Deutschland: Fremdenfeindlicher #Terrorismus: Brandanschlag auf #Asylbewerber in #Salzhemmendorf | NDR ow.ly/RtXOa
Tag: contemporary Germany
#Deutschland: Studie der TU Dresden zu #Pegida – W…
#Deutschland: Studie der TU Dresden zu #Pegida – Wer geht zu PEGIDA und warum? ow.ly/HlVYB
Deutschland: #Legida: Der Hass von #Leipzig | ZEIT…
Deutschland: #Legida: Der Hass von #Leipzig | ZEIT zeit.de/politik/deutsc…
#Deutschland-Fail des Tages: Stadt Schwerte will F…
#Deutschland-Fail des Tages: Stadt Schwerte will Flüchtlinge in KZ-Außenstelle unterbringen | MDR.DE ow.ly/Hc7cG
#Germany: Six stories that will grip Germany in #2…
#Germany: Six stories that will grip Germany in #2015 | The Local ow.ly/GMXON
:D How to Be German in 25 Easy Steps – http://t.co…
😀 How to Be German in 25 Easy Steps – unorderedlistadventures.blogspot.de/2012/11/how-to… #Germany
#Germany sold €40 million of arms to #Russia in 20…
#Germany sold €40 million of arms to #Russia in 2012 | The Local m.thelocal.de/20140423/germa…
#Germany Ten things you should do in a German offi…
#Germany Ten things you should do in a German office – Europe’s News in English – m.thelocal.de/20140505/germa… #OfficeCulture
Deutschland: Bogida-Initiatorin Dittmer: “Es ist u…
Deutschland: Bogida-Initiatorin Dittmer: “Es ist unerheblich, ob es den Holocaust gegeben hat” – m.spiegel.de/panorama/gesel… #Antisemitismus
#Deutschland: Falscher #Pegida-Demonstrant: RTL fe…
#Deutschland: Falscher #Pegida-Demonstrant: RTL feuert seinen Reporter Felix R. – faz.net/aktuell/feuill…
#Deutschland: Video: #Pegida: Die Interviews in vo…
#Deutschland: Video: #Pegida: Die Interviews in voller Länge, Teil II | Das Erste ow.ly/GeKMJ
#Deutschland: Was Leute bei #PEGIDA so von sich ge…
#Deutschland: Was Leute bei #PEGIDA so von sich geben – Kontaktversuch: “Lügenpresse” trifft Pegida | Panorama |NDR ow.ly/GaeTN
#Deutschland: stern-Reporterin auf #Pegida-Demo: “…
#Deutschland: stern-Reporterin auf #Pegida-Demo: “Na, du linksintellektuelle Prostituierte!” | STERN.DE Mobile – mobil.stern.de/politik/deutsc…
#Germany: Police see rise in far right extremism:…
#Germany: Police see rise in far right extremism: report |The Local ow.ly/G25Xj #RightWingExtremism
#Germany: Merkel slams ‘mud-slinging’ anti-Islam d…
#Germany: Merkel slams ‘mud-slinging’ anti-Islam demo | The Local ow.ly/G25Ro #RightWingPopulism
#Germany: Cops fear clashes as anti-Islam demos gr…
#Germany: Cops fear clashes as anti-Islam demos grow | The Local ow.ly/G25Lq #RightWingPopulism
#Deutschland: extra 3 zum #CSU-Vorschlag, alle sol…
#Deutschland: extra 3 zum #CSU-Vorschlag, alle sollten zu Hause deutsch sprechen: Hochdeutsch für Anfänger ow.ly/FK8dF #Satire
Deutschland: Die Satiresendung extra 3 hat sich ma…
Deutschland: Die Satiresendung extra 3 hat sich mal in Dresden bei #Pegida umgesehen –> Großes Kino ow.ly/FK707
#Deutschland: Studie: Jeder vierte Ostdeutsche übe…
#Deutschland: Studie: Jeder vierte Ostdeutsche überqualifiziert neues-deutschland.de/artikel/955066… #Arbeitsmarkt
#Deutschland – Pegida, Dügida & Hogesa: Die un…
#Deutschland – Pegida, Dügida & Hogesa: Die unerwünschten „Retter des Abendlandes“ | Handelsblatt ow.ly/FBoLE
Studie “#Deutschland postmigrantisch“ | detektor.f…
Studie “#Deutschland postmigrantisch“ | detektor.fm ” identifikationsstarkes Selbstbild deutscher Bürger” pca.st/QDdg
#Germany: German Coalition Party in Immigrant Lang…
#Germany: German Coalition Party in Immigrant Language Storm | DW English #migration ow.ly/FCeBi
#Germany: Dresden sees protests against migration…
#Germany: Dresden sees protests against migration and anti-racist counter-protests DW English #xenophobia ow.ly/FBP2r
#Germany: German Government May Say ‘Nein’ To Afte…
#Germany: German Government May Say ‘Nein’ To After Work Emails : Parallels : NPR ow.ly/Fxw5X
Germany: Far-right agenda gains ground in middle c…
Germany: Far-right agenda gains ground in middle class | The Local ow.ly/F9O2B
Deutschland: Die CSU meint: Wo kämen wir denn da h…
Deutschland: Die CSU meint: Wo kämen wir denn da hin, wenn Migrant*innen zu Hause (!) wagen, eine andere Sprache als deutsch zu sprechen.
Deutschland: m( Mehrsprachigkeit, wie schlimm! #CS…
Deutschland: m( Mehrsprachigkeit, wie schlimm! #CSU #Bayern: Migranten sollen im Wohnzimmer deutsch sprechen | SpOn ow.ly/FsGsN
Germany: Bertelsmann study finds migrants to Germa…
Germany: Bertelsmann study finds migrants to Germany creating a €22 billion surplus to social funding | The Local ow.ly/F9FVH
Deutschland: Gewalttat in #Offenbach: Studentin er…
Deutschland: Gewalttat in #Offenbach: Studentin erliegt ihren Verletzungen | SpOn #Zivilcourage ow.ly/F18Vp
Only in #Germany (because Ordnung muss sein): Sand…
Only in #Germany (because Ordnung muss sein): Sandcastles verboten on German beach | The Local buff.ly/Y00YzD
German Muslim Shooting King May Lose Title Because He Is Not A Christian

Many people in Germany still have difficulties facing the reality of modern-day Germany as a country of immigration. And sometimes, the discourse about what it means to be German, about multiculturalism, assimilation, and diversity tends towards the patently absurd.
Case in point: A German Muslim man who recently became the Shooting King at his shooting club in a town in North Rhine-Westphalia is threatened by the prospect of losing his title because the statute of that club requires the Shooting King to be a Christian.
Schützenvereine (marksmen clubs), which generally tend to be a somewhat different affair from the American gun culture, are widely seen as a tradition of rural Germany. Growing up in the north-western part of Germany, my impression was that this pastime is the essence of a rather conservative-leaning, predominantly rural culture. I never took part in it, but if you go outside of the big cities, you will certainly notice that it exists.
If you were to assemble a stereotypical if benevolent image of ‘the Germans’ north of Bavaria, those shooting clubs and their parades from village to village in celebration of the new Shooting King and Queen would be a perfect ingredient.
Fun memory from my youth: Schützenvereine may parade through several nearby villages with a marching band very early on a Saturday morning to pick up the shooting king. Good luck with getting some sleep.
So what we have here is a ‘new German’ guy who in some respects is out-Germaning the ‘Biodeutschen’—a fairly new term describing those other Germans without a relatively recent family history of migration, without ‘funny-sounding’ (to the majority) names, and/or a different religion.
And yet, some people still see a problem in someone like him successfully pursuing this ultra-German hobby.
Just as other, larger institutions in German society need to attune to the reality of an increasingly diverse population, smaller ones on a communal level should go in that direction as well.
Germany should become more welcoming and open towards all people who wish to participate in civil society in a positive manner, and not discriminate against somebody just because they differ in some aspect from the majority of society.
I say that Germany has nothing to fear from a shooting king who happens to be Muslim, too.
[Update (link in German)]:
The shooting club is now making “an exception” so that he is allowed to keep his title but he is not allowed to shoot. Not much better, if you ask me.
Read more:
“Muslim shooting king could be stripped of title.” The Local Germany, 2014/08/04.
Mehr lesen:
“Muslimischer Schützenkönig: “Ein Stück aus dem Tollhaus”.” Spiegel Online, 04.08.2014.
“Muslimischer Schützenkönig: “Er muss nicht zurücktreten”.” Spiegel Online, 04.08.2014.
#Germany: Foreigners less likely to get jobs than…
#Germany: Foreigners less likely to get jobs than Germans, Eurostat finds | The Local #GermanEconomy buff.ly/1xEkHQ8
#Germany: World Cup victory makes Germans thirsty…
#Germany: World Cup victory makes Germans thirsty | The Local #GermanEconomy buff.ly/1rSQf6B
#Germany: Maybe the worst reason to learn German,…
#Germany: Maybe the worst reason to learn German, but still: Robber fails because he can’t speak German | The Local ow.ly/zKkUB
#Germany m( of the day (check your mailing lists,…
#Germany m( of the day (check your mailing lists, people!): Dead TV star replies to SPD party invite | The Local ow.ly/zKl0q
ZEIT-Journalisten lassen #Lobbyismus-Beitrag per e…
ZEIT-Journalisten lassen #Lobbyismus-Beitrag per einstweiliger Verfügung aus der ZDF-Mediathek löschen | taz #Medien ow.ly/zJCPX
Wie soll das ohne Vollbeschäftigung funktionieren?…
Wie soll das ohne Vollbeschäftigung funktionieren?: Arbeitgeber halten Langzeitarbeitslose für unmotiviert | SZ ow.ly/zgYjY
#NSA-Ausschuss will Schreibmaschinen zum Schutz vo…
#NSA-Ausschuss will Schreibmaschinen zum Schutz vor #Spionage | heise online #Überwachung buff.ly/1rdIAze
Unappetitliche Folge des deutschen WM-Siegs : Nazi…
Unappetitliche Folge des deutschen WM-Siegs : Nazi-Weltmeister-Shirts auf Amazon mit “Endsieg” etc. | Nerdcore ow.ly/zckO5
German Interior Minister Buries NSA Scandal
“Ich will gerne nochmal unterstreichen, dass unsere [deutsch-amerikanischen] Beziehungen wichtiger sind als das schwierige Thema NSA.” – Thomas deMaizière, deutscher Innenminister
“I would like to underscore, once again, that our German-American relations are more important than the difficult issue of the NSA.” – Thomas deMaizière, German Interior Minister
Interaktive Karte zu #NSU: Die Orte des Terrors |…
Interaktive Karte zu #NSU: Die Orte des Terrors | ZEIT #Neonazis #Terrorismus ow.ly/wBOc5
#NSA-Untersuchungsausschuss: #Deutschland müsste #…
#NSA-Untersuchungsausschuss: #Deutschland müsste #Snowden nicht an die USA ausliefern | ZEIT ow.ly/wBOre
Cold Turkey – How #Germany Could End Russian Gas D…
Cold Turkey – How #Germany Could End Russian Gas Dependency via @SPIEGELONLINE #Russia #Europe #Ukraine ow.ly/wA3qg
Chancellor #Merkel Sacrifices #NSA Investigation f…
Chancellor #Merkel Sacrifices #NSA Investigation for Unity on #Ukraine – SPIEGEL ONLINE ow.ly/wz7uA
German #antisemitism is still strongest in states…
German #antisemitism is still strongest in states that gave the [original] Nazis early support | Quartz #Germany ow.ly/wsTcU
[Video] The Dispute Over the Transatlantic Free Tr…
[Video] The Dispute Over the Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement | Deutsche Welle #TTIP ow.ly/wsSCa
Geschäfte mit dem #Iran: Deutsche Börse im Visier…
Geschäfte mit dem #Iran: Deutsche Börse im Visier von US-Ermittlern | Handelsblatt #Deutschland ow.ly/wsUG1
MT @gibro: “sicher FÜHLEN” mit der #CDU – Kommunal…
MT @gibro: “sicher FÜHLEN” mit der #CDU – Kommunalwahl ist so unerbittlich ehrlich. instagram.com/p/nlG46-BdPn/
Euro-Trash-Talk: Silvio Berlusconi, Contemporary Germany, And The Holocaust

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a very colorful figure in European politics, to put it in the most friendly way possible. In fact, he is a convicted criminal, sentenced for tax fraud. But that is not my topic here.
Silvio’s assorted Nazi comparisons
Berlusconi has a record of inflammatory statements regarding contemporary Germany’s dealing with its Nazi past.
In 2003, Berlusconi addressed German social democratic MEP Martin Schulz, suggesting he might be a good fit for playing a concentration camp guard in a Holocaust movie.
Now, in the context of the 2014 elections for the European Parliament, Berlusconi claimed that “[for] the Germans, [. . .], concentration camps never existed.”
Mainstream contemporary Germany does not deny the Holocaust
This is of course factually wrong when talking about Germany in 2014—which Berlusconi did. And frankly, it is quite offensive to the majority of contemporary Germans who are not Holocaust deniers (including myself). If you should happen to be in Germany, just turn on a TV and you will notice that public television stations regularly broadcast documentaries about all kinds of aspects of Nazi Germany, including the Holocaust.
In case you did not know, Holocaust denial is also a punishable offence under German law.
Now there are actual valid debates about Germany’s dealings with its past and reasonable criticisms of phenomena like racism and antisemitism in contemporary Germany. There are, for instance, discussions about the ‘unburdening’ function the official national ‘culture of remembrance’ serves for the wider German society.
Berlusconi, apologist of Italian fascism
That being said, Silvio Berlusconi is neither a man interested in nor qualified to contribute to those debates. As a chief apologist for Italian fascism—his convenient narrative claiming that ‘good’ Italian fascists were merely misled by Hitler and the German Nazis—Berlusconi discredits himself from the get-go.
This is a cheap provocation, a misrepresentation of history, and a vulgar spewing of bile by perhaps the most pompuous political clown of Europe.
What repulses me especially is that Berlusconi is not above exploiting this most serious issue for cheap political points. I think the political culture of Italy and Europe would improve if he did us all a favor and moved on into retirement.
#Ukraine Crisis Sparks Debate in #Germany Over #Ru…
#Ukraine Crisis Sparks Debate in #Germany Over #Russia Actions | WSJ.com ow.ly/vQBdy
The Meteoric Political Rise of Palestinian Immigra…
The Meteoric Political Rise of Palestinian Immigrant #RaedSaleh – SPIEGEL ONLINE #Berlin #Germany ow.ly/vKDnb
Deutscher Stand-up Comedian feiert Erfolge in Groß…
Deutscher Stand-up Comedian feiert Erfolge in Großbritannien – Henning Wehn: Unser deutscher Narr | ZEIT #Deutschland ow.ly/vJFuh
Dafuq? #Neonazis gehen in #Krümelmonster-Kostüm au…
Dafuq? #Neonazis gehen in #Krümelmonster-Kostüm auf Kinderfang | FOCUS #Deutschland #Propaganda #Brandenburg ow.ly/vI8wQ
This is messed up! #CookieMonster puts down the co…
This is messed up! #CookieMonster puts down the cookie jar and picks up the #NeoNazi #propaganda | Guardian #Germany ow.ly/vI8qY
Sicilian #Mafia Infiltrates German Construction Bu…
Sicilian #Mafia Infiltrates German Construction Business – SPIEGEL ONLINE #Germany #organizedcrime ow.ly/vD14p
How Western Is #Germany? Conflict with #Russia Rai…
How Western Is #Germany? Conflict with #Russia Raises Buried Questions of German Identity | SpOn #Ukraine #Crimea ow.ly/vD0Jw
Anti-euro party turns anti-feminist – The Local #G…
Anti-euro party turns anti-feminist – The Local #Germany #AfD ow.ly/vu7SZ
German cabinet approves national #minimumwage – Th…
German cabinet approves national #minimumwage – The Local #Germany buff.ly/1jY7P65
Bundesregierung billigt #Mindestlohn – SPIEGEL ONL…
Bundesregierung billigt #Mindestlohn – SPIEGEL ONLINE buff.ly/1jY801i
Historic #Tempelhof airport set to be site of gran…
Historic #Tempelhof airport set to be site of grand #Berlin library | Guardian #Germany ow.ly/uT72a
“Berlin is caught between the future and the past”…
“Berlin is caught between the future and the past” Hitler’s Airport – Nathaniel Rich |The Atlantic #Berlin #Tempelhof ow.ly/uT76O
Cocaine Shipment En Route to #Vatican Seized by Ge…
Cocaine Shipment En Route to #Vatican Seized by German Officials at #Leipzig airport | Mediaite #Germany ow.ly/uTIeJ
Arbeitsgericht: Religionslehrer darf kein Bordellbesitzer sein

Ich vermute mal (ohne empirische Erkenntnisse zu haben), dass die Schnittmenge zwischen den Berufsgruppen der Religionslehrer*innen und Bordellbesitzer*innen in Deutschland nicht besonders groß ist.
Aber jetzt gibt es einen Rechtsfall zu genau diesem Thema. Das Arbeitsgericht Karlsruhe hat klargestellt, dass ein Religionslehrer nicht gleichzeitig Bordellbesitzer sein darf.
Was war geschehen? Die israelitische Religionsgemeinschaft Baden hatte einem Religionslehrer gekündigt, nachdem sie erfahren hatte, dass in einer von jenem vermieteten Immobilie sechs Jahre lang ein Bordell betrieben wurde.
Germany’s U-Turn On Tuition Fees
Germany reverses tuition fees

Interesting article in the Times of Higher Education about Germany’s reversal on introducing tuition fees for attending university.
“Germany’s great tuition fees U-turn.” (Times Higher Education, 2014/02/14)
A New Book About Jewish Identity In Contemporary Germany
A new book about Jewish identity in contemporary Germany
I just came across an interesting article in the Atlantic about Jewish identity in contemporary Germany and how today’s young generations in Germany relate to the Holocaust. In his new book, author Yasha Mounk’s puts forth the theory “that people understand themselves and others through their genetic ties to history’s victims and oppressors.”
Read more:
“Are Today’s Germans Morally Responsible for the Holocaust?” (Emma Green, The Atlantic, 2014/01/22)