This is the English  edition of our internet publication. The title INTEGRATION is also the program of the German-Turkish Foundation DTS, established five years ago with 500 co-founders to promote the legal and social integration of 2,3 million ethnic Turks in Germany. DTS has been actively involved in political and media work in the Turkish-German environment and has organized symposia and conferences.

INTEGRATION will cover all immigration issues including German-Turkish relations and issues concerning Turks living in Germany. Above all, we want to provide a forum for immigrants of the second and third generation.

All readers are encouraged to participate: We look forward to your articles, photographs and letters with your suggestions about what we are doing.

Faithfully,

Germany will have a new immigration law on January 1^st, 2003. Interior Minister Otto Schily has achieved a great deal: The integration of immigrants will be regulated by law for the first time in German history. There will only be two residence statuses for aliens: a restricted residence permit and an unrestricted permanent residence status.

Prerequisites for immigration are based on education, work skills and humanitarian grounds to be defined more extensively. The new alien residence law will replace the present immigration law which immigrants could hardly interpret or understand clearly.

Minister Schily rejects allegations voiced by the opposition that immigration will open the country to a flood of foreign newcomers. Immigration will not be limited by quotas. The Interior Minister points out that the new law is compatible with immigration proposals submitted by Peter Mueller (CDU), Minister President of the Saarland. Dtsinfo has discussed these proposals extensively.

The law is presently debated by the German Upper House ("Bundesrat"), the parliament composed by representatives of state governments. The Federal Government, composed of a Red/Green coalition (SPD/ Greens), has no majority in the Upper House. CDU and CSU have rejected the Government proposal although Minister Schily expressed his willingness to accept proposals by the state governments.

he opposition is not happy with an immigration law tailored to the needs of the labor market. CDU general secretary Laurenz Meyer argues that such a law could allow immigration in unrestricted numbers.

The CSU [Bavarian Conservative Party] is afraid of such "uncontrolled immigration" and wants to debate the issue in the coming federal election campaign. Minister Schily has called the CSU position "politics of hysteria".

The vote in the Upper House will depend on the position of the SPD/CDU coalition in the State of Brandenburg; the Saarland will also play an important role, as Minister President Mueller sympathizes with the immigration law proposed by Schily.

The German business community is putting pressure on the Conservative parties. The German National Chamber of Commerce (DIHK) and the Federal Association of German Industry (BDI) agree: "In view of the critical shortage of experts and highly qualified specialists, the political parties should reach an agreement soon," urges BDI Chief Michael Rogowski. Highly qualified experts should be attracted to Germany with instant unrestricted residence permits.

Hans-Olaf Henkel, Vice President of BDI, presses CDU politician Angela Merkel to demonstrate leadership in the immigration issue. Mrs. Merkel has regretted that the new immigration law will not allow the limitation of immigration. Her position has widened the gap between Minister Schily and the Conservative opposition. The BDI regrets the objections raised by the opposition: "Blocking the new immigration law will be difficult for the CDU/ CSU, as the German business community, churches and political parties are in favor of the new legal packet," says Henkel. He welcomes the law as a prerequisite for a modern regulation of immigration: "This is the first time that we can choose our own immigrants."

The Inter-Cultural Council of Germany has welcomed Schily’s new law. The Council, composed of churches, welfare associations, unions and human rights organizations, supports granting asylum in cases of non-governmental and sex-specific persecution, and granting permanent residence to aliens who, so far, were only "tolerated."

No Jumbo jet to Germany, no family waiting on the airport, and arriving for only a few years: 40 years ago, the first Turks came to Germany to support the "economic miracle," to sweat on assembly lines where most Germanic workers did not want to toil.

"I was the first guest worker coming to Berlin from Turkey. The train ride took three days," narrates Cemalettin Cetin. Today he is 66 years old and retired. His wife is Hannelore, and his daughter Mediha is a German-Turkish lady.

The German -Turkish Labor Promotion Agreement of 1961 started the migration. Germany needed foreign workers. They were welcome to help keep the economy running – and then return to Turkey. Unless they were close neighbors, most Germans ignored Anatolia’s daughters and sons. And sometimes they read grim stories in sensational tabloids about a Turk drawing a knife or stealing a car...

"Most workers came as poor peasants from Anatolia; they had never seen a major city or a production plant," says Cetin. "We went wherever we were needed. The Ford plant in Cologne needed us."

Onur Dülgers owns a house in the Cologne suburb of Chorweiler. His pretty garden has fig and olive trees reminding him of his homeland. Onur is one of the first immigrants, he is also retired. When he first arrived, he was 22 years old and unable to speak German. He came with 30 workers from Turkey. When they arrived in Munich, they had coffee, chocolate and cigarettes. Onur wanted to stay for a maximum of six months. He was met at the Cologne train station and taken to a company housing project.

First, he wanted to return instantly, but he stayed, bought a used car, drove around and met his wife Monika. And then he stayed on. "We helped build this economy," he proudly says. "When we visit Turkey now we stay in hotels, and we feel like tourists."

Today, Dülger is one of 2,5 million Turks in Germany. 425,000 have German citizenship, the others are Turkish. 55,000 Turkish immigrants have become successful entrepreneurs, some are small, some are big. 40 years of Turkish immigration to Germany is a story with many ugly and inhuman features. Violence by racist rightists is the worst part, but ugly feelings are also created by hostility and rejection at the workplace, in neighborhoods and local government offices.

There are many Turks whose parents immigrated, who were born in Germany and still do not know where they belong.

Nevertheless, the situation is having a positive turn. The Federal Government is working on a new immigration law, the coverage of immigration issues in the media is getting normal, and marriages with Turks are no special deal. Nevertheless, the complicated problem of the social integration of Turks into mainstream German society remains unsolved. Politicians are becoming increasingly aware of this urgent issue. Turks in Germany are not only workers, they are also doctors, professors, poets, musicians, entrepreneurs, lawyers and policemen.

Millions of German tourists visit Turkey each year. They enjoy beautiful landscapes, excellent food, a new culture and, most of all, the good Turkish hospitality. Nothing changes our attitudes more than first-hand, practical experience.

One million migrants enter and leave Germany each year. People migrate into Germany, but they also leave this country. In recent years, there was an immigration surplus of approx. 200,000 people. Comparing this figure with a "classical" nation of immigrants, such as the U.S.A., we have factually become another nation of immigrants.

Some 140,000 immigrants are admitted to the U.S. each year. They are admitted according to categories of employment and family status. Including family members, some 226,000 persons were admitted last year to a country of more than 250 million inhabitants.

The German Office of Statistics announces that the German population will shrink to 65 or 70 million people by the year 2050. Not counting immigration surplus figures, the population will shrink to 59 million. The share of older people in these figures will grow, there will be less younger people. The so-called "age quota" is presently at 40: 100 people at working age are faced by 40 retired people. This calculation fixes the retirement age at 60. In 2050, 80 retired people will face 100 people at working age. The "age quota" will thus double in 50 years.

So far, there have been various different permits for limited or unrestricted residence in Germany. They will be revoked. The new regulations distinguish only between limited and unlimited residence permits. The decision is based on the purpose of residence – education, work, humanitarian reasons or family reunion.

Provided no German applicant is available, "demand-regulated immigration" will allow employers to fill job vacancies.

The age for family reunions is lowered from 16 to 14 years. Exceptions can be made if the person can demonstrate German language skills.

Applicants for asylum receive a three-years residence and work permit. After three years, their situation is reviewed in the country of origin.

People persecuted for non-governmental or sex-specific reasons are granted residence and a secure legal status, provided the respective country does not sufficiently protect its citizens.

"Many of our countrymen feel unfairly discriminated," says Esref Üsal, chief of the Association of Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists in Europe (ATIAD). He refers to the consequences of the terrorist acts in America. People seized by panic and fear of Islam have become sensible again once the hideous brutality of the Taliban has been exposed and their leaders were arrested.

Ünsal and his association are greatly satisfied with the Federal Government and all politically relevant groups in Germany. They are working hard to avoid a culture war in the wake of the battle against terrorism. Ünsal hopes that the dialogue between the religions and cultures will persuade the small minority to stop discriminating all Muslims as terrorists.

Despite such fears, a culture war between radicals did not occur. There was no objection to Chancellor Schroeder’s statement that the Turkish culture is an asset to life in Germany. Hysterical people and basket cases, found in each society, stayed among themselves.

"Culture wars" and clash of civilizations: a most pressing issue in view of international terrorism. German bookstores have ordered reprints of Samuel Huntington’s book Clash of Civilizations. Curious citizens want to understand Huntington’s ideas.

The book is controversial, well-liked and also hated. Its effect is compared to Spengler’s Decline of the West. Critics have reproached Huntington of creating negative images and reinforcing prejudices. His followers claim that he accurately describes the political condition of the world.

Huntington asserts that the 21^st century is not shaped by political, ideological or economic conflicts. He describes a clash of seven civilizations: Cultural borders will be the front lines of future wars.

What are his main ideas? First of all: decadence, the "fall of Western civilization". Decadence is described as moral decay, cultural suicide, crime, drug addiction, disintegrating families, teenage pregnancies, single parents, declining communal commitments, the culture of consumption, declining interests in education and intellectual activities, and the decline of religiosity.

Huntington asserts that major cultures shape the conflicts after the end of the Cold War. Global politics is multicultural. The West is losing ground; Asian cultures increase their economic, military and political power. The Islamic population is exploding with serious consequences for Islamic countries. A world order based on cultural values is emerging. The West is clashing with Islam and China.

"Culture wars" and clash of civilizations: a most pressing issue in view of international terrorism. German bookstores have ordered reprints of Samuel Huntington’s book Clash of Civilizations. Curious citizens want to understand Huntington’s ideas.

The book is controversial, well-liked and also hated. Its effect is compared to Spengler’s Decline of the West. Critics have reproached Huntington of creating negative images and reinforcing prejudices. His followers claim that he accurately describes the political condition of the world.

Huntington asserts that the 21^st century is not shaped by political, ideological or economic conflicts. He describes a clash of seven civilizations: Cultural borders will be the front lines of future wars.

What are his main ideas? First of all: decadence, the "fall of Western civilization". Decadence is described as moral decay, cultural suicide, crime, drug addiction, disintegrating families, teenage pregnancies, single parents, declining communal commitments, the culture of consumption, declining interests in education and intellectual activities, and the decline of religiosity.

Huntington asserts that major cultures shape the conflicts after the end of the Cold War. Global politics is multicultural. The West is losing ground; Asian cultures increase their economic, military and political power. The Islamic population is exploding with serious consequences for Islamic countries. A world order based on cultural values is emerging. The West is clashing with Islam and China.

People with different ideologies are uniting in common cultures – the two Germanies, the two Koreas and the different Chinas. Societies united by ideology but separated by culture are disintegrating – the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Bosnia, or they are disrupted - the Ukraine, Nigeria, Sudan, India, Sri Lanka and many others.

According to Huntington, "civilizations" are divided into "major cultures." A South Italian citizen belongs to the Italian and the European culture. But he does not belong to the Arabic or the Chinese culture.

Cultural identity is defined by language, history, religion, tradition and institutions. Cultural identity has several layers: A citizen of Rome is a Roman, an Italian, a Catholic Christian and a European. The "major culture" is the "most encompassing collective identity" making us culturally feel at home.

Huntington defines a handful of major cultures – Western, Eastern Orthodox, Latin American, Islamic, Japanese, Chinese, Hindu, and African. The "Western" culture is composed of Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. The "Western" culture is defined as a "European-North American" culture.

Huntington and the 11^th of September

Is the 11^th of September a symbol of the clash of civilizations? Yes and no. Fundamentalist terrorism is no clash of civilizations, terrorism is criminal violence. Nevertheless, the cultural conflict between "Western" culture and Islam is the background behind the 11^th of September, a radical and atrocious symbol of this conflict.

Huntington describes the decline of Western culture and the revival of Islam. The rebirth of Islam is a broad cultural, social and political movement. Islamic fundamentalism, political Islam, is only one element of the Islamic movement. Islam is more than a religion, it is a way of life. Huntington quotes a Saudi: "As Saudi Arabians, we want to modernize, but we do not want to westernize."

According to Huntington, followers of fundamentalist movements belong to the "middle class." Many Islamic activists are educated young people – doctors, lawyers, engineers or government officials. Young Islamic people are protagonists of protest, instability, revolution and terror.

President George W. Bush insists that the West has no problem with Islam but with terrorist Islamic fundamentalism. Huntington disagrees: Relations between Islam and Christianity are characterized by "intensive rivalry" and "a hot war." Compared to this conflict, the clash between liberal democracy and Marxism-Leninism was a "transitory phenomenon of the 20^th century."

Huntington describes the effect of Fatima Mernissis’ book Islam and Democracy on the Islamic world. The book portrays the West as "militaristic" and "imperialistic." The West has "traumatized other nations through colonial terror." This negative image of the West is spreading rapidly in the Islamic world.

Islamic fundamentalism, nevertheless, is not the main problem. "Islam is the greatest problem of the West, Islam as a different culture whose people are convinced of their cultural superiority but obsessed by their inferiority in terms of power... The West is the other problem: The Western culture is convinced of the universality of its culture which should be spread over the whole world."

Vural Öger, Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Hans Kirchmann, Board Member

Dr. Mehpare Bozyigit Kirchmann, Manager

Turkey, applauded by President Bush, is in Afghanistan not for the first time. "Turkish officers in Afghanistan have orders to risk their lives," wrote Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the republic 73 years ago. Atatürk wanted to help the Afghan King Amanullah who had sent Afghan girls to Turkey to receive a secular education in the spirit of the young Turkish Republic. A revolt against King Amanullah in connection with his secular views was suppressed with the help of Turkish officers.

This time Turkey has sent soldiers to help get rid of the Taliban regime. Turkey is the only Muslim country in NATO. Turkey just reopened her embassy in Kabul and is expected to use her diplomatic skills in overcoming Afghan tribal differences and building a new, stable and peaceful government.

Ankara hopes to strengthen ties with the Western nations. The Turkish prime minister adds: "Contributing to the freedom and development of Afghanistan is in line with Atatürk’s legacy." When Atatürk beat the occupying forces of Great Britain, Greece, France and Italy in 1921, his plans were considered a model in Afghanistan – to build a Muslim nation with Western norms, democracy and progress.

When King Amunallah visited Europe in 1927, he shocked his subjects by restricting polygamy, introducing equal education for women and promoting Western fashion. Fundamentalist demonstrators marched on Kabul. In the end, Atatürk’s intervention did not succeed. The tribal lords undermined the King’s power, revoked the reforms and forced Amunullah to abdicate. The unfortunate King boarded a Rolls Royce and just drove away.

Nevertheless, many Afghans were later educated in Turkey. Turkish companies built hospitals and schools in Afghanistan. Today, Turkish influence on Afghanistan is small. "We are the opposite of everything the Taliban represent," says Foreign Minister Ismail Cem. Turkey’s influence in Afghanistan may now grow again.

There are 13 candidates for membership in the European Union. All candidates have reported strong economic growth in the year 2000. According to the EU Office of Statistics, growth rates of candidate countries achieved an average of five percent, two percent higher than the average EU growth rate. The 13 candidates produced a gross economic product of 624 billion Euros. Turkey achieved the highest growth rate with 7.2 percent.

Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President of the Republic of Turkey, expressed his strong intention to join the alliance against terrorism. Sezer pointed out that Turkey has suffered greatly under terrorism. International cooperation is of the essence. Turkey lost 30,000 people during 15 years of conflict with the PKK and, therefore, does not sympathize with terrorism. Nevertheless, the contrast between rich and poor people would provide a fertile ground for terrorists, and increased efforts must be made to overcome this contrast. Turkey opened her airports and airbases for American planes en route to fight the Taliban.

The Southeast Anatolia Project GOP ("Güneydogu Anadolu Projesi") is a gigantic water project in Turkey. Director Olcay Unver calls it the "most important construction project of the world." And it is gigantic indeed: 22 dams will irrigate a region as large as Austria. GAP will provide for one quarter of Turkey’s electric energy needs and make use of 7000 kilometers of irrigation canals. The surrounding agriculture will profit greatly: Rice, cotton, wheat, lentils and many crops will flourish. A new agricultural university with expert agricultural education programs will be built in the middle of the irrigated region.

But progress has a price: 30,000 people from 44 villages have to be resettled between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Some Roman towns and a few mosques will disappear in the water.

"White" electrical energy will be supplied by 19 hydroelectric power plants. The turbines attract foreign investments including the U.S. The Turkish Government hopes to create 3.5 million jobs. Present-day income is expected to jump fivefold. And the Government hopes to abolish the causes for social unrest and organized terror by the PKK.

The Atatürk Dam is in the center of the project; it is the sixth largest dam of the world. It was completed in 1990. The lake created by the dam covers an area of 800 square kilometers. Its waters irrigate 150,000 acres of farm land turning former dry soil into green and fertile fields.

Syria and Iraq have complained permanently about GAP. Turkey does not want to threaten the water supplies of her neighbors, but "the next war in the Middle East will be fought over water," believes Boutros-Ghali, the former U.N. Secretary General.

Atatürk was the first Turkish politician dreaming of water energy for Turkey. In 1936, he founded a government agency commissioned to study the best use of the Euphrates and Tigris. These recommendations and plans have long been converted into construction projects. GAP will cost 32 billion US Dollars and will be completed in ten years.

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