ANKARA
By Hale Turkes
Turkey has strongly condemned a caricature referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Germany’s Turkish community which has been published in a school textbook.
In a statement issued Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it was "unacceptable" to publish such a caricature to illustrate so-called “adaptation issues” of Turkish immigrants in Germany.
The caricature, which is included in a textbook studied at schools in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, was originally published in November 2011 in a Sunday edition of the German daily, Frankfurter Allgemeine.
The caricature depicts a Turkish restaurant owner speaking to his patrons in broken German, with the caption "Turks in Germany for 50 years: a success story."
The drawing also shows a doghouse in the background with the word ‘Erdogan’ written on it.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "The publication of this caricature in textbooks is a reflection of the racism and xenophobia which are unfortunately on the rise in Germany.
Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru has raised the issue with Ambassador Eberhard Pohl, and Deputy Undersecretary Murat Esenli held a meeting with the German Embassy's Political Director Hans-Dieter Lucas over the matter as well, diplomatic sources said.
"Such an attempt, which does not only breach personal rights, but also triggers social hatred, xenophobia and Islamophobia under the guise of freedom, has no place in democracy," the ministry said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also called on the German authorities to show “the necessary sensitivity” in order to amend and prevent the recurrence of such practices, as "they do not serve the adaptation and integration processes of the Turkish and Muslim communities living in Germany."
"Such practices constitute the real reason behind the failure of the German integration policy due to the feeling of alienation it causes among Turkish and Muslim communities in the country," the ministry said.
www.aa.com.tr/en
