Interior Minister: Islam "does not belong" in Germany

PanARMENIAN.Net - Chancellor Angela Merkel's newly appointed Interior Minister has reignited an already-heated immigration debate by insisting that Islam "does not belong" in Germany – a country with a resident population of four million Muslims.

Hans-Peter Friedrich took office only last week in a cabinet reshuffle, but his outspoken views have provoked instant condemnation from opposition MPs and a vitriolic response from Islamic groups which have branded them a "slap in the face for all Muslims".

"To say that Islam belongs in Germany is not a fact supported by history", Mr Friedrich said. At the weekend, he underlined his position, insisting that immigrants ought to be aware of their host country's "Western Christian origins" and learn German "first and foremost".

Mr Friedrich, who belongs to the Bavarian wing of Ms Merkel's ruling Christian Democrats, a group known for its opposition to Muslim immigration, insisted in a speech that his stance was meant to bring "society together and not polarize it".

He said he looked forward to discussing his position with Germany's predominantly Turkish Muslims at a government-sponsored Islamic conference at the end of the month. The minister was appointed a day after Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Germany's popular Defense Minister, was forced to resign over a scandal in which he was found to have plagiarized large sections of his university doctorate.

In an attempt to minimize the damage, Chancellor Merkel quickly reshuffled her cabinet, giving Thomas de Maizière, her trusted Interior Minister, the Defense Minister's job and importing Mr Friedrich to take over the Interior Ministry. Although his Bavarian conservatives have already called for a halt to Muslim immigration, few expected the new Interior Minister to spark controversy so quickly.

Lamya Kaddor, the chairman of Germany's liberal Islamic Foundation, described his remarks as a "slap in the face for all Muslims", The Independent reported.