“Yeah Right, Where Do You Really Come From...?”

Since 11 September 2001, nothing much would appear to have changed for many people from a Muslim background in Germany. Nevertheless, many of them still think there is a gulf between ‘East’ and ‘West’.

Lewis Gropp highlights some current opinions.

‘After the attacks, many people initially recoiled when I told them that my family comes from Afghanistan,’ explains R. G. (25). ‘Some of them even laughed and said something like “yeah right, where do you really come from...?”’ G. works part-time in an architect’s studio in Bonn. Even there, some of her colleagues expressed the opinion that Afghans are all terrorists. ‘I was frequently annoyed by these kind of comments,” says G.

Before the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, most people were very interested when she began speaking about her family background. After the attacks, she relates, a potential landlord called off the already agreed-upon deal when a friend of hers, that was looking for an appartment at that time, happened to mention she was from Afghanistan. The more often prejudices and suspicions are repeated, the more they seem to be confirmed. ‘There comes a time when you really do begin to feel like a criminal,’ says G.

The media have distorted the image of Islam

Nevin Gülmez (26) is a web designer. She has the impression that it was above all the media that fanned the flames of fear of a spread of the Islamic world and made the connection between religion and terrorist beliefs -– even among people whom one would have expected to be better informed. ‘It’s horrific to see how easy it is to influence people.’ She says, however, that the events and their consequences have changed virtually nothing in her immediate environment.

Reza Vahdad, who works as a doctor in the children’s clinic in Herne, on the other hand, reports that he has encountered a great deal of mistrust over the past two years – ‘at least until such time as people found out what I do for a living.’

He goes on to say that more than anything else, he increasingly finds himself in conversations in which he has to battle with prejudices about Islamic culture. ‘You have to be careful not to let a defiant reaction lead to an argument.’

He finds that the perception that Islam is not willing to submit to western values and standards is particularly widespread. ‘But I have never considered western values to be something to which I have to submit. These values are in no way contradictory to my opinions. On the contrary, they have enriched me. Ultimately how you feel about these matters is a very personal thing.’ Nevertheless, Vahdad feels the treatment of this matter in Germany is very complex.

‘In Germany you have the freedom to do all sorts of crazy things’

Mladen Vignjevic (29), a business man in Cologne who comes from a multicultural Croat family, also emphasises the comparatively high levels of tolerance in Germany. ‘There’s no doubt about it. In Germany you have the freedom to do all sorts of crazy things. It’s perfectly clear. Just take a look around the world. Where else do people have so much freedom?’

While Vignjevic freely admits that he comes in for closer scrutiny at airports since 11 September, he stresses that he doesn’t consider this to be discrimination. ‘It is a fact of life that people who don’t look German are checked more often.’

Saghar Chopan (26), who works among other things as a teacher, has had first-hand experience of how the geopolitical status quo in the world affects life in the classroom.

‘Shortly after the attacks, a school girl of about thirteen years came to me and asked me if we could clear up a few things in class because she was constantly being teased and bullied.’

Chopan also views the role of the media critically. While the reports have taught people that Kabul is the capital of Afghanistan, they also spread lots of misinformation and have led to the fact that stereotypical opinions about Islam are spreading faster than before.

‘Many people are of the opinion that anyone who publicly bears witness to Islam is a fundamentalist and anyone who doesn’t is a “sleeper”’.

Western interest in Islam and Afghanistan is not authentic

Leila Popal, a student in Cologne, moved to Germany from Afghanistan at the age of three. She has witnessed an increased interest in Islam but considers it to be nothing more than the West’s protection of its own interests.

‘As soon as the Soviets left the country, the Afghans asked for help and drew the world’s attention to the fact that the country was a powder keg – fertile ground for extreme fundamentalism. But back then, no-one was interested.’

She feels that the world only became interested in Afghanistan after 11 September. ‘That shows that this is not about Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the country just has to make the best of it.’ Even though a lot has changed in world politics since 11 September 2001, day-to-day life for many Muslims in Germany would not appear to have changed fundamentally.

‘It has always been the case in the underground that the seat beside me is always the last to be taken,’ says Reza Vahdad. ‘This is especially true of the elderly,’ he laughs, ‘but young people don’t have a problem sitting next to me.’

Lewis Gropp © Qantara.de 2003