Analele Universității Ovidius din Constanț a Seria Știin țe Politice [604717]

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
111 HOW ISLAMIC IS GERMANY?
Alicia-Georgiana ZALUPCA

Abstract: The main concern of Europe and of Germany, in the pr esent case, is
represented by the migration phenomenon and whether t his might lead to a
potential Islamization of the continent. Together w ith the refugee crisis from
September 2015 and the large number of immigrants com ing from the Middle
East and Africa, a new concern has been brought to t he forefront of the public
agenda. The integrity of the European values, cultur es, civilizations, languages,
identities, and multicultural environments is put to the test when it comes to
preserving the identity of what it means to be a Eur opean citizen. Most of the
Muslims refugees have chosen Germany as their destin ation and as a future
home for their own families and children. But is Ger many ready to accept this
number of people? Is the German society so multicult ural so that these
individuals could be integrated and accepted without any discrimination, labels,
and problems? How Islamic is Germany? These are the questions which will be
answered in this article because we intend to present the current political and
social situation in Germany as well as to explain w hy Islamization constitutes the
main electoral theme of debate. The study will appro ach this issue from a
political, religious, cultural and social perspectiv e so that we can show a clear
picture of this phenomenon. Therefore, it will be very im portant to know what is
the impact of PEGIDA’s ( Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the
West ) actions with regards to an alleged “Islamization” of Ger many.
Keywords: Germany, Islam, Islamization, migration, PEGIDA, politic s
◊◊◊
Rezumat: Principala grijă a Europei și a Germaniei în mod spe cial este
reprezentată de fenomenul migrației și în subsidiar, de preocuparea legată de o
potențială islamizare a continentului. Criza refugi aților din septembrie 2015 și
numărul foarte mare de imigranți proveniți din Orientu l Mijlociu și Africa, au
introdus în discursul public, o serie de noi preocupăr i. Integritatea valorilor,
culturilor, civilizațiilor, limbilor, identităților și mediilor multiculturale europene
este acum constestată în co ntextul efortului de a conserva caracterul originar al
cetățenilor europeni. Majoritatea refugiaților musu lmani au ales Germania drept

PhD. Candidate in Communication Science, Faculty of Communication Science and
Public Relations at National School of Political Sc ience and Public Administration.
POSDRU Scholar: POSDRU/187/1.5/S/155589. E-mail: al [anonimizat].

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
112 destinație și reședință viitoare în care să -și stabilească familiile și copii lor. Este
însă Germania pregătită să accepte acest număr mare de oameni? Este societatea
germană atât de multiculturală astfel încât acești i ndivizi să poată fi integrați și
acceptați fără discriminare, etichetare și alte prob leme? Cât de islamică este
Germania? Acestea sunt întrebările la care vom răsp unde în acest articol
deoarece intenționăm să prezentăm actuala situație p olitică și socială din
Germania și să explicăm de ce islamizarea reprezintă tema principală de
dezbatere electorală. Studiul va aborda problematica di ntr -o perspectivă politică,
religioasă, culturală și socială astfel încât să pu tem oferi o imagine clară a acestui
fenomen. Totodată, este foarte important să cunoaște m și care este impactul
acțiunilor PEGIDA (Patrioții Europeni împotriva Isl amizării Vestului ) raportate
la teza “islamizării” Germaniei.
Cuvinte cheie: Germania, Islam, islamizare, migrație, PEGIDA, politică
I. Islam and the Islamization Phenomenon in
Germany
he challenges posed by the refugee crisis from 2015-2016
are currently affecting Germany. The large number of
Muslim immigrants that had come to Germany in only a
couple of months, had been regarded as an alarm signal on the part of t he
Germans, who were feeling that their country was potentially in danger.
The rise of the migration phenomenon is at the root of the idea regardi ng
the possible Islamization of Germany. This aspect has led to the fear of
losing the cultural and religious identity because of the Muslim pre sence.
The following sections will focus on examining the notion of Islamiz ation
phenomenon in Germany and how politics can act as a liaison between
this unfounded fear and its own citizens. The methodology used is a
qualitative one: the case-study presents a conceptualization of I slam and
Islamization and an analysis of the German PEGIDA movement and its
implications for the civil society.
I.1. Islam and Islamization
According to anti-immigration voices, Germany could potentially
become more Islamic than Christian, once one adds the wave of
immigrants that has come from Middle East and Africa during the re fugee
crisis from 2015-2016 to the large minority of Turks that ha ve already T

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
113 been living for years in Germany. There are currently numerous M uslim
communities, most of them Turkish and more recently, also Syr ian and
Afghan which are living in various regions in Germany.
Islam, like Christianity, is an Abrahamic religion that has been
taught by the Qur’an and is considered to be the word of Allah given t o
the prophet Mohammed and from Mohammed to its followers in Arabia,
in the VII th century AD. According to Islam, a Muslim must respect the
five pillars all their life and must visit Mecca during Ram adan at least
once.
Islam is considered to be the world’s second largest religion 1with
around 1.7 billion followers, representing 23% of world’s popula tion 2as
well as the fastest growing religion when it comes to new con verts to
Islam 3. Christianity is the world’s first religion, registering a round 2.2
billion followers. Like the Christian Bible, the Qur’an is consi dered by the
Muslims to contain the revelation of Allah and Islam is seen as the
original and primordial faith that has been revealed before the Chri stian
prophets such Noe, Moses or Jesus. Since the very beginning, there have
been discrepancies between the two religions, Christianity and Isl am,
because each of the them states that it was the first primordi al faith / one
true church.
In general terms, the differences between the two worlds,
Christian and the Muslim, are extremely relevant. The Christ ian world has
become freer, open, and democratic as the years passed by. The Mus lim
world is still rigid and very rigorous in terms of preserving its faith, beliefs,
and traditions. The Western population is modern and multicultural in
comparison with the Islamic countries where the freedom of speech a nd
movement are still restricted. In Europe, the Europeans, both men and
1***, “The Global Religious Landscape ”,Pewforum , December 18, 2012, accessed
October 6, 2016, http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/ global-religious-landscape-
exec.
2Todd M. Johnson et al., “ Christianity 2015: Religious Diversity and Personal Contact ”,
Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon -Conwell Theological Seminary,
South Hamilton, Massachusetts, January, 2015, access ed October 6, 2016,
http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/1I BMR2015.pdf.
3Daniel Burke, “The World ’s Fastest-Growing Religion Is … ”,CNN , April 3, 2015,
accessed October 6, 2016, http://edition.cnn.com/20 15/04/02/living/pew-study-
religion.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
114 women, are equal, the rights of homosexual and lesbians are respect ed,
cultural identity is respected, free movement is promoted, whil e the values
of the democratic and peaceful society are constantly advanced a nd the
value of being a European citizen offers a tolerant world with more or less
discrimination. On the other side, the Middle East and the Islamic
countries have been affected by governmental crises and wars in the last
decades. This situation along with the fact that most of these s tates had or
still have (Syria) non-democratic / conservative regimes, c oupled with the
fact that men and women are not considered equal, men have the right to
be polygamist, in some places, women are prohibited from pursuing a n
education, led many Muslims to immigrate to Europe.
The word “Jihad” defines the war between the Islamists and the
Western world and can also be found in the Qur’an. The terrorist at tacks
from September 11 th , 2001, the attacks over Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq,
as well as the recent events from Paris (2015 and 2016) ha ve been
considered to be influenced by radical Islam. Moreover, these eve nts have
contributed to the formation of a certain attitude in Europe that has
generated several views towards the relationship between Musli ms and
Islam.
In terms of the Muslim population in Germany, early on, a large
number of Turks arrived to Germany and are now at the third or fourt h
generation. They have worked hard to be accepted and integrated in t he
German society. Nowadays, after the refugee crisis, the e vents from New
Year’s Eve 2015 -2016 in Köln and the terrorist attacks in Europe (Paris,
Munich, Hannover, Wurzburg), most of the new Muslims are not
welcomed, while the pre-existing Muslim population does not want to be
associated with them.
As of 2010, Germany had a total population of 82.3 million
people out of which 5.8% were Muslims 4. Around four million Muslims
are living in Germany, which means that every 20 th citizen is a Muslim and
4***, “Table: Religious Composition by Country ”. Pewforum , December 18, 2012,
accessed October 6, 2016, http://www.pewforum.org/fi les/2012/12/globalReligion-
tables.pdf.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
115 this makes Islam the third biggest and most present religion in Germany
after Catholics and Protestants 5.
Islamization represents the social, economic, and political
orientation of a society towards Islam and its beliefs, values , and thoughts
but “should not be understood as a set of axioms, or a rigid ideology, or a
religious movement and must be viewed as designating a methodology f or
dealing with knowledge and its sources, or as an intellectual out look in its
early stages” 6. Because of the increased number of Muslims that are
currently living in Germany, people fear that the country might be
converted to Islam and lose its Christian roots and cultural ident ity. The
fact that the German language, the cultural identity, the histor ic
background, the future of the next generations, and the democratic
civilization could potentially be subjected to a process of Islamiz ation, has
alarmed many German citizens.
The German government, civil society, and private sector ar e
struggling to integrate the new arrivals in the German societ y. But, recent
events have had a negative impact on the Germans’ view of the M uslims
living in Germany. This is turn has led to aggressive and per suasive
political positions and statements, street protests or minor attac ks directed
at the refugee camps. In a public conference held in Berlin, the German
politician Nicolaus Fest, representing the AfD (Alternative f or Germany)
Party, declared that “Islam is not a religion but a totalitar ian movement
that could be compared to national-socialism and is not in accordance to
the German fundamental law and this ideology must be prohibited
demanding that all the mosques in Germany must be closed” 7.
Discrimination is playing a key role in the actual situation and the need for
tolerance is very much welcomed. In this particular case, we will ana lyze in
the next section about the German organization PEGIDA that milita tes
against the possible threat of Germany’s Islamization, in contra st with the
5Harald Wiederschein, “Was den Islam ausmacht ”,Focus , September 13, 2012, accessed
October 6, 2016, http://www.focus.de/wissen/mensch/r eligion/tid-27304/von-koran-
bis-beschneidung-was-den-islam-ausmacht_aid_818650. html.
6Taha Jabir al Alwani, The Islamization of Knowledge: Yesterday and Today (London:
International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995).
7***, “Neuer AfD-Mann vergleicht Islam mit Nationalsoziali smus ”., Focus , October 6,
2016, accessed October 7, 2016, http://www.focus.de /politik/deutschland/nicolaus-
fest-neuer-afd-mann-vergleicht-islam-mit-nationalso zialismus_id_6038387.html.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
116 European Union which focuses its agenda on non-discrimination without
regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expr ession,
sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.
II. How Islamic is Germany?
The current main topic on Germany’s public opinion agenda is
how Islamic has the country become in the last months after the l arge
wave of Muslim immigrants made such an impact on Germans’ lif e. An
organization such as PEGIDA is being seen as a means to defend the
country’s values, culture, and language because what could better
represent the people’s will and thoughts in front of the public opinion and
the politicians, than a movement that has been created by non-politi cally
affiliated persons who share a common interest in keeping intact t he
German society and state.
II.1. PEGIDA and Its Anti-Islam Position
PEGIDA is a right-wing, nationalist, anti-Islam organization that
has been created by non-political individuals on October 11 th , 2014 in
Dresden, Germany and is currently being chaired by Lutz Bachmann 8.
PEGIDA could be classified as a social movement actor because it acts
on the public scene and is promoting social concerns 9. The movement
aims to fight against the possible Islamization of Western Europe due to
the immigration policies and the fact that so many Muslims live in
Germany. The name of the organization is affirms the organizati on’s main
purpose: Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West. Before
becoming a public organization, PEGIDA was a group with restrict ed
8Kate Connolly, “Pegida: What Does the German Far -Right Movement Actually Stand
for?” ,The Guardian , January 6, 2015, accessed October 10, 2016,
https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2015/ja n/06/pegida-what-does-germa
n-far-right-movement-actually-stand-for.
9Lisa Marie Neulist, Die Problemkarriere der ‘Islamisierung des Abendlandes ’unter Pegida in
Dresden (Augsburg: University of Augsburg, 2015).

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
117 access on Facebook 10 . PEGIDA war ns about the “danger” posed by
Muslims, arguing that most of them have hard time integrating in a
Western society that is totally different from the Islamic society.
Dresden was regarded as a fertile ground for the birth and the
growth of such an organization because it is located in Saxony, the largest
region in the former Eastern Germany. In this region, the degree of
disappointment caused by the inequality and the discrepancies between
the West and the East has played a fundamental role. Saxony is the main
region of the right-wing extremists where PEGIDA and AfD repr esent
the voice of dissatisfaction against Merkel’s immigrants’ pol icy and the
acceptance of over one million Muslim refugees in the last months of
2015 and in the beginning of 2016. The supporters of this movement
protest because they believe the government should stop this process and
should see the danger posed by the idea of “living together in a
multicultural society of Christians and Muslims”. PEGIDA argue s that
this fact will not be possible and will only damage the German s ociety and
the future of this country. Both sides tend to defend their own values ,
culture, language and civilization and as such, who has the majority , wins.
In parallel to this situation, it is a well known fact that the entire Europe is
having a problem with the birth rate and that the population is gett ing
older and that fewer children are born.
Therefore, PEGIDA is an answer to the people’s concerns and
publically militates against the Islamization of Germany. In the meantime,
PEGIDA has become popular all over Germany, in places such as
Leipzig, Kassel, Dusseldorf, Bochum, Munich, Wurzburg, Rostock or
Bonn und Eastern Friesland 11 . Most nights, many German citizens would
gather in Dresden to protest against the press, immigrants, S alafists, the
religious war, Merkel’s government, and the Islamization of G ermany 12 .
10 Spiegel Staff, “Anti -Muslim Movement Rattles Ge rman” ,Spiegel , December 21, 2014,
accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.spiegel.de/in ternational/germany/anti-muslim-
pegida-movement-rattles-germany-a-1009245.html.
11 Stefan Locke , “Die neue Wut aus dem Osten” , Frankfurter Allgemeine , December 7,
2014, accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.faz.net/ aktuell/politik/inland/pegida-
bewegung-gegen-islamisierung-des-abendlandes-133068 52.html.
12 Lars Geiges, Stine Marg, and Franz Walter, Pegida, Die schmutzige Seite der Zivilgesellschaft?
(Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag, 2015).

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
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118 PEGIDA has around 34 000 fans on Facebook 13 and runs most of its
activities using this social media tool, managing to organize different
events, gathering people to the street protests and engaging in la rge
debates using the postings on the social media wall.
Many Germans are opened to the ideas promoted by PEGIDA
and its relevant persuasive slogans such as: “Against religi ous fanaticism”,
“The German people have had enough”, “No Sharia in Europe” or
“Courage to truth” 14 .
Stefan Locke , journalist from the German newspaper Frankfurter
Allgemeine , has extracted the following key points from PEGIDA’s public
manifesto:
– a stricter asylum policy that demands a better and proper control of
those immigrants who require to live in Germany by stating ver y
clearly that Germany is not a holiday destination but a country
where they must work, live, and act as per the German
fundamental law;
– a position against religious or politically-focused radicalism , such as
the conflicts between the Kurds and the Salafists in Hamburg and
Celle from October 2014;
– a fear towards the progressive Islamization of Germany due t o the
fact that almost 5.6% of Germany’s population is Muslim 15 .
According to a study published on the online portal Statista ,
around 4.5 millions Muslims are currently living in Germany, of which 8
300 are Salafists, regarded as the so called radical Isla mists 16 . The number
is relevant to understand the need for a better assessment of the
immigrants’ asylum requests and to require a more severe security policy.
13 Facebook, “PEGIDA” ,Facebook , accessed October 10, 2016, https://www.facebook.
com/pegidaevofficial.
14 Anna-Beeke Gretemeier and Robert Bachofer, “Warum die Angst vor Islamisierung
unbegründet ist” ,Stern , December 16, 2014, accessed October 10, 2016,
http://www.stern.de/politik/deutschland/pegida-im-f aktencheck–warum-die-angst-vor-
islamisierung-unbegruendet-ist-3471396.html.
15 Locke, “Die neue Wut aus dem Osten” .
16 ***, “Anzahl der Muslime in Deutschland nach Glaubensrich tung (Stand variert von
2005 bis 2016; in 1.000) ”,Statist , 2016, accessed October 10, 2016,
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/7674 4/umfrage/anzahl-der-muslime-in-
deutschland-nach-glaubensrichtung/.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
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119 Moving forward in our analysis of the ideas regarding the
Islamization of Germany, we notice how this fear has been widel y
exploited by Bachmann to PEGIDA’s followers , so well in fact, that it has
become the creed of this organization.
In December 2014, TNS Research Institute at the request of Der
Spiegel published the results of the first survey regarding the Islamiza tion
of Germany. The survey revealed that every third German is s haring
PEGIDA’s opinion and that he is frightened by the possible danger posed
by the Islamization of Germany 17 .
Furthermore, in January 2016, Germany’s Chancellor Angela
Merkel stated that “Islam belongs to Germany” as she emphasiz ed her
support for the Muslim community in Germany and opposition to
Turkey's EU application after meeting with the Turkish prime m inister 18 .
Merkel’s statement was considered to be totally inappropriate due to the
current situation in Germany. During the New Year’s E ve 2015-2016,
many German women had been sexually and physically assaulted by
Muslim immigrants and a common fear was born. Under these
circumstances, Merkel committed a mistake by stating that Islam belongs
to Germany. According to the Chancellor’s oppone nts, when the German
citizens were being terrorized, though they were attempting to accept the
Muslim immigrants among them, Merkel should have sided with her own
citizens. This is why many Germans disagreed with her statement.
Two years later, in June 2016, a similar survey conducted by the
University of Leipzig, revealed that 51% of the Germans we re feeling
threatened by Islam, and 41% wanted to stop Muslim migration to
Germany. The study showed that Germans were increasingly reje cting
Islam. Half of the respondents said the huge influx of Muslims to
Germany has left them feeling like strangers in their own country 19 .
17 ***, “Jeder Dritte befürchtet Islamisierung Deutschlands ” ,Zeit , December 13, 2014,
accessed October 10, 2016, http://www.zeit.de/gesell schaft/zeitgeschehen/2014-
12/pegida-umfrage-islamisierung#article-editor-crea te-link.
18 ***, “Islam Belongs to Germany” ,The Local , January 12, 2015, accessed October 10,
2016, https://www.thelocal.de/20150112/merkel-islam- belongs-to-germany-turkey.
19 Oliver Decker, Johannes Kiess, and Elmar Brähler, “Die enthemmte Mitte Autoritäre
und rechtsextreme Einstellung in Deutschland – Die Leipziger „Mitte” -Studien 2016” ,
Taggesschau , 2016, accessed June 27, 2016, http://www.tagesscha u.de/inland/mitte-
101.pdf.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
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No. 5 / 2016
120 In these cases, PEGIDA is being perceived as the defender of the
German traditions, culture, and values –capable of protecting the country
in the name of the disappointed German citizens.
In January 2016, the German minister for the Federal Office for
Migration and Refugees, revealed some facts that contributed to t he
assertion that Germany will not be Islamized and that the Islam ization of
Germany is just an exaggerated story. According to the latest migration
report from 2014:
– 2014 had registered the highest rate since 1992;
– 965 000 persons had requested asylum in 2015 in Germany, 135%
more than in 2014;
– most of the immigrants were coming from other European Union
Member States, such as Poland, Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria;
– one fifth of the residents were traditionally immigrants 20 .
The federal official statistics show that most of the immig rants
were, in fact, not Muslims. In other words, the government is
demonstrating with facts that the message of PEGIDA is not le gitimate
and the actions should actually focus on true facts. But, the realit y of
2015-2016 showed that the number of Muslims living in Germany had
increased and the elections results from the spring and fall of 2016 had
shown that Merkel’s immigration policy had failed.
Moreover, PEGIDA has its own arguments that legitimate i ts
actions towards criticizing the government’s asylum policy:
-Germany is increasingly Islamized. “I do n ot want my grandchildren
to grow up in Islam”. In 2009, around 4.3 million Muslims were
living in Germany. The American Institute “Pew Research
Center” predicted that 5.5 million Muslims will be living in
Germany by 2030;
– radical Salafists are threatening the German society acc ording to the
president of the Protection of the Constitution, Hans-Georg
Maaße. 7 000 Salafists are living in Germany, and around 450
20 Bundesministerium des Innern, “Migrationsbericht 2014 ”, Bundesamt für Migration
und Flüchtlinge (BAMF), January 6, 2016, accessed Octo ber 10, 2016,
http://www.bamf.de/SharedDocs/Anlagen/DE/Publikatio nen/Migrationsberichte/mi
grationsbericht2014.html?nn=1663558.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
Annals of the „Ovidius” University of Constanț a –Political Science Series
No. 5 / 2016
121 persons are alleged jihadists that have returned to Germany aft er
having been trained in Syria in the camps of the Islamic State;
-while the refugees are accommodated in hotel like homes with “al l
inclusive service”, the German pensioners are starving on
Christmas Eve. The poverty among the elder population of
Germany has increased in the last years. 499 000 people are
currently helped by the Hartz IV social programme, receiving
around 400 Euro social help monthly;
-Germany’s asylum policy and attitude towards immigrants must be
properly changed;
– the Sharia law must be prohibited because it is functioning like a
parallel law and the German fundamental law must be respected.
The idea of strengthening the jurisprudence monopoly of the state
and the intolerance towards the illegal parallel justice is reinforced;
-“We are not Nazis; we are just concerned citizen s about our culture
and tradition” 21 .
This approach towards PEGIDA’s aims seeks to legitimate i ts
actions when it comes to defending Germany’s historical background and
its integrity as a sovereign state.
The entire European society and Germany is particular are facing
a new multicultural religious challenge. The effects of accept ing the
refugees by the European Union’s Member States as a result of the
refugee crisis from 2015 became more pronounced as seen in the el ectoral
results in Germany and in the increased popularity registered by
PEGIDA.
This organization is playing a fundamental role in defining
people’s opinions and influencing their thoughts. Some argue that the
Germans’ concerns should become Europe’s concerns since all the EU’s
citizens are dealing with the same issue and their voice should m atter and
be listened to by the politicians. The decisions should not be taken only in
the Brussels forum, but at the national level, thus taking into
consideration the needs of the Europeans for their countries and for their
future.
21 Felix Laurenz, “Islamisierung des Abendlandes? Pegida-Thesen im Fak tencheck ”,
Derwesten , March 14, 2015, accessed October 10, 2016, http://w ww.derwesten.de/politik
/islamisierung-des-abendlandes-pegida-thesen-im-fak tencheck-id10150294.html.

Analele Universității „Ovidius” din Constanț a –Seria Știin țe Politice
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122 Germany has understood that while, on one hand, globalization
and wars determine people to migrate to Europe, on the other, the ov erall
European population is getting old and the birth rate has decreased. In
this context, the government must continue the Europeanization process
and prevent a potential Islamization of a Christian country, like Germany.
An organization such as PEGIDA is considered a rescue
movement aimed at defending the virtue of the German state. A single
citizen does not have the power to be listened to at a higher l evel. But a
united group of citizens actively protesting in the streets, has more power
and shows unity towards a common cause. In this case, their main
concern is related to the government’s attitude towards its own citizens.
The organization demands fair justice, equal chances, and a better
understanding of the fact that the immigrants are living among Ge rmans
and other Europeans, and as such, they need to balance and adjust their
culture, religion, language, and habits and not attempt to impose t hem in
the country where they are living or expect the Christian population to
adhere to their belief.
Thanks to the social media tools, the process of mobilizing people
has become easier and faster. Thus, Dresden can now be considered t he
capital of the opposition against Muslim migrants in Germany.
Segments of the middle class have adhered to the ideas and
actions promoted by PEGIDA. In Europe and Germany alike, the middle
class tends to become more and more right-wing and radical. This w as
reflected in their voting behavior, where they moved from the traditional
Christian and Social Democratic German parties, to support the r ight-
wing, radical, nationalist, and anti-Islam organization, PEGIDA . Political
scien tists are of the opinion that PEGIDA’s followers abandon the
traditional parties because of the fact that these parties have adopted a
pro-refugee policy 22 . The voters considered that they were better
represented by this movement since their social, religious, a nd political
needs were in accordance to the message of PEGIDA.
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