share our values belong to Germany". "Cheating on the AfD wasn't particularly clever at school," he told Stern magazine. "Incidentally, experience shows that voters will ultimately vote for the original."
The German Islamic Council also criticized the passage: "Such discussions are exclusionary and lead to confusion," its chairman Burhan Kesici told the magazine. "Such statements make it difficult for Muslims to identify with Germany."
The draft for the CDU's new basic program presented on Monday argues that the fight against extremism is aimed at those who incite hatred and violence and strive for an Islamist order. "Sharia law does not belong to Germany," it says. And further: "Muslims who share our values belong to Germany." The CDU is thus also distancing itself from a statement by the then Federal President Christian Wulff, who said in 2010: "Islam is now also part of Germany."
The CDU draft also provides for a commitment to a "guiding culture" for all citizens in Germany. This includes respect for the dignity of every human being, fundamental and human rights, the rule of law, respect and tolerance as well as recognition of Israel's right to exist.
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The CDU's stance on Muslims in its new platform has attracted criticism from Islamic associations, with the Central Council of Muslims in Germany condemning the party's attempt to appeal to right-wing voters. Similarly, the German Islamic Council has expressed concern that such statements create an exclusionary atmosphere for Muslims in Germany.
Source: www.ntv.de
