4 - 2002
Acknowledging racism - coming clean
by Metropolitan Augoustinos, Präses Kock and Cardinal Lehmann
Every autumn for many years, "Foreign-born Citizens' Week / Intercultural Week" has been celebrated in many German cities and churches. This year it was held from 29 September through 5 October. A "Joint Statement", issued in May 2002 by the Evangelical Church in Germany, the German Roman Catholic Bishops' Conference and the Greek Orthodox Metropolis in Germany, calls on Christians to participate.
This year's Foreign-born Citizens' Week / Intercultural Week, like last year's, has the slogan "Acknowledging Racism - Coming Clean". We would like to call upon all people who live in Germany to participate actively in preparing for this week and in carrying it out, or to show support for it by their presence and good will. We would also like to take this opportunity to point out what we consider especially important about it this year.
Memories of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 are being renewed, and are present in a special way in the thoughts and feelings of many persons. Following these events last year, many Muslims in Germany felt themselves being singled out for scepticism and mistrust from within the majority population. But at the same time, since then, many people have shown an increased interest in learning more about Islam and in receiving help in making their own judgments.
The Foreign-born Citizens' Week / Intercultural Week has for many years been a special opportunity for information, exchange of opinions, encounter and cooperation. It should be a particular chance to make publicly visible the many areas in which people have kept and proven their trust in one another over the years, a trust which should continue to be built upon and cultivated.
The attacks of 11 September cannot be justified on the basis of religion. Numerous Islamic associations have made this clear, with reference to Islamic theology, in public statements. Anyone who tries to make all Islam responsible for such actions fails to recognise not only the cultural, psychological and political contexts which give rise to such extremist thinking or make room for it to resonate, but also the diversity of forms within Islam. These events have therefore strengthened our resolve to speak out against every form of intolerance as well as extremist and fundamentalist thinking. Unfortunately, in our world religion is misused in many ways for such purposes. We do not want to allow this to happen.
People of different religions and cultural backgrounds can only live peacefully as neighbours when they take care to show respect for one another. This can happen, when importance is given to social justice, opportunities for self-expression and development, participation in social occasions together and readiness for sharing and dialogue as the conditions for it. Those who work to bring about these conditions are not naive, but are politically wise and far-sighted, although disappointments may occur. For there is no alternative to the vision of all people living peacefully as neighbours on this globe, as diverse as their traditions and backgrounds are. This insight makes sense not only politically, but as a spiritual and religious challenge which we must accept and put into practical form.
For us as Christians these convictions are founded in the message of the Bible. Jesus' commandment to love our neighbour challenges us to take the step across the borders of enmity and resentment, towards other persons who are often strange to us. Jesus' message and deeds represent a mission for us, which obligates us to stand up for disadvantaged persons, for social justice and the things that make for peace. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatian church that among Christians there are no more divisions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, for in Christ all are of equal worth (chapter 3, verse 28). This is true not only for the Christian community; to us it is an admonition and a standard for the life of the whole society.
We therefore stand up against every form of discrimination and racism. We cannot accept people's being considered less worthy, or being disadvantaged or threatened, because they are different. This is often the germ from which violence grows. We deplore the lack of progress by federal and regional political leaders in bringing about lasting improvements in, and putting on a new basis altogether, the conditions for integrating people of foreign origin into Germany. Once again we insist on an overall concept, covering education, the labour market, culture, and social, legal and political participation, that will promote lasting, forward-looking and equal integration of persons of foreign origin into the life of the society. In this period of political campaigning we ask our political leaders to abstain from anything which might encourage xenophobic feelings and actions.
This year's Foreign-born Citizens' Week / Intercultural Week is an opportunity to involve many people of foreign religious and cultural backgrounds in participating and working with us, sending them a signal that they are welcome to have an active part in shaping our society. In this spirit we hope for broad-based support, and we wish all those who are involved in preparing and carrying out this Week the courage of their convictions, good cheer and God's blessing.
Präses Manfred Kock, Council President of the Protestant Church in Germany; Karl Cardinal Lehmann, President of the German Bishops' Conference; Metropolitan Augoustinos, Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Germany