Reading: "Turkish Islam in Germany: A Problematic Tradition or the Fifth Project of Constitutional Patriotism?"
Author: Heiko Henkel
This piece discusses the conflicts Turkish Muslims are having in Germany, as well as some possible reasons why those conflicts are occurring. Henkel writes that since the fall of the Soviet Union and the appearance of many new nation-states that occurred after that, culture has become the new basis for social identity, not race, at least in Europe. There are many in Germany, and elsewhere in Europe that believe that Islam and Western Secularism are incompatible, and use this "otherness" as justification for discrimination. The article also talks about the writer Ralph Giordano who believes Islamism is a mortal threat to Western society and culture, and believes that "European culture"is the rightful recipient of his allegiance. The article then goes on to discuss the Four Projects of Constitutional Patriotism, which is the constitutional order under which German government and society operate. These are: Nationalism, Liberalism, Socialism, and Christianity. The author believes, however, that Islamic tradition can be seen as another, unincorporated, facet of this project.
I think this article is very thought-provoking because it makes one think about what one's culture really means, and how a shift in culture can be met with serious backlash. In other words, what does it really mean to be German, or for that matter, American. Are these concepts something tangible? Or are these notions of cultural identity evolving into something new every day? And if so, is that a bad thing?
I also found this to be an interesting article. One of the things I thought about while reading was whether a lot of these European countries that are undergoing the same cultural issues as Germany is a result of how homogenous Europe had become. Is this something America already went through and still goes through, that Europe will now experience? Or are these cultural issues deeper and more problematic in the mixing of these cultural identities.
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